The
Royal Family of Emesa was a native Syrian
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
dynasty of Priest Kings in Emesa (modern Hims,
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....
). There is a possibility that members of the Royal Family may have some ancestry from the local Greek population in
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....
.
Emesa was renowned for the
Temple of the Sun adored in a shape of a black stone. The Syrian sun god in Aramaic, was known as
El-Gebal. The local priests, formed a powerful and influential aristocracy.
They were a leading kingdom in the
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
East.
The
Royal Family of Emesa was a native Syrian
ArabArab people or Arabs are an ethnic group whose members identify along linguistic, cultural or genealogical grounds...
dynasty of Priest Kings in Emesa (modern Hims,
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....
). There is a possibility that members of the Royal Family may have some ancestry from the local Greek population in
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....
.
Background
Emesa was renowned for the
Temple of the Sun adored in a shape of a black stone. The Syrian sun god in Aramaic, was known as
El-Gebal. The local priests, formed a powerful and influential aristocracy.
They were a leading kingdom in the
RomanAncient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
East. From this dynasty, various coins have survived. However, not much is known on this Royal Family. The Priest King dynasty ruled from Emesa from 64 BC until at least 254. After 73, the priest kings had ceremonial authority. Between 211-217, Roman Emperor
CaracallaCaracalla , born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later called Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus, was the eldest son of Septimius Severus and Roman Emperor from 211 to 217. He was one of the most nefarious of Roman emperors...
, made Emesa a Roman Colony.
Apart from
AntiochAntioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River...
, Emesa was a very important city for the Romans, in the Empire’s East. This port city, prospered well under Roman vassals. Around 64 BC, the Roman General
PompeyGnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/, Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
had reorganised
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....
and the surrounding countries into Roman Provinces. Pompey had installed client kings, who would be allies to Rome. One of those client kings, would be Sampsiceramus, the founding member of the Priest King dynasty of Emesa. Sampsiceramus is also known as Sampsigeramus. This name was a nickname given to the first Sampsiceramus by Pompey.
Sampsiceramus was an Aramaic chieftain who was an ally to the last
GreekIn the context of Ancient Greek art, architecture, and culture, Hellenistic Greece corresponds to the period between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the annexation of the classical Greek heartlands by Rome in 146 BC...
Seleucid Monarchs of Syria. By that time, 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...
had become a very weak state and always appealed to
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
to assist them to solve the kingdom’s crisis. At the request of Pompey, Sampsiceramus captured and killed the second last Seleucid King
Antiochus XIII AsiaticusAntiochus XIII Dionysus Philopator Kallinikos, known as Asiaticus was one of the last rulers of the Greek Seleucid kingdom.He was son of king Antiochus X Eusebes and the Ptolemaic princess Cleopatra Selene, who acted as regent for the boy after his father's death sometime between 92 and 85 BC...
in 64 BC. From Sampsiceramus, the founding member they are also known as
The Sampsiceramids.
Various members were given names from the Roman and Greek culture beside their native Arabic. Women as their first name had the Latin name
Julia and would end in a name in Arabic or sometimes a Latin or Greek name(s). Men would either have a name(s) in Arabic, Latin or Greek or a name from the combination of the three cultures.
List of Priest Kings of Emesa
Below lists monarchs of Emesa.
- Sampsiceramus reigned 64 BC-43 BC
- Imblichus reigned 64 BC-31 BC
- Alexander
-Origin:Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb ἀλέξω "to push back","to hold off" and the noun ἀνδρός , genitive of ἀνήρ "man"...
reigned 31 BC-29 BC (brother to Imblichus I)
- Unknown person reigned 29 BC-20 BC
- Imblichus II reigned 20 BC-11 BC
- Sampsiceramus II reigned 11 BC-42 (this Sampsiceramus before his death was convened by King Agrippa I
Agrippa I also called the Great , King of the Jews, was the grandson of Herod the Great, and son of Aristobulus IV and Berenice. His original name was Marcus Julius Agrippa, and he is the king named Herod in the Acts of the Apostles, in the Bible, "Herod "...
at TiberiasTiberias is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Lower Galilee, Israel. Established in 20 CE, it was named in honour of the emperor Tiberius. Since the sixteenth century, Tiberias has been considered one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Safed...
(JosephusJosephus , also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu and, after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70...
, AJ 19,338)
- Gaius Julius Azizus or Asisus reigned 42-54
- Gaius Julius Sohaemus
Sohaemus of Emesa, sometimes known as Sohaemus of Sophene or to give his full name Gaius Julius Sohaemus was a prince and a Roman Client King from Syria who lived in the 1st century.Sohaemus was a prince and a member of the Royal Family of Emesa from Emesa...
(brother to Azizus) reigned 54-73
- Gaius Julius Alexio (son to Sohaemus) reigned 73-78
- Gaius Julius Sampsiceramus III Silas (son to Alexio) reigned 79-120
- Gaius Julius Longinus Soaemus died 160
- Gaius Julius Sulpicius died ca. 210
- Uranius Antoninus reigned 210-235
- Lucius Julius Aurelius Sulpicius Severus Uranius
Uranius is the name of a Roman usurper cited by Zosimus, and active during the reigns of Elagabalus or Alexander Severus.However, it is possible that Zosimus confused this usurper with Lucius Julius Aurelius Sulpicius Severus Uranius Antoninus, who, according to numismatical evidence, reigned much...
Antoninus reigned 235-254
Other Members of the Royal Family
- Julia Urania
Julia Urania or Urania was a woman who lived in the 1st century. Urania married the Roman client king Ptolemy of Mauretania...
, Queen of Mauretania who married King Ptolemy of MauretaniaPtolemy of Mauretania, also known as Ptolemy of Morocco was a prince and the last Roman client king of Mauretania.Ptolemy was the only son to queen Cleopatra Selene II and king Juba II of Mauretania. Drusilla of Mauretania was his younger sister...
.
- Iotapa
Iotapa or Iotape also known as Iotapi was the name of various queens and princesses who lived in between the 2nd century BC, 1st century BC and 1st century. The name Iotapa or Iotape originally derives from the name Jotapa or Jotape, which was a name of Persian origin...
, a daughter of King Mithridates III of CommageneMithridates III Antiochus Epiphanes was a ruler of Commagene. The son and successor of King Mithridates II of Commagene and Queen Laodice, he was of Armenian and Greek descent....
and Queen IotapaIotapa or Iotape also known as Iotapi was the name of various queens and princesses who lived in between the 2nd century BC, 1st century BC and 1st century. The name Iotapa or Iotape originally derives from the name Jotapa or Jotape, which was a name of Persian origin...
of Commagene. She had married Sampiceramus II. They had three children: a daughter Iotapa and two sons: Gaius Julius Azizus and Gaius Julius SohaemusSohaemus of Emesa, sometimes known as Sohaemus of Sophene or to give his full name Gaius Julius