Arsames I
Encyclopedia
Arsames I seems to have taken control of Commagene, Sophene
and Armenia
in the year 260 BC after the death of his grandfather Orontes III
, king of Armenia, and his father Sames, king of Commagene.
Quite why they both died in the same year is not recorded, though it looks suspicious. It is known the Seleucid Empire
was always trying to overthrow the Armenian
dynasties who still ruled the lands their forebears had in the time of the Achaemenid Empire
.
Ziaelas of Bithynia
found refuge at the court of king Arsames, and upon the death of king Nicomedes I of Bithynia
Ziaelas returned to take the kingdom in 254 BC.
Arsames also supported Antiochus Hierax
against his brother, Seleucus II Callinicus
, who was defeated at a battle against king Mithridates II of Pontus
near Ankara in 239 BC, after which Seleucus lost control of any lands he had across the Taurus
mountains. This was to the benefit of Arsames.
Arsames then founded the cities of Arsamosata
in Sophene and Arsameia (known today as Eski Kale) in Commagene in 235 BC.
After his death his eldest son Xerxes
, 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 at Armavir.
Sophene
Sophene , or ) was a province of the Armenian Kingdom and of the Roman Empire, located in the south-west of the kingdom. It currently lies in modern-day southeastern Turkey....
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
in the year 260 BC after the death of his grandfather Orontes III
Orontes III
Orontes III was King of Armenia.In his reign the royal capital was moved from Armavir to Yervandashat in 302 BC....
, king of Armenia, and his father Sames, king of Commagene.
Quite why they both died in the same year is not recorded, though it looks suspicious. It is known the Seleucid Empire
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
was always trying to overthrow the Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
dynasties who still ruled the lands their forebears had in the time of the Achaemenid Empire
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...
.
Ziaelas of Bithynia
Ziaelas of Bithynia
Ziaelas , third king of Bithynia, was a son of Nicomedes I and Ditizele.After Nicomedes I died, his second wife Etazeta became ruler on behalf of her infant sons. The grown-up Ziaelas, excluded from the throne, had previously fled to Armenia and taken refuge at the court of King Arsames I in Sophene...
found refuge at the court of king Arsames, and upon the death of king Nicomedes I of Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
Ziaelas returned to take the kingdom in 254 BC.
Arsames also supported Antiochus Hierax
Antiochus Hierax
Antiochus Hierax , or Antiochus III, , so called from his grasping and ambitious character, was the younger son of Antiochus II and Laodice I and separatist leader in the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom, who ruled as king of Syria during his brother's reign.On the death of his father, in 246 BCE,...
against his brother, Seleucus II Callinicus
Seleucus II Callinicus
Seleucus II Callinicus or Pogon , was a ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, who reigned from 246 to 225 BC...
, who was defeated at a battle against king Mithridates II of Pontus
Mithridates II of Pontus
Mithridates II , third king of Pontus and son of Ariobarzanes, whom he succeeded on the throne. He was a minor when his father died, but the period of his accession cannot be determined...
near Ankara in 239 BC, after which Seleucus lost control of any lands he had across the Taurus
Taurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east...
mountains. This was to the benefit of Arsames.
Arsames then founded the cities of Arsamosata
Arsamosata
Arsamosata was a city in Armenian Sophene near the Euphrates. It was founded by King Arsames I of the Orontid Dynasty in 3rd century BC. It was left and destroyed in I century BC. In Middle Ages it was called Ashmushat....
in Sophene and Arsameia (known today as Eski Kale) in Commagene in 235 BC.
After his death his eldest son Xerxes
Xerxes of Armenia
Xerxes .He succeeded his father Arsames I to rule both Sophene and Commagene in 228 BC, his brother Orontes IV ruled Armenia....
, 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 at Armavir.
Children
- XerxesXerxes of ArmeniaXerxes .He succeeded his father Arsames I to rule both Sophene and Commagene in 228 BC, his brother Orontes IV ruled Armenia....
, King of Armenia and SopheneSopheneSophene , or ) was a province of the Armenian Kingdom and of the Roman Empire, located in the south-west of the kingdom. It currently lies in modern-day southeastern Turkey....
228 - 212 BC - Orontes IVOrontes IVOrontes IV was the son of King Arsames and is recorded as ruling Armenia from inscriptions found at the historic capital of the Orontid dynasty, Armavir.In his reign the religious site of Bagaran was founded...
, King of Armenia 212 - 200 BC - Mithrenes IIMithrenes IIMithrenes is also mentioned as Mithras, High Priest of the temple to the Sun at Armavir. Whether he ever ruled as a King is not known, although later kings such as Tigran were both High Priest and King....
, High Priest of the temple to the Sun and Moon at Armavir.