Artaxias III
Encyclopedia
Artaxias III, also known as Zeno-Artaxias, Artaxes or Artashes was a prince of the Bosporan
, Pontus
, Cilicia
, Cappadocia
and Roman Client King of Armenia.
Artaxias was born was the name Zenon . He was the first son and child born to Roman
Client Rulers Polemon Pythodoros
and Pythodorida of Pontus
. His younger siblings were Polemon II of Pontus, who would succeed his mother and became the last ruler of Pontus, and Antonia Tryphaena
who was the Queen of Thrace
. He was of Anatolia
n Greek
and Roman heritage.
His paternal grandmother is unknown, however his paternal grandmother could have been named Tryphaena, while his paternal grandfather was Zenon, a prominent orator and aristocrat, who was an ally to Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
. His maternal grandparents were the wealthy Greek and friend of the late Roman Triumvir Pompey
Pythodoros of Tralles
and Antonia. Zenon was named after his paternal grandfather.
Through his maternal grandmother he was a direct descendant of Mark Antony and his second wife Antonia Hybrida Minor. Antony and Antonia Hybrida were first paternal cousins. He was Antony’s first born great grandson and great grandchild. Through Antony, his great maternal aunt was Roman Client Queen Cleopatra Selene II of Mauretania
. Through Antony, he was a distant cousin to Roman Client King Ptolemy of Mauretania
and the princesses named Drusilla of Mauretania. Through Antony, he was a distant cousin to Roman Emperor
s Caligula
, Claudius
and Nero
and Roman Empresses Valeria Messalina, Agrippina the Younger
and Claudia Octavia
.
Artaxias’ father died in 8 BC. His mother married Roman Client King Archelaus of Cappadocia
. The family had moved to Cappadocia
and along with his siblings were raised in the court of their stepfather. Archelaus had died in 17. After his death, his mother and Polemon II moved back to Pontus.
From his early childhood, Artaxias enjoyed copying the customs, clothes, also loved hunting and feasting, along with other pastimes associated with the Armenians. In 18, the previous Armenian King was exiled and Artaxias became popular and in favor with the Armenians. His mother’s maternal first cousin, the general Germanicus
was in agreement with the local aristocracy, to crown Artaxias, as the new Armenian King.
Armenians paid homage to him and acclaimed him as King Artaxias. He was named after the city he was proclaimed king in Artaxata (modern Artashat
, Armenia). The Roman Senate
received news of his coronation. They gave Germanicus
and Drusus Julius Caesar ovations in entering the city and arches bearing their statues to be erected on either side the temple of Mars
the Avenger.
Artaxias reigned until his death in 35. He was succeeded by Arsaces, son of King Artabanus II of Parthia
. Artaxias never married nor had any children.
Bosporan Kingdom
The Bosporan Kingdom or the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus was an ancient state, located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus...
, Pontus
Kingdom of Pontus
The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC...
, Cilicia
Cilicia
In antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
, 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...
and Roman Client King of Armenia.
Artaxias was born was the name Zenon . He was the first son and child born to Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
Client Rulers Polemon Pythodoros
Polemon I of Pontus
Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon I or Polemon I of Pontus was the Roman Client King of Cilicia, Pontus, Colchis and the Bosporan Kingdom....
and Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida of Pontus
Pythodorida or Pythodoris of Pontus was a Roman Client Queen of Pontus, Bosporan, Cilicia and Cappadocia.-Origins & Early Life:Pythodorida is also known as Pythodoris I and Pantos Pythodorida. According to an honorific inscription dedicated to her in Athens Greece in the late 1st century BC, her...
. His younger siblings were Polemon II of Pontus, who would succeed his mother and became the last ruler of Pontus, and Antonia Tryphaena
Antonia Tryphaena
Antonia Tryphaena also known as Tryphaena of Thrace or Tryphaena was a Princess of the Bosporan, Pontus, Cilicia, Cappadocia and a Roman Client Queen of Thrace....
who was the Queen of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. He was of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
and Roman heritage.
His paternal grandmother is unknown, however his paternal grandmother could have been named Tryphaena, while his paternal grandfather was Zenon, a prominent orator and aristocrat, who was an ally to Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
Mark Antony
Marcus Antonius , known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general. As a military commander and administrator, he was an important supporter and loyal friend of his mother's cousin Julius Caesar...
