Antiochus I Theos of Commagene

This article is about the King of Commagene of the first century BC. For the Seleucid King, see Antiochus II Theos.

Antiochus I Theos
200px Antiochus I of Commagene, shaking hands with Heracles, 70–38 BC, Arsameia
King of Commagene
Reign	70 BC – 38 BC (32 years)
Predecessor	Mithridates I Callinicus
Successor	Mithridates II
Born	c. 86 BC
Died	38 BC
Burial	Mount Nemrut
Spouse	Princess Isias Philostorgos of Cappadocia
Issue	Mithridates II of Commagene Laodice, Queen of Parthia Prince Antiochus II Princess Antiochis Athenais, Queen of Media Atropatene
Full name Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos
House	Orontid Dynasty
Father	King Mithridates I Callinicus of Commagene
Mother	Princess Laodice VII Thea of the Seleucid Empire

Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellen (Armenian: Անտիոքոս Երվանդունի, Ancient Greek: Ἀντίοχος ὁ Θεὸς Δίκαιος Ἐπιφανὴς Φιλορωμαῖος Φιλέλλην, meaning Antiochos, a just, eminent god, friend of Romans and friend of Greeks, c. 86 BC – 38 BC, ruled 70 BC – 38 BC) was a king from the Kingdom of Commagene and the most famous king of that kingdom.

The ruins of the tomb-sanctuary of Antiochus atop Mount Nemrut in Turkey were named to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1987. Several sandstone bas reliefs discovered at the site contain the oldest known images of two figures shaking hands.

Family, ancestry and early life

Antiochus I was the son and probably the only child of King Mithridates I Callinicus and Queen Laodice VII Thea of Commagene. Antiochus was half Armenian, a distant member of the Orontid Dynasty and half Greek. Antiochus’ father Mithridates was the son of King of Commagene Sames II Theosebes Dikaios and an unidentified woman. Mithridates in descent was related to the kings of Parthia and, according to archaeological research at Mount Nemrut, was also a descendant from the family of King Darius I of Persia.

Antiochus’ mother, Laodice VII Thea, was a Greek Princess of the Seleucid Empire. Laodice’s father was the Seleucid King Antiochus VIII Grypus while her mother was Ptolemaic Princess and later Seleucid Queen Tryphaena (see Cleopatra VI of Egypt). Thus, Antiochus was a direct descendant of Seleucus I Nicator of the Seleucid Empire, Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt, Antigonus I Monophthalmus of Macedonia and Asia, Lysimachus of Thrace and the Macedonian regent, Antipater. The five men had served as generals under Greek Macedonian King, Alexander the Great. Antiochus’ parents had married as part of a peace alliance between their kingdoms, while his father had embraced Greek culture. Little is known of his early life. When his father died in 70 BC, Antiochus succeeded his father as king.

Antiochus married Princess Isias Philostorgos of Cappadocia, daughter of King Ariobarzanes I of Cappadocia and his wife Athenais Philostorgos I. They had five children:

• Mithridates II of Commagene, succeeded Antiochus as King of Commagene after his death in 38 BC
• Laodice, who married King Orodes II of Parthia
• Prince Antiochus II of Commagene
• Antiochis of Commagene
• Athenais, who married King Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene

Relations with the Romans

While the Roman Republic was annexing territories in Anatolia through skilled diplomacy, Antiochus was able to keep Commagene independent from the Romans. Antiochus is first mentioned in the ancient sources in 69 BC, when Lucullus campaigned against the Armenian King Tigranes the Great. Antiochus made peace with the general Pompey in 64 BC, when Pompey successfully invaded Syria. Antiochus and Pompey then became allies. Antiochus in 59 BC was granted the toga praetexta and given official recognition from the Roman Senate as an ally to Rome. Antiochus received an ivory sceptre and an embroidered triumphal robe, and he was greeted as "king, ally and friend". This recognition was a traditional way of recognising and rewarding the allies to Rome. From his reign onwards, monarchs from Commagene proved to be the most loyal Roman allies. When Marcus Tullius Cicero was Roman governor of Cilicia in 51 BC, Antiochus provided Cicero with intelligence of the movements of the Parthians. During the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, Antiochus provided troops for Pompey.

In 38 BC, a legate of Triumvir Mark Antony, Publius Ventidius Bassus, after campaigning against the Parthians, wanted to attack Antiochus and his kingdom. Antony and Bassus were attracted by Commagene's wealth. Yet as they were preparing to march against Commagene and its capital Samosata, Antiochus negotiated a peaceful settlement with them.

Mount Nemrut

Main article: Mount Nemrut

File:Nemrut Dağı 13.jpg

Statues of gods and the pyramid-like tomb-sanctuary of King Antiochus Theos of Commagene rising behind, atop Mount Nemrut

File:Nemrut Dağı 07.jpg

Head of Antiochus atop Mount Nemrut

Antiochus is famous for building the impressive religious sanctuary of Nemrud Dagi or Mount 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 religion Zoroastrianism. 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 a syncretism of Greek, Armenian, and Iranian gods, such as Hercules-Vahagn, Zeus-Aramazd or Oromasdes (associated with the Iranian god Ahura Mazda), Tyche, and Apollo-Mithras. 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 practised astrology of a very esoteric kind, and laid the basis for a calendrical reform, by linking the Commagenian year, which till then had been based on the movements of the Moon, to the Sothic (Star of Sirius) cycle used by the Egyptians as the basis of their calendar. This would suggest that Antiochus was knowledgeable about, if not fully initiated into Hermeticism.

Antiochus’ tomb complex was constructed in a way that religious festivities could occur there. Every month there were two feast-days for Antiochus: his birthday, which was celebrated on the 16th of each month, and his coronation, which was celebrated on the 10th 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 honor of the illustrious deceased. During the feasts, grudging attitudes were forbidden and Antiochus decreed that the people should enjoy themselves, eat and drink wine, and listen to the sacred music performed by the temple musicians.

Antiochus’ tomb was forgotten for centuries, until 1883 when archaeologists from Germany excavated it. According to the inscriptions found, 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 as Eski Kale or 'Old Castle'. In Arsameia, Antiochus has left many inscriptions in Greek of his public works program and how he glorified the city.

Ancestry

Family of Antiochus I Theos of Commagene

16. King Orontes IV of Armenia               8. King Ptolemaeus of Commagene                       4. King Sames II Theosebes Dikaios of Commagene                             2. King Mithridates I Callinicus of Commagene                                   5. Princess Pythodoris of Pontus                             1. Antiochus I Theos of Commagene                                         24. King Demetrius I Soter of the Seleucid Empire               12. King Demetrius II Nicator of the Seleucid Empire                       25. Laodice V of the Seleucid Empire               6. King Antiochus VIII Grypus of the Seleucid Empire                             26. (=30.)Ptolemy VI Philometor of Egypt               13. Princess Cleopatra Thea of Egypt                       27. (=31.)Cleopatra II of Egypt               3. Princess Laodice VII Thea of the Seleucid Empire                                   28. Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt               14. Ptolemy VIII Physcon of Egypt                       29. Cleopatra I Syra of Egypt               7. Princess Tryphaena of Egypt                             30. (=26.)Ptolemy VI Philometor of Egypt               15. Cleopatra III of Egypt                       31. (=27.)Cleopatra II of Egypt

See also

• List of rulers of Commagene
• Queen of the Mountain
• Orontid Dynasty of Armenia

References

• http://www.tyndale.cam.ac.uk/Egypt/ptolemies/tryphaena.htm#Tryphaena.12
• Campbell-Scott, Roger. "Nimrud Dagh - A Sacred Mountain in Anatolia", in Vanished Civilizations: The Hidden Secrets of Lost Cities and Forgotten Peoples, pp. 194–197. Reader’s Digest Services P/L, Hong Kong, 1988. ISBN 0-276-42658-4.

Further reading

• Adrian Gilbert, Magi, Bloomsbury Publishing, 1996.