Athenais Philostorgos II
Encyclopedia
Athenais Philostorgos II her surname can be spelt as Philostorgus, she is sometimes known as Athenais of Pontus (Greek
: η Άθηναἷς Φιλόστοργος Β' , meaning Athenais the loving one, flourished 1st century BC) was a Princess from the Kingdom of Pontus
and through marriage was a Roman Client Queen
of Cappadocia
.
Athenais was a Princess of Persian
and Greek Macedonian ancestry
. She was the child of King Mithridates VI of Pontus
from his second marriage to the Anatolia
n Greek Macedonian noblewoman
and Pontian Queen Monime
. When Athenais was born, her parents gave her a traditional ancient Greek name
. She was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus.
Athenais married the Cappadocian Prince and later King Ariobarzanes II Philopator, who was of Persian
and Greek descent
. Ariobarzanes II succeeded his father as King in 63 BC-62 BC, when his father Ariobarzanes I Philoromaios abdicated his throne. When Ariobarzanes II became King, Athenais became Cappadocian Queen and she also inherited the honorific title of Philostorgos, which was the honorific surname of the mother Ariobarzanes II, Athenais Philostorgos I
.
Athenais was related to the previous Kings and monarchs of Cappadocia, as her paternal aunt Laodice of Cappadocia
was a Queen; her paternal cousins: Ariarathes VI
, Ariarathes VII
, Ariarathes VIII
and her paternal half-brother Ariarathes IX
served as previous Kings of Cappadocia. Through her Seleucid
and paternal lineage, Athenais was related to the ancestors of Ariarathes VI.
Ariobarzanes II reigned as King of Cappadocian from 63 BC-62 BC until his assassination in c. 51 BC. There are various surviving honorific inscriptions dedicated to Athenais. During their marriage Athenais bore Ariobarzanes II two sons: Ariobarzanes III Eusebes Philoromaios and Ariarathes X Eusebes Philadelphos. Her sons would serve as among the last Kings of Cappadocia.
The name 'Ariobarzanes' was not just a name that was from her husband’s family, it was a name from her family. Athenais had three paternal political ancestors of that name: Ariobarzanes of Phrygia (flourished 5th century BC); Ariobarzanes II of Cius
(flourished 4th century BC) and the previous Pontian King Ariobarzanes of Pontus
.
After the death of her husband, her first son succeeded his father as King and she became a widow who never married again. Athenais became known as the ‘Queen-Mother’ of Cappadocia.
During the rule of Ariobarzanes III, Roman Governor of Cilicia
Marcus Tullius Cicero
warned the King that Athenais could be a potential enemy to him. Cicero’s warning was based on Athenais’ jealousy, about two nobles called Methras and Athenaeus. They were ministers and favorites of her first son and they were through Athenais’ jealousy were driven out from the Cappadocian Royal Court. However Methras and Athenaeus were later recalled by Cicero.
Athenais’ jealousy was a part of her failed plot to depose her first son from his throne and put her second son in his place. Cicero and Ariobarzanes III caught Athenais out and Ariobarzanes III was very saddened about his mother’s actions. Ariabarzanes III removed his mother from power and her fate afterwards is unknown.
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: η Άθηναἷς Φιλόστοργος Β' , meaning Athenais the loving one, flourished 1st century BC) was a Princess from the Kingdom of 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...
and through marriage was a Roman Client Queen
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
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...
.
Athenais was a Princess of 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...
and Greek Macedonian ancestry
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. She was the child of King Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI of Pontus
Mithridates VI or Mithradates VI Mithradates , from Old Persian Mithradatha, "gift of Mithra"; 134 BC – 63 BC, also known as Mithradates the Great and Eupator Dionysius, was king of Pontus and Armenia Minor in northern Anatolia from about 120 BC to 63 BC...
from his second marriage to the 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 Macedonian noblewoman
Macedonians (Greeks)
Macedonians are a regional population group of ethnic Greeks, inhabiting or originating from the region of Macedonia, in northern Greece. Today, most live in or around the regional capital city of Thessaloniki. Many have spread across the whole of Greece and in the diaspora.-Preface:Greek...
and Pontian Queen Monime
Monime
Monime, sometimes known as Monima was a Greek Macedonian noblewoman from Anatolia and one of the wives of King Mithridates VI of Pontus....
. When Athenais was born, her parents gave her a traditional ancient Greek name
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...
. She was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus.
Athenais married the Cappadocian Prince and later King Ariobarzanes II Philopator, who was of 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...
and Greek descent
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....
. Ariobarzanes II succeeded his father as King in 63 BC-62 BC, when his father Ariobarzanes I Philoromaios abdicated his throne. When Ariobarzanes II became King, Athenais became Cappadocian Queen and she also inherited the honorific title of Philostorgos, which was the honorific surname of the mother Ariobarzanes II, Athenais Philostorgos I
Athenais Philostorgos I
Athenais Philostorgos I, her surname can be spelt as Philostorgus was a Queen of Cappadocia.Athenais was a Greek noblewoman of obscure origins. She was the wife of the Cappadocian Persian nobleman and King Ariobarzanes I Philoromaios and her through marriage became a Queen of Cappadocia...
.
Athenais was related to the previous Kings and monarchs of Cappadocia, as her paternal aunt Laodice of Cappadocia
Laodice of Cappadocia
Laodice of Cappadocia, also known as Laodice was a Princess from the Kingdom of Pontus.Laodice was a monarch of Persian and Greek Macedonian ancestry. She was the daughter; first born child of the Pontian Monarchs Laodice VI and Mithridates V Euergetes who reigned 150-120 BC. Among her siblings,...
was a Queen; her paternal cousins: Ariarathes VI
Ariarathes VI of Cappadocia
Ariarathes VI Epiphanes Philopator , King of Cappadocia, was the youngest son of Ariarathes V of Cappadocia and Nysa of Cappadocia.He reigned about 14 years . He was a child at his succession, and for this reason the power was kept by his mother who acted as his regent...
, Ariarathes VII
Ariarathes VII of Cappadocia
Ariarathes VII Philometor , King of Cappadocia, was the first son of King Ariarathes VI of Cappadocia and his wife Laodice of Cappadocia. Ariarathes VII had an older sister called Nysa and a younger brother called Ariarathes VIII of Cappadocia....
, Ariarathes VIII
Ariarathes VIII of Cappadocia
Ariarathes VIII Epiphanes , King of Cappadocia, was the second son of Ariarathes VI of Cappadocia and wife Laodice of Cappadocia. Ariarathes VIII had an older sister called Nysa and an older brother called Ariarathes VII of Cappadocia....
and her paternal half-brother Ariarathes IX
Ariarathes IX of Cappadocia
Ariarathes IX Eusebes Philopator , was made king of Cappadocia by his father King Mithridates VI of Pontus after the assassination of Ariarathes VII of Cappadocia. Since he was only eight years old, he was put under the regency of the Cappadocian Gordius...
served as previous Kings of Cappadocia. Through her Seleucid
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...
and paternal lineage, Athenais was related to the ancestors of Ariarathes VI.
Ariobarzanes II reigned as King of Cappadocian from 63 BC-62 BC until his assassination in c. 51 BC. There are various surviving honorific inscriptions dedicated to Athenais. During their marriage Athenais bore Ariobarzanes II two sons: Ariobarzanes III Eusebes Philoromaios and Ariarathes X Eusebes Philadelphos. Her sons would serve as among the last Kings of Cappadocia.
The name 'Ariobarzanes' was not just a name that was from her husband’s family, it was a name from her family. Athenais had three paternal political ancestors of that name: Ariobarzanes of Phrygia (flourished 5th century BC); Ariobarzanes II of Cius
Ariobarzanes II of Cius
Ariobarzanes succeeded his kinsman or father, Mithridates or alternatively succeeded another Ariobarzanes I of Cius, as ruler of the Greek town of Cius in Mysia, governing 26 years between 363 and 337 BC for the Persians. It was seemingly his family which in mid-360s BCE revolted from Artaxerxes...
(flourished 4th century BC) and the previous Pontian King Ariobarzanes of Pontus
Ariobarzanes of Pontus
Ariobarzanes was the second king of Pontus, succeeding his father Mithridates I Ctistes in 266 BC and died in an uncertain date between 258 and 240. He obtained possession of the city of Amastris in Paphlagonia, which was surrendered to him...
.
After the death of her husband, her first son succeeded his father as King and she became a widow who never married again. Athenais became known as the ‘Queen-Mother’ of Cappadocia.
During the rule of Ariobarzanes III, Roman Governor of 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...
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
warned the King that Athenais could be a potential enemy to him. Cicero’s warning was based on Athenais’ jealousy, about two nobles called Methras and Athenaeus. They were ministers and favorites of her first son and they were through Athenais’ jealousy were driven out from the Cappadocian Royal Court. However Methras and Athenaeus were later recalled by Cicero.
Athenais’ jealousy was a part of her failed plot to depose her first son from his throne and put her second son in his place. Cicero and Ariobarzanes III caught Athenais out and Ariobarzanes III was very saddened about his mother’s actions. Ariabarzanes III removed his mother from power and her fate afterwards is unknown.