. His maternal grandparents were the wealthy Greek and friend of the late Roman Triumvir Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
Pythodoros of Tralles
Pythodoros of Tralles
Pythodoros of Tralles, also known as Pythodorus was an exceedingly wealthy Anatolian Greek living in the 1st century BC. Pythodoros originated came from Tralles . Not much is known on his family. He was a friend to the late Roman triumvir Pompey.Pythodoros became the first son-in-law to the Roman...
and Antonia. Zenon was named after his paternal grandfather.
Through his maternal grandmother he was a direct descendant of Mark Antony and his second wife Antonia Hybrida Minor. Antony and Antonia Hybrida were first paternal cousins. He was Antony’s first born great grandson and great grandchild. Through Antony, his great maternal aunt was Roman Client Queen Cleopatra Selene II of Mauretania
Mauretania
Mauretania is a part of the historical Ancient Libyan land in North Africa. It corresponds to present day Morocco and a part of western Algeria...
. Through Antony, he was a distant cousin to Roman Client King Ptolemy of Mauretania
Ptolemy of Mauretania
Ptolemy of Mauretania was a prince and the last Roman client King of Mauretania.-Family and early life:Ptolemy was the son of King Juba II and Queen Cleopatra Selene II of Mauretania. He had a younger sister called Drusilla of Mauretania...
and the princesses named Drusilla of Mauretania. Through Antony, he was a distant cousin to Roman Emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
s Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
and Nero
Nero
Nero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
and Roman Empresses Valeria Messalina, Agrippina the Younger
Agrippina the Younger
Julia Agrippina, most commonly referred to as Agrippina Minor or Agrippina the Younger, and after 50 known as Julia Augusta Agrippina was a Roman Empress and one of the more prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
and Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia
Claudia Octavia was an Empress of Rome. She was a great-niece of the Emperor Tiberius, paternal first cousin of the Emperor Caligula, daughter of the Emperor Claudius, and stepsister and first wife of the Emperor Nero...
.
Artaxias’ father died in 8 BC. His mother married Roman Client King Archelaus of Cappadocia
Archelaus of Cappadocia
-Family & Early Life:Archelaus was a Cappadocian Greek nobleman, possibly of Macedonian descent. His full name was Archelaus Sisines. He was the first born son, namesake of the Roman Client and High Priest Ruler Archelaus, of the temple state of Comana, Cappadocia and Glaphyra. Archelaus’ father...
. The family had moved to 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...
and along with his siblings were raised in the court of their stepfather. Archelaus had died in 17. After his death, his mother and Polemon II moved back to Pontus.
From his early childhood, Artaxias enjoyed copying the customs, clothes, also loved hunting and feasting, along with other pastimes associated with the Armenians. In 18, the previous Armenian King was exiled and Artaxias became popular and in favor with the Armenians. His mother’s maternal first cousin, the general Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
was in agreement with the local aristocracy, to crown Artaxias, as the new Armenian King.
Armenians paid homage to him and acclaimed him as King Artaxias. He was named after the city he was proclaimed king in Artaxata (modern Artashat
Artashat
Artashat , is a city on Araks River in the Ararat valley, 30 km southeast of Yerevan. Being one of the oldest cities of Armenia, Artashat is the capital of Ararat Province. Modern Artashat is situated on the Yerevan-Nakhichevan-Baku and Nakhichevan-Tabriz railway and on...
, Armenia). The Roman Senate
Roman Senate
The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient Roman Republic, however, it was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic...
received news of his coronation. They gave Germanicus
Germanicus
Germanicus Julius Caesar , commonly known as Germanicus, was a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and a prominent general of the early Roman Empire. He was born in Rome, Italia, and was named either Nero Claudius Drusus after his father or Tiberius Claudius Nero after his uncle...
and Drusus Julius Caesar ovations in entering the city and arches bearing their statues to be erected on either side the temple of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
the Avenger.
Artaxias reigned until his death in 35. He was succeeded by Arsaces, son of King Artabanus II of Parthia
Artabanus II of Parthia
Artabanus II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from about AD 10 to 38. He was the son of a princess of the Arsacid Dynasty, who lived in the East among the Dahan nomads...
. Artaxias never married nor had any children.
Sources
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0381.html
- http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_vii_fr.htm