Ariobarzanes I of Cius
Encyclopedia
Ariobarzanes (Old Persian: Ariyabrdhna, Ariyaubrdhna) Ariobarzan or spelled as Ario Barzan or Aryo Barzan, perhaps signifying "exalting the Aryans" (death: crucified in c 362 BCE), was Satrap of Phrygia, leader of independence revolt, and the first known of the line of rulers of the Greek
town of Cius
from which were eventually to stem the kings of Pontus in the 3rd century BC, a Persian
satrap
of Phrygia
and military commander.
Ariobarzanes was apparently a cadet member of the Achaimenid dynasty, specifically its branch which had settled to hold Dascylium of Hellespont in the 470s BCE. Cius is located near Dascylium, and Cius seemingly was a share of family holdings for the branch of Ariobarzanes.
Ariobarzanes' one predecessor was a (kinsman) named Mithradates (possibly the Mithradates, Satrap of Cappadocia
). The archaeologist Walther Judeich claims that Ariobarzanes was that Mithradates' son, but Brian C McGing refutes that specific filiation. Seemingly, no classical source itself calls them son and father, the filiation being a later reconstruction on basis of successorship.
Pharnabazus, Satrap of Phrygia (fl. 413 BC - 373 BC), son of Pharnaces of Phrygia, is indicated to have shared his rule and territories with his brothers in the late 5th century BCE when Pharnabazos had recently succeeded to the position. Mithradates, Satrap of Cappadocia, might have been one of such brothers. Ariobarzanes of Cius might have also been one of those brothers.
The classical source Appianus informs that Ariobarzanes was of the male line of the family of the Great King Dareios.
It is highly probable he is the same who around 407 BCE, was the Persian envoy to the Greek city-states and cultivated the friendship of Athens
and Sparta
.
Ariobarzanes conducted the Athenian
ambassadors, in 405 BC
, to his sea-town of Cius in Mysia
, after they had been detained three years by order of Cyrus the Younger
Ariobarzanes was mentioned as under-satrap in Anatolia in late 5th century BCE. He then apparently succeeded his presumedly kinsman (possibly elder brother) Pharnabazus (fl. 413 BC - 373 BC) as satrap of Phrygia and Lydia, assigned by Pharnabazos himself when he departed to the Persian court to marry Apama, daughter of the Persian king. Thusly Ariobarzanes became the satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia
, in what is now the northwest of Turkey. Pharnabazos lived well to the 370s BCE, having gotten higher positions in the Persian monarchy than merely the Phrygian satraphsip.
Ariobarzanes assisted Antalcidas
in 388 BC
. In 368 BCE, Ariobarzanes sent an embassy to Greece, still presumably on behalf of his overlord the Persian king.
He appears to have held some high office in the Persian court yet in 368 BCE, as we find him, apparently on behalf of the king, sending an embassy to Greece
in 368. Ariobarzanes, who is called by Diodorus
satrap
of Phrygia
, and by Nepos
satrap of Lydia
, Ionia
, and Phrygia, revolted from Artaxerxes II
in 362. Demosthenes
speaks of Ariobarzanes and his three sons having been lately made Athenian
citizens. He mentions him again in the following year and says, that the Athenians had sent Timotheus
to his assistance; but that when the Athenian general saw that Ariobarzanes was in open revolt against the king, he refused to assist him.
When Pharnabazos' son, Artabazos II of Phrygia, wanted to regain his father's satrapy from their kinsman, Ariobarzanes refused. Ultimately, in about 366 BC, Ariobarzanes led an unsuccessful revolt of the satraps of western Anatolia
against the Achamenian King Artaxerxes II. Several other satraps sided with Ariobarzanes, including Mausolus
of Caria
(briefly), Orontes I
of Armenia
, Autophradates
of Lydia
and Datames
of Cappadocia
. The rebel satraps also received support from the pharaoh of Egypt, Teos
as well as from some of the Greek city states, with the Spartan king Agesilaus II
coming to his assistance with a mercenary force. As signal of sympathy in the effort, Athens made Ariobarzanes and three of his sons as citizens of Athens. Ariobarzanes was betrayed by his son Mithridates
to his overlord, the Persian
king. who had Ariobarzanes crucified.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
town of Cius
Cius
Cius or Kios , later renamed Prusias ad Mare after king Prusias I of Bithynia, was an ancient Greek city bordering the Propontis , in Bithynia , and had a long history, being mentioned by Aristotle, and Strabo. It was colonized by the Milesians and became a place of much commercial importance...
from which were eventually to stem the kings of Pontus in the 3rd century BC, a Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of Phrygia
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
and military commander.
