Ptolemaeus was a man of
ArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n descent who lived between the 3rd century BC and 2nd century BC, and became the first
King of Commagene. He was of
Orontid ArmenianThe Orontid Dynasty was the first known Armenian dynasty. The Orontids established their supremacy over Armenia around the time of the Scythian and Median invasion in the 6th century BC....
descent, being related to the king of Sophene
Arsames IArsames I was a king of Sophene and the son of Sames. Arsames built the cities of Arsamosata in Sophene and Arsameia , in Commagene. He was succeeded by his son Orontes IV in Armenia and by his son Xerxes of Armenia at Sophene, who might have been the son of Arsames II.-See also:* Commagene* List...
. His father was King Orontes IV of Armenia, son of
Arsames IArsames I was a king of Sophene and the son of Sames. Arsames built the cities of Arsamosata in Sophene and Arsameia , in Commagene. He was succeeded by his son Orontes IV in Armenia and by his son Xerxes of Armenia at Sophene, who might have been the son of Arsames II.-See also:* Commagene* List...
.
Ptolemy was the last
SatrapSatrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of ancient Median and Persian empires, including the Achaemenid Empire and in several of their heirs, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
(Governor) of the state of Commagene, a province in the
Seleucid EmpireThe Seleucid Empire was a Hellenistic empire, i.e. a successor state of Alexander the Great's empire. The Seleucid Empire was centered in the near East and at the height of its power included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan...
.
Ptolemaeus was a man of
ArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n descent who lived between the 3rd century BC and 2nd century BC, and became the first
King of Commagene. He was of
Orontid ArmenianThe Orontid Dynasty was the first known Armenian dynasty. The Orontids established their supremacy over Armenia around the time of the Scythian and Median invasion in the 6th century BC....
descent, being related to the king of Sophene
Arsames IArsames I was a king of Sophene and the son of Sames. Arsames built the cities of Arsamosata in Sophene and Arsameia , in Commagene. He was succeeded by his son Orontes IV in Armenia and by his son Xerxes of Armenia at Sophene, who might have been the son of Arsames II.-See also:* Commagene* List...
. His father was King Orontes IV of Armenia, son of
Arsames IArsames I was a king of Sophene and the son of Sames. Arsames built the cities of Arsamosata in Sophene and Arsameia , in Commagene. He was succeeded by his son Orontes IV in Armenia and by his son Xerxes of Armenia at Sophene, who might have been the son of Arsames II.-See also:* Commagene* List...
.
Ptolemy was the last
SatrapSatrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of ancient Median and Persian empires, including the Achaemenid Empire and in several of their heirs, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
(Governor) of the state of Commagene, a province in the
Seleucid EmpireThe Seleucid Empire was a Hellenistic empire, i.e. a successor state of Alexander the Great's empire. The Seleucid Empire was centered in the near East and at the height of its power included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan...
. He served under the
SyriaSyria , 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....
n
GreekThe Greeks , also known as Hellenes, are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions, who can also be found in diaspora communities around the world....
Kings
Antiochus III the GreatAntiochus III the Great, , younger son of Seleucus II Callinicus, became the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire as a youth of about eighteen in 223 BC. Ascending the throne at young age, Antiochus was an ambitious ruler...
,
Seleucus IV PhilopatorSeleucus IV Philopator , ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, reigned from 187 BC to 175 BC over a realm consisting of Syria , Mesopotamia, Babylonia and Nearer Iran ....
,
Antiochus IV EpiphanesAntiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great and the brother of Seleucus IV Philopator...
and Antiochus V Eupator.
Ptolemy served as a Satrap of Commagene between 201 BC-163 BC. When the
Seleucid EmpireThe Seleucid Empire was a Hellenistic empire, i.e. a successor state of Alexander the Great's empire. The Seleucid Empire was centered in the near East and at the height of its power included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan...
began to disintegrate in 163 BC, Ptolemy decided to revolt and make Commagene an
independent kingdomThe Kingdom of Commagene was an ancient kingdom of the Hellenistic Age.Little is known of the region of Commagene prior to the beginning of the 2nd century BC. However, it seems that, from what little evidence remains, Commagene formed part of a larger state that also included Sophene...
. Ptolemy also declared
SamosataSamosata was an ancient city on the right bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province, Turkey until the site was flooded by the newly-constructed Atatürk Dam....
, which was the capital of Commagene, under Seleucid rule as the capital of the new kingdom.
Ptolemy was in fact a relative to the King
Mithridates I of ParthiaMithridates I was the "Great King" of Parthia from ca. 171 BC - 138 BC, succeeding his brother Phraates I. His father was King Phriapatius of Parthia, who died ca. 176 BC). Mithridates I made Parthia into a major political power by expanding the empire to the east, south, and west...
and related to the Parthian King dynasty. According to fragments of inscribed reliefs found at
Mount Nemrut, archaeologists have discovered that Ptolemy was a descendant of Persian King
Darius I of PersiaDarius I or Darius the Great , was a Zoroastrian Persian Shahanshah of Persia...
. Ptolemy died in 130 BC and his wife is unknown. His son and successor was
Sames II Theosebes DikaiosSames or Samos II Theosebes Dikaios was the second king of Commagene. Of Armenian descent, he was the son and successor of Ptolemaeus of Commagene....
.
Sources