| Arsames I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Coinage of Arsames, King of Sophene. | |||||
| King ofArmenia,Sophene &Commagene | |||||
| Reign | 260 – 228 BC | ||||
| Coronation | 260 BC | ||||
| Successor | PossiblyArsames II Xerxes, King of Sophene & Commagene | ||||
| Died | 228 BC | ||||
| Burial | |||||
| Issue | |||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Orontid dynasty | ||||
| Father | Sames | ||||
Arsames I (Greek:Ἀρσάμης;Old Persian:𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠𐎶) seems to have taken control ofCommagene,Sophene andArmenia in the year 260 BC after the death of his grandfatherOrontes III, king of Armenia, and his fatherSames, king ofCommagene.
"Arsames" is theHellenized form of theOld Persian nameAršāma[a] ("having a hero’s strength"), which was a common name within thePersianAchaemenid family as well as amongst the Persian elite of theAchaemenid Empire (550–330 BC).[2][3] The name is a compound, composed ofaršan ("male, hero") andama ("strength").[2][b] The name is attested inAramaic asʾršm.[2] The feminine form of the name,*Aršāmā (GreekArsamē), is attested in the daughter ofDarius the Great (522–486 BC).[2]
TheSeleucid Empire was always trying to overthrow theArmenian dynasties who still ruled the lands their forebears had in the time of theAchaemenid Empire.
Ziaelas of Bithynia found refuge at the court of king Arsames, and upon the death of kingNicomedes I ofBithynia Ziaelas returned to take the kingdom in 254 BC.
Arsames also supportedAntiochus Hierax against his brother,Seleucus II Callinicus, who was defeated at a battle against kingMithridates II of Pontus near Ankara in 239 BC, after which Seleucus lost control of any lands he had across theTaurus mountains. This was to the benefit of Arsames.
Arsames then founded the cities ofArsamosata in Sophene andArsameia (known today as Eski Kale) inCommagene in 235 BC.
After his death his eldest sonXerxes became king of Commagene, Sophene and Armenia. Orontes IV would succeed Xerxes whilst another son known as "Mithras" (or Mithrenes II) is recorded as being the High Priest of the temple to the Sun and Moon atArmavir.
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