Ariobarzanes was apparently a cadet member of the Achaimenid dynasty, specifically its branch which had settled to hold Dascylium of Hellespont in the 470s BCE. Cius is located near Dascylium, and Cius seemingly was a share of family holdings for the branch of Ariobarzanes.
Ariobarzanes' one predecessor was a (kinsman) named Mithradates (possibly the Mithradates, Satrap of Cappadocia
Mithradates, Satrap of Cappadocia
Satrap Mithradates was mentioned by Xenophon as satrap of Cappadocia and Lycaonia in the late 400s BCE. He possibly was the Mithradates who accompanied the younger Cyrus. However he was not necessarily the Mithradates who caused Cyrus' death and was killed himself in its aftermath.Pharnabazos,...
). The archaeologist Walther Judeich claims that Ariobarzanes was that Mithradates' son, but Brian C McGing refutes that specific filiation. Seemingly, no classical source itself calls them son and father, the filiation being a later reconstruction on basis of successorship.
Pharnabazus, Satrap of Phrygia (fl. 413 BC - 373 BC), son of Pharnaces of Phrygia, is indicated to have shared his rule and territories with his brothers in the late 5th century BCE when Pharnabazos had recently succeeded to the position. Mithradates, Satrap of Cappadocia, might have been one of such brothers. Ariobarzanes of Cius might have also been one of those brothers.
The classical source Appianus informs that Ariobarzanes was of the male line of the family of the Great King Dareios.
It is highly probable he is the same who around 407 BCE, was the Persian envoy to the Greek city-states and cultivated the friendship of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Sparta
Sparta
Sparta or Lacedaemon, was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece, situated on the banks of the River Eurotas in Laconia, in south-eastern Peloponnese. It emerged as a political entity around the 10th century BC, when the invading Dorians subjugated the local, non-Dorian population. From c...
.
Ariobarzanes conducted the Athenian
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
ambassadors, in 405 BC
405 BC
Year 405 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Barbatus, Capitolinus, Cincinnatus, Medullinus, Iullus and Mamercinus...
, to his sea-town of Cius in Mysia
Mysia
Mysia was a region in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor or Anatolia . It was located on the south coast of the Sea of Marmara. It was bounded by Bithynia on the east, Phrygia on the southeast, Lydia on the south, Aeolis on the southwest, Troad on the west and by the Propontis on the north...
, after they had been detained three years by order of Cyrus the Younger
Cyrus the Younger
Cyrus the Younger, son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis, was a Persian prince and general. The time of his birth is unknown, but he died in 401 B.C. The history of Cyrus and of the retreat of the Greeks is told by Xenophon in his Anabasis. Another account, probably from Sophaenetus of...
Ariobarzanes was mentioned as under-satrap in Anatolia in late 5th century BCE. He then apparently succeeded his presumedly kinsman (possibly elder brother) Pharnabazus (fl. 413 BC - 373 BC) as satrap of Phrygia and Lydia, assigned by Pharnabazos himself when he departed to the Persian court to marry Apama, daughter of the Persian king. Thusly Ariobarzanes became the satrap of Hellespontine Phrygia
Hellespontine Phrygia
Hellespontine Phrygia was an Achaemenid satrapy in ancient Anatolia, comprising lands of Troad, Mysia and Bithynia and whose seat was at Daskyleion, south of Cyzicus, Mysia. Pharnabazus was satrap of Darius III there, until Alexander the Great appointed Calas which was replaced by Arrhidaeus in the...
, in what is now the northwest of Turkey. Pharnabazos lived well to the 370s BCE, having gotten higher positions in the Persian monarchy than merely the Phrygian satraphsip.
Ariobarzanes assisted Antalcidas
Antalcidas
Antalcidas was a Spartan soldier and diplomat, the son of Leon.In 393 BC he was sent to Tiribazus, Persian satrap of Sardis, to undermine the friendly relations then existing between Athens and Persia, offering to recognize Persian claims to the whole of Asia Minor and supremacy over Greek cities...
in 388 BC
388 BC
Year 388 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Capitolinus, Fidenas, Iullus, Corvus, Flavus and Rufus...
. In 368 BCE, Ariobarzanes sent an embassy to Greece, still presumably on behalf of his overlord the Persian king.
He appears to have held some high office in the Persian court yet in 368 BCE, as we find him, apparently on behalf of the king, sending an embassy to Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
in 368. Ariobarzanes, who is called by Diodorus
Diodorus Siculus
Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian who flourished between 60 and 30 BC. According to Diodorus' own work, he was born at Agyrium in Sicily . With one exception, antiquity affords no further information about Diodorus' life and doings beyond what is to be found in his own work, Bibliotheca...
satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
of Phrygia
Phrygia
In antiquity, Phrygia was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now modern-day Turkey. The Phrygians initially lived in the southern Balkans; according to Herodotus, under the name of Bryges , changing it to Phruges after their final migration to Anatolia, via the...
, and by Nepos
Cornelius Nepos
Cornelius Nepos was a Roman biographer. He was born at Hostilia, a village in Cisalpine Gaul not far from Verona. His Gallic origin is attested by Ausonius, and Pliny the Elder calls him Padi accola...
satrap of Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
, Ionia
Ionia
Ionia is an ancient region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey, the region nearest İzmir, which was historically Smyrna. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements...
, and Phrygia, revolted from Artaxerxes II
Artaxerxes II of Persia
Artaxerxes II Mnemon was king of Persia from 404 BC until his death. He was a son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis.-Reign:...
in 362. Demosthenes
Demosthenes
Demosthenes was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. His orations constitute a significant expression of contemporary Athenian intellectual prowess and provide an insight into the politics and culture of ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. Demosthenes learned rhetoric by...
speaks of Ariobarzanes and his three sons having been lately made Athenian
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
citizens. He mentions him again in the following year and says, that the Athenians had sent Timotheus
Timotheus (general)
Timotheus was a Greek statesman and general who sought to revive Athenian imperial ambitions by making Athens dominant in a second Athenian Empire. He was the son of the Athenian general, Conon...
to his assistance; but that when the Athenian general saw that Ariobarzanes was in open revolt against the king, he refused to assist him.
When Pharnabazos' son, Artabazos II of Phrygia, wanted to regain his father's satrapy from their kinsman, Ariobarzanes refused. Ultimately, in about 366 BC, Ariobarzanes led an unsuccessful revolt of the satraps of western Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
against the Achamenian King Artaxerxes II. Several other satraps sided with Ariobarzanes, including Mausolus
Mausolus
Mausolus was ruler of Caria . He took part in the revolt against Artaxerxes Mnemon , conquered a great part of Lycia, Ionia and several Greek islands and cooperated with the Rhodians in the Social War against Athens...
of Caria
Caria
Caria was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the Carian population in forming Greek-dominated states there...
(briefly), Orontes I
Orontes I
Orontes I Armenian King of Orontid Dynasty reigning in the period between 401 BC – 344 BC. The Persian version of the name is Auruand which meant "Great Warrior" in the Avestan language....
of Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, Autophradates
Autophradates
Autophradates was a Persian who distinguished himself as a general in the reign of Artaxerxes III and Darius Codomannus. In the reign of the former he made Artabazus, the revolted satrap of Lydia and Ionia, his prisoner, but afterwards set him free...
of Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
and Datames
Datames
Datames was a general and satrap of Cappadocia under the Persian empire. A Carian by birth, he was the son of Camissares by a Scythian or Paphlagonian mother...
of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
. The rebel satraps also received support from the pharaoh of Egypt, Teos
Teos
Teos or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenian Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians. The city is situated on a low hilly narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas of land . Teos ranked among twelve cities comprising the Ionian...
as well as from some of the Greek city states, with the Spartan king Agesilaus II
Agesilaus II
Agesilaus II, or Agesilaos II was a king of Sparta, of the Eurypontid dynasty, ruling from approximately 400 BC to 360 BC, during most of which time he was, in Plutarch's words, "as good as thought commander and king of all Greece," and was for the whole of it greatly identified with his...
coming to his assistance with a mercenary force. As signal of sympathy in the effort, Athens made Ariobarzanes and three of his sons as citizens of Athens. Ariobarzanes was betrayed by his son Mithridates
Mithridates I of Cius
Mithridates , son of Ariobarzanes prince of Cius, is mentioned by Xenophon as having betrayed his father, and the same circumstance is alluded to by Aristotle....
to his overlord, the Persian
Achaemenid Empire
The Achaemenid Empire , sometimes known as First Persian Empire and/or Persian Empire, was founded in the 6th century BCE by Cyrus the Great who overthrew the Median confederation...
king. who had Ariobarzanes crucified.