Polemon I of Pontus
Encyclopedia
Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon I or Polemon I of Pontus ' onMouseout='HidePop("58951")' href="/topics/8_BC">8 BC
) was the Roman Client King of Cilicia
, Pontus
, Colchis
and the Bosporan Kingdom
.
Polemon was the son and heir of Zenon and possibly Tryphaena. He was Anatolia
n Greek
. Polemon’s father, Zenon, was an orator and a prominent aristocrat from Laodicea on the Lycus
Anatolia
. Zenon encouraged the locals to resist the Roman General Quintus Labienus
and King Pacorus I of Parthia
, when their armies invaded Syria
and Anatolia. Zenon was a friend and ally to Roman Triumvir Mark Antony
and played a leading role during the Parthia
n invasion in 40 BC.
For Zenon’s service to the Parthian Campaign, Antony appointed Polemon in 39 BC, as Roman Client King of Cilicia
and then in 37 BC after the death of King Arsaces of Pontus
, Antony appointed him as Roman Client King of Pontus. In 36 BC, Polemon assisted Antony in his military campaign against Parthia
. The Parthians defeated Antony and Polemon. Polemon was captured and taken prisoner by the Parthian King. After a ransom was allowed, Polemon was released. By this time, Polemon was ruling from Iconium (modern Konya
) in Lycaonia
.
In 35 BC, Polemon assisted Antony in making an alliance with Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene
with Rome, whom the Median King was an ally to Parthia
. Both Antony and Polemon, succeeded in this alliance to happen.
During the naval Battle of Actium
in 31 BC, Polemon had sent Antony an auxiliary force. Before Actium, Polemon made peace with the triumvir Octavian and became his ally. After the death of Antony, Octavian became the Roman Emperor
Augustus
. Augustus early in his reign had acknowledged and recognised Polemon as a Roman Client King and the Client Kingdoms he ruled. Augustus awarded Polemon with an ivory sceptre; an embroidered triumphal robe and he greeted Polemon as king, ally and friend. This recognition was a tradition, which recognises and awards the allies to Rome.
In 16 BC the Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
, had intervened with the monarchy of the Bosporan Kingdom. Agrippa had discovered, a usurper called Scribonius had pretended be to a relative of the ruling Queen Dynamis, who was previously widowed by her husband, King Asander
. Scribonius wanted to marry Dynamis, so he could rule the Bosporan, however Agrippa discovered his treachery and ordered his death. After Scribonius’ death, Agrippa had asked Polemon to take Scribonius’ place.
Polemon had married Dynamis
as his first wife and Polemon became Dynamis' second husband. He left Iconium to rule the Bosporan Kingdom. Polemon and Dynamis married in 16 BC. Through his first wife, Polemon became a stepfather to Tiberius Julius Aspurgus
, who was Dynamis’ son and child from her first marriage. Dynamis died in 14 BC and he became the sole ruler of the Bosporan.
Later in 14 BC, Polemon had married Pythodorida of Pontus
as his second wife. She was a noblewoman who was half Anatolia
n Greek and Roman
, who was the first granddaughter and grandchild of Antony. Pythodorida bore Polemon two sons and one daughter, who were:
As King of the Bosporan, he extended the Kingdom as far to the river Tanais
. Polemon reigned as a long and prosperous king. In 8 BC, Polemon engaged in a military campaign against the Aspurgiani
, a nomad
tribe that lived above the mountains of Phanagoria. Polemon was defeated by them, taken as their prisoner and was put to death. After his death, Aspurgus succeeded Polemon as a King of the Bosporan, while his widow, ruled as the sole ruler of Cilicia
, Pontus
and Colchis
.
8 BC
Year 8 BC was either a common year starting on Friday or Saturday or a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Wednesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
) was the Roman Client King 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...
, Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
, Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
and the Bosporan Kingdom
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...
.
Polemon was the son and heir of Zenon and possibly Tryphaena. He was 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....
. Polemon’s father, Zenon, was an orator and a prominent aristocrat from Laodicea on the Lycus
Laodicea on the Lycus
Laodicea on the Lycus was the ancient metropolis of Phrygia Pacatiana , built on the river Lycus , in Anatolia near the modern village of Eskihisar , Denizli Province,...
Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. Zenon encouraged the locals to resist the Roman General Quintus Labienus
Quintus Labienus
Quintus Labienus , the son of Titus Labienus, was a Roman republican general, later in the service of Parthia.After Julius Caesar was murdered in 44 BC, Labienus took the side of Brutus and Cassius, the latter whom he served in the capacity of an ambassador to the Parthians...
and King Pacorus I of Parthia
Pacorus I of Parthia
Pacorus I of Parthia was the son of king Orodes II and queen Laodice of the Parthian Empire. It is possible that he was co-ruler with his father for at least part of his father's reign...
, when their armies invaded Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Anatolia. Zenon was a friend and 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...
and played a leading role during the Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n invasion in 40 BC.
For Zenon’s service to the Parthian Campaign, Antony appointed Polemon in 39 BC, as Roman Client King 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...
and then in 37 BC after the death of King Arsaces of Pontus
Arsaces of Pontus
Arsaces of Pontus was a Prince from the Kingdom of Pontus. He was a monarch of Iranian and Greek Macedonian ancestry....
, Antony appointed him as Roman Client King of Pontus. In 36 BC, Polemon assisted Antony in his military campaign against Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
. The Parthians defeated Antony and Polemon. Polemon was captured and taken prisoner by the Parthian King. After a ransom was allowed, Polemon was released. By this time, Polemon was ruling from Iconium (modern Konya
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
) in Lycaonia
Lycaonia
In ancient geography, Lycaonia was a large region in the interior of Asia Minor, north of Mount Taurus. It was bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the north by Galatia, on the west by Phrygia and Pisidia, while to the south it extended to the chain of Mount Taurus, where it bordered on the...
.
In 35 BC, Polemon assisted Antony in making an alliance with Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene
Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene
Artavasdes I was a king of Media Atropatene. As an enemy of Artavasdes II of Armenia and his son Artaxias II, Artavasdes I was mentioned in diplomatic affairs of Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Mark Anthony.- Biography :...
with Rome, whom the Median King was an ally to Parthia
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
. Both Antony and Polemon, succeeded in this alliance to happen.
During the naval Battle of Actium
Battle of Actium
The Battle of Actium was the decisive confrontation of the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra VII. The battle took place on 2 September 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea near the city of Actium, at the Roman...
in 31 BC, Polemon had sent Antony an auxiliary force. Before Actium, Polemon made peace with the triumvir Octavian and became his ally. After the death of Antony, Octavian became the 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...
Augustus
Augustus
Augustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. Augustus early in his reign had acknowledged and recognised Polemon as a Roman Client King and the Client Kingdoms he ruled. Augustus awarded Polemon with an ivory sceptre; an embroidered triumphal robe and he greeted Polemon as king, ally and friend. This recognition was a tradition, which recognises and awards the allies to Rome.
In 16 BC the Roman statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa was a Roman statesman and general. He was a close friend, son-in-law, lieutenant and defense minister to Octavian, the future Emperor Caesar Augustus...
, had intervened with the monarchy of the Bosporan Kingdom. Agrippa had discovered, a usurper called Scribonius had pretended be to a relative of the ruling Queen Dynamis, who was previously widowed by her husband, King Asander
Asander (Bosporan King)
Asander named Philocaesar Philoromaios was an aristocrat and a man of high rank of the Bosporan Kingdom.Asander was of Greek and possibly of Persian ancestry. There is not much is known on his family and early life. He started his political and military career as a general under Pharnaces II, King...
. Scribonius wanted to marry Dynamis, so he could rule the Bosporan, however Agrippa discovered his treachery and ordered his death. After Scribonius’ death, Agrippa had asked Polemon to take Scribonius’ place.
Polemon had married Dynamis
Dynamis (Bosporan queen)
Dynamis named Philoromaios was a Roman Client Queen of the Bosporan Kingdom during the Roman Republic and the reign of the first Roman Emperor Augustus.-Life:...
as his first wife and Polemon became Dynamis' second husband. He left Iconium to rule the Bosporan Kingdom. Polemon and Dynamis married in 16 BC. Through his first wife, Polemon became a stepfather to Tiberius Julius Aspurgus
Tiberius Julius Aspurgus
Tiberius Julius Aspurgus Philoromaios was a Prince and Roman Client King of the Bosporan Kingdom.The name Aspurgus is a name of Iranian origin. His name goes back to the Iranian words aspa and aspabara . Aspurgus was a monarch of Greek and Iranian ancestry.Aspurgus was the son born to the ruling...
, who was Dynamis’ son and child from her first marriage. Dynamis died in 14 BC and he became the sole ruler of the Bosporan.
Later in 14 BC, Polemon had married 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...
as his second wife. She was a noblewoman who was half 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 and 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....
, who was the first granddaughter and grandchild of Antony. Pythodorida bore Polemon two sons and one daughter, who were:
- Zenon, also known as Zeno-Artaxias or Artaxias IIIArtaxias IIIArtaxias III, also known as Zeno-Artaxias, Artaxes or Artashes was a prince of the Bosporan, Pontus, Cilicia, Cappadocia and Roman Client King of Armenia....
, who became King of ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
in 1818Year 18 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Augustus and Caesar...
and reigned until his death in 3535Year 35 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Gallus and Nonianus... - Marcus Antonius Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon II of Pontus
- Antonia TryphaenaAntonia TryphaenaAntonia 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 married King of ThraceThraceThrace 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...
, Cotys VIII
As King of the Bosporan, he extended the Kingdom as far to the river Tanais
Tanais
Tanais is the ancient name for the River Don in Russia. Strabo regarded it as the boundary between Europe and Asia.In antiquity, Tanais was also the name of a city in the Don river delta that reaches into the northeasternmost part of the Sea of Azov, which the Greeks called Lake Maeotis...
. Polemon reigned as a long and prosperous king. In 8 BC, Polemon engaged in a military campaign against the Aspurgiani
Aspurgiani
The Aspurgiani were an ancient people, a tribe of the Maeotae dwelling along east side of the Strait of Kerch along the Palus Maeotis in antiquity. They seem to be identical with the "Asturicani" of Ptolemy The Aspurgiani (Greek: or ) were an ancient people, a tribe of the Maeotae dwelling along...
, a nomad
Nomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
tribe that lived above the mountains of Phanagoria. Polemon was defeated by them, taken as their prisoner and was put to death. After his death, Aspurgus succeeded Polemon as a King of the Bosporan, while his widow, ruled as the sole ruler 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...
, Pontus
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
and Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
.
External links
Sources
- French version of Wikipedia
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/2767.html
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3651.html
- http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/cleopatra_vii_fr.htm