| Antiochus I Theos | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| King ofCommagene | |||||
| Reign | 70–31 BC | ||||
| Predecessor | Mithridates I Callinicus | ||||
| Successor | Mithridates II | ||||
| Born | 16 July 98 BC | ||||
| Died | 31 BC | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Issue | |||||
| |||||
| House | Orontid dynasty | ||||
| Father | Mithridates I Callinicus | ||||
| Mother | Laodice VII Thea | ||||
| Religion | Greco-Iranian religious syncretism | ||||
Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellen (Ancient Greek:Ἀντίοχος ὁ Θεὸς Δίκαιος Ἐπιφανὴς Φιλορωμαῖος Φιλέλλην, meaning "Antiochos, the just, eminent god, friend of Romans and friend of Greeks", c. 86–31 BC, ruled 70–31 BC) was king of the Greco-Iranian kingdom ofCommagene and the most famous king of that kingdom.[1]
The ruins of the tomb-sanctuary of Antiochus atopMount Nemrut inTurkey were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1987. Several sandstone bas reliefs discovered at the site contain some of the oldest known images of two figuresshaking hands.[2]The reliefs portrayed Greco-Iranian deities, along with the goddess Commagene and also even Antiochus himself represented in a deified status.[3] Antiochus was one of the last rulers of a Persian-Macedonian court before the advent of theRomans.[4]
Antiochus I was the son of kingMithridates I Callinicus and queenLaodice VII Thea of Commagene.[5] Antiochus was halfIranian, a distant member of theOrontid dynasty[6] and half Greek.[a] Antiochus' father Mithridates was the son of KingSames II Theosebes Dikaios of Commagene and an unidentified woman. Mithridates was possibly related to the kings ofParthia and, in the light of archaeological discoveries atMount Nemrut, claimed descent fromOrontes and also claimedDarius I of Persia as an ancestor, thanks to Orontes' marriage to Rhodogune, daughter ofArtaxerxes II, who was a descendant of kingDarius I.
More certain are his dynastic connections to theDiadochi. Antiochus’ mother,Laodice VII Thea, was a Greek princess of theSeleucid Empire. Laodice's father was the Seleucid KingAntiochus VIII Grypus, while her mother was aPtolemaic princess and later Seleucid Queen Tryphaena (seeCleopatra VI of Egypt). Thus, Antiochus was a direct descendant ofSeleucus I Nicator of theSeleucid Empire,Ptolemy I Soter ofEgypt,Antigonus I Monophthalmus ofMacedonia and Asia,Lysimachus ofThrace and theMacedonian regent,Antipater. These five men, theDiadochi 'successors', had served as generals underAlexander the Great. Antiochus’ parents had married as part of a peace alliance between their kingdoms. Little is known of his early life and education, aside from its philhellenic aspect; however, it seems that when his father died in 70 BC, Antiochus succeeded his father as king.
Antiochus married Isias, daughter of KingAriobarzanes I of Cappadocia. They had five children:
Commagene was a minor kingdom located in the highlands of northernSyria; to the north, it borderedCappadocia, while it borderedOsroene to the south.[5] It was initially a vassal state of the Seleucids, where it was considerablyHellenized.[5][4] In the 1st century BC, however, Iranian culture experienced a resurgence, intentionally supported by Commagene in order to highlight its ancient ancestry and refute Seleucid, Parthian and Roman claims over the area.[4] Under Antiochus, his kingdom experienced hardships during the Roman war withPontus andArmenia.[5] Armenia at first managed to extend its influence over Commagene, but Antiochus was ultimately forced to side with the Romans when the commanderPompey declared war against him.[5]
Antiochus claims in his inscription on Mount Nemrut that he was a "friend of the Romans" (philoromaios), but was seen with some distrust by a few of the informants of Roman politicianCicero.[5] His Iranian lineage made him lean toward the Parthian realm.[5] He enjoyed good relations with the king ofMedia Atropatene,Darius, who seemingly helped him against Pompey.[5] Antiochus made an alliance with the Parthian monarchOrodes II (r. 57–37 BC), which was cemented with Orodes' marriage to Antiochus' daughter,Laodice.[8] However, in 51 BC Antiochus provided Cicero with intelligence of the movements of a Parthian force led by princePacorus I.[5] Ultimately Antiochus chose the Parthians over the Romans.[5] In 38 BCE, Pacorus was defeated and killed by the Romans; the remnants of his army fled to Commagene, where they took refuge.[5]
The Roman generalPublius Ventidius marched towards Commagene to punish Antiochus for his desertion. He laid siege to the capitalSamosata, where Antiochus resided. Antiochus attempted to reach a compromise by offering 1,000 talents as reimbursement and a renewed alliance with the Romans.[5] The Roman commander-in-chiefMark Antony declined the offer and had Ventidius dismissed, himself taking over the siege. He was, however, unable to capture the capital, and instead resorted to accept Antiochus' new offer of 300 talents.[5] The life of Antiochus becomes obscure after this; according toCassius Dio, he was killed by the Parthian kingPhraates IV, inc. 31 BC.[5]
Antiochus is famous for building the impressive religious sanctuary ofMount Nemrut. When Antiochus reigned as king he was creating a royal cult for himself and preparing to be worshipped after his death. Antiochus was inspired to create his own cult in the Greek form of the religionZoroastrianism. Antiochus left many Greek inscriptions revealing many aspects of his religion and explaining his purpose of action. In one inscription, Antiochus directed that his tomb should be built in a high and holy place, remote from people and close to the gods, among whom he would be numbered. Antiochus wanted his body to be preserved for eternity. The gods he worshipped were asyncretism ofGreek andIranian gods, such asHeracles-Artagnes-Ares,Zeus-Oromasdes, andApollo-Mithras-Helios-Hermes.[5][3] The monumental effigies at the site show both Persian and Greek iconographic influences: Persian influences can be seen in the clothes, headgear and the colossal size of the images, while the depiction of their physical features derives from Greek artistic style.
Antiochus practisedastrology of a very esoteric kind, and laid the basis for a calendrical reform, by linking the Commagenian year, which until then had been based on the movements of the Moon, to the Sothic (Star ofSirius) cycle used by theEgyptians as the basis of their calendar. This would suggest that Antiochus was knowledgeable about, if not fully initiated intoHermeticism.
Antiochus’ tomb complex was constructed in a way that religious festivities could occur there. Every month there were two feast days for Antiochus: His coronation, which was celebrated on the 10th of each month, and his birthday, which was celebrated on the 16th of each month. He allocated funds for these events from properties legally bound to the site. He also appointed families of priests and hierodules to conduct the rituals, and their descendants were intended to continue the ritual service in perpetuity. The priests wore traditional Persian robes and adorned the images of the gods and Antiochus' ancestors with gold crowns. The priests offered incense, herbs, and other unspecified "splendid sacrifices" on altars set before each image. All the citizens and military were invited to the banquets in honour of the illustrious deceased. During the feasts, grudging attitudes were forbidden and Antiochus decreed that the people should enjoy themselves, drink wine, eat, and listen to the sacred music performed by the temple musicians.
Antiochus’ tomb was forgotten for centuries, until 1883 when archaeologists fromGermany excavated it. From his found inscriptions, Antiochus appears to have been a pious person and had a generous spirit. The ruins of the royal palace have been found in another city of the kingdom,Arsameia. This palace is known asEski Kale or 'Old Castle'. In Arsameia, Antiochus left many inscriptions in Greek describing his public works program, and how he glorified the city.[citation needed]
| Ancestors of Antiochus I of Commagene |
|---|
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| Preceded by | King of Commagene 70–31 BCE | Succeeded by |
