| Mithridates II | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Relief of Mithridates II and his sisterLaodice at the Tumulus of Karakuş, Turkey | |||||
| King ofCommagene | |||||
| Reign | 31 BC – 20 BC (9 years) | ||||
| Predecessor | Antiochus I Theos | ||||
| Successor | Mithridates III | ||||
| Died | 20 BC Rome,Roman Empire | ||||
| Issue | Mithridates III of Commagene | ||||
| |||||
| House | Orontid dynasty | ||||
| Father | King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene | ||||
| Mother | Isias | ||||
Mithridates II Antiochus Epiphanes Philorhomaeus Philhellen Monocrites (Greek:Μιθριδάτης Ἀντίοχος ὀ Ἐπιφανής Φιλορωμαίος Φιλέλλην Μονοκρίτης, died 20 BC), also known asMithridates II of Commagene, was a king ofCommagene in the 1st century BC.
OfIranian[1] and Greek descent, he was one of the sons of KingAntiochus I Theos of Commagene. When his father died inc. 31 BC, he succeeded his father and reigned until his death.
According toPlutarch, Mithridates was an ally of theRoman triumvirMark Antony. In 31 BC, Mithridates personally led his forces toActium inGreece in support of Antony in the war against Caesar Octavian, the future Roman emperorAugustus.[2] After thedefeat of Antony, however, Mithridates became a loyal ally to Augustus. Nevertheless, Augustus forced Mithridates to hand over a village in Commagene calledZeugma, which was a major crossing point of theEuphrates River, to the Roman province ofSyria. To show his support for Augustus, Mithridates dropped the titlePhilhellen ("friend of the Greeks") from hisAulic titulature and adopted the titlePhilorhomaeus ("friend of the Romans") instead. Both titles were derived from the Commagenean royal cult that Mithridates' father had founded, and in which Mithridates played an important role. His other titleMonocrites is an otherwise unattested title and was most likely a judicial function within the royal administration and a sign of his high social standing.
Mithridates had a brother,Antiochus II of Commagene, who was also a prince of the kingdom.[3] In 29 BC, Antiochus was summoned toRome and executed by Roman emperor Augustus, because Antiochus had caused the assassination of an ambassador whom Mithridates had sent to Rome.[3]
| Preceded by | King of Commagene 31–20 BC | Succeeded by |