Marcus Antonius Polemon Pythodoros, also known asPolemon II of Pontus andPolemon of Cilicia (Greek:Μάρκος Ἀντώνιος Πολέμων Πυθόδωρος; 12 BC/11 BC–74), was a prince of theBosporan,Pontus,Cilicia, andCappadocia. He served as aRoman client king of Pontus,Colchis, and Cilicia.

Polemon II
Silver drachm of king Polemon II (left) and emperor Nero (right), dating from Polemon's regnal year 19.
King ofPontus
Reign	38–62 AD (24 years)
Predecessor	Pythodorida of Pontus as Queen
Born	11 / 12 BC
Died	74 AD
Spouse	Berenice (daughter of Herod Agrippa) Julia Mamaea
Dynasty	Mithridatic
Father	Polemon I of Pontus
Mother	Pythodorida of Pontus

The Pontic royal family was of mixedAnatolian,Greek, and Roman origin. His paternal grandmother is unknown; however his paternal grandmother could have been named Tryphaena, while his paternal grandfather was Zenon, a prominent orator, aristocrat, and ally to Roman TriumvirMark Antony. His maternal grandparents werePythodoros of Tralles, a wealthy Greek and friend ofPompey, andAntonia. Polemon II was the namesake of his parents and his maternal grandparents.

Polemon II was the second son and middle child of the Pontic RulersPolemon Pythodoros andPythodorida of Pontus. His eldest brother was Zenon, also known asArtaxias III, who was Roman Client King ofArmenia. His youngest sister wasAntonia Tryphaena, who was married toCotys VIII, King ofThrace.

Through his maternal grandmother he was a direct descendant of Mark Antony and his second wife, Antonia Hybrida Minor. Antony and Antonia Hybrida were first paternal cousins. He was Antony's second born great-grandson and great-grandchild.

Polemon II is the only known male descendant of Mark Antony that carries his name. The other male descendant of Mark Antony who carries a form of his name,Antonius, was the consulQuintus Haterius Antoninus. Through Antony, his great maternal aunt was QueenCleopatra Selene II ofMauretania. Through Antony, he was a distant cousin to Roman Client KingPtolemy of Mauretania. Through Antony, he was also a distant cousin toRoman emperorsCaligula,Claudius, andNero, and Roman empressesValeria Messalina,Agrippina the Younger, andClaudia Octavia.

TheSophistPolemon of Laodicea was his grandson.^[1]

Polemon II's father died in 8 BC. His mother then married KingArchelaus of Cappadocia, and the family had moved toCappadocia, where Polemon II and his siblings were raised at the court of their stepfather. Archelaus died in 17, whereupon Polemon II and his mother moved back to Pontus. From 17 until 38, Polemon II lived as a private citizen in Pontus and assisted his mother in the administration of their realm. When his mother died in 38, Polemon II succeeded his mother as the sole ruler of Pontus,Colchis andCilicia.

According to an honorary inscription atCyzicus in 38, Polemon II participated in celebrating the local games in the city, honoringJulia Drusilla, the late sister of Caligula;^[2] in this way Polemon II expressed his loyalty to the emperor and the Roman state. With another Roman Client King,Antiochus IV of Commagene, Polemon II held athletic games in honor of Claudius inCilicia in 47. Antiochus IV with Polemon II had shown favor towards Claudius, in which they offered significant services to him.

He was forced to abdicate the Pontic throne byNero in 62 AD.

Around 50, Polemon II was attracted to the wealth and beauty of theJudean princessJulia Berenice, whom he had met inTiberias during a visit to KingHerod Agrippa I. Berenice in turn wanted to marry Polemon II to end rumors that she and her brother were committingincest. Berenice had become a widow in 48 when her second husband, her paternal uncleHerod of Chalcis, died. She had two sons by him, Berenicianus and Hyrcanus. Berenice set the condition that Polemon II had to convert toJudaism, which included undergoing the rite ofcircumcision, before marriage. Polemon II assented, and the marriage went ahead. It did not last long, however, and Berenice left Pontus with her sons and returned to the court of her brother. Polemon II abandoned Judaism and, according to the legend ofBartholomew the Apostle, he acceptedChristianity, only to become a pagan again.

At an unknown date, perhaps after the early 50s, Polemon II married a princess^[3] called Julia Mamaea,^[3] who was from theSyrianRoman ClientEmesene Kingdom.^[3][4] Mamaea was ofAssyrian,Armenian,Greek, andMedian ancestry. Polemon II married Mamaea as his second wife,^[5] and the circumstances that lead Polemon II to marry her are unknown. Through Mamaea's marriage to him, she became a Roman Client Queen ofPontus,Colchis, andCilicia.

The relationship between Polemon II and Mamaea is unknown. Her name and identity is revealed from surviving bronze coinage.^[6] Surviving coinage that was issued from Polemon II and Mamaea is extremely rare,^[5] as only three specimens are known.^[5] These coins show her royal title in Greek,ΙΟΥΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΜΑΙΑΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ^[7] (of Julia Mamaea the Queen) orΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΙΟΥΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΜΑΙΑΣ (of Queen Julia Mamaea).^[5] These coins can be dated from the second half of Polemon II's reign from 60 until 74.

Mamea may have bore Polemon II two sons, Polemon and Rhoemetalces Philocaesar, according to a fragmentary inscription fromAmphipolis,Greece.^[8][9]

Polemon II renamed the town Fanizan after himself. He changed the name to Polemonium (modernFatsa,Turkey).

In 62,Nero induced Polemon II to abdicate the Pontian throne, and Pontus, including Colchis, became a Roman province. From then until his death, Polemon II only ruled Cilicia.

He is held to be theprogenitor of theLithuanian nobility (viaPalemonids) in its origin theory.^{[citation needed]}

• Josephus,Antiquities of the Jews XX.7.3
• Josephus,Antiquities of the Jews XIX.8.1
• Hildegard Temporini & W. Haase,Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Principat, Walter de Gruyter, 1980
• Hildegard Temporini & W. Haase,Politische Geschichte (Provinzen und Randvölker: Griechischer Balkanraum; Kleinasien). Griechischer Balkanraum; Kleinasien), Walter de Gruyter, 1980
• A.R. Birley,Septimius Severus. The African Emperor, Routledge, 2002
• B. Levick,Julia Domna. Syrian Empress, Routledge, 2007
• Polemon II article at Ancient Library^[usurped]
• Ptolemaic Genealogy: Cleopatra VII

• Coinage of Polemon II and Julia Mamaea
• Coinage of Polemon II