| Sames I | |
|---|---|
| Rey De Sofene | |
 Coin of Sames I | |
| King ofSophene andCommagene | |
| Reign | c. 260 BC |
| Predecessor | Orontes III |
| Successor | Arsames I |
| Issue | Arsames I |
| Dynasty | Orontid dynasty |
Sames I (also spelledSamos I), was theOrontid king ofSophene, Armenia andCommagene, ruling around 260 BC.
The name of "Samos" is possibly derived from theAvestan nameSāma, the father of the Avestan heroGarshasp, which would indicate some sort of custom of Iranian religious orepic lore amongst theOrontids.[1]
The Kingdom of Sophene was ruled by the Orontid dynasty ofIranian origin, which was descended fromOrontes I, aBactrian nobleman who was the son-in-law of theAchaemenidKing of KingsArtaxerxes II (r. 404–358 BC).[2] According to the Greek writerStrabo (died 24 AD) in hisGeographica, Sophene first emerged as a distinct kingdom underZariadres (fl. 190 BC), who was installed as its ruler by the Seleucid kingAntiochus III the Great (r. 222–187 BC). He further adds that following the defeat of Antiochus III against theRomans, Zariadres declared independence.[3] However this report is strongly contradicted by epigraphic and numismatic evidence.[2][4] Sophene most likely emerged as a distinct kingdom in the 3rd-century BC, during the gradual decline of Seleucid influence in the Near East and the split of the Orontid dynasty into several branches. Three rulers belonging to a different Orontid branch, Sames I,Arsames I andXerxes ruled the western part ofGreater Armenia, perhaps fromCommagene toArzanene.[5]
Sometime before 245 BC, Sames I refounded the city of Samosata on the previousNeo-Hittite site of Kummuh.[1] He may have refounded the city in order to assert his claim over the area, a common practice amongst Iranian andHellenistic dynasties, such asCappadocia,Pontus,Parthia andArmenia.[6] The city was built in a "sub-Achaemenid" Persianarchitectural form, similar to the rest of Orontid buildings in Greater Armenia.[7] Naming cities such as Samosata (Middle Persian*Sāmašād;Old Persian*Sāmašiyāti-) the "joy of" or "happiness of" was an Orontid (and laterArtaxiad) practice that recalled the Achaemenid royal discourse.[8] Samosata served as one of the most important royal residences of the Orontid kings of Sophene.[9]
Similar to the earlyArsacids ofParthia andFrataraka ofPersis, the Orontids of Sophene experimented with images of Iranian royal power. On his coins, Sames I is shown as clean-shaven and wearing thekyrbasia,[10] a type of headgear originally worn by the satraps of the Achaemenid Empire.[11] The tip of Sames I'skyrbasia is more prominent, similar to that of the headgear worn by the earlyAriarathids of Cappadocia.[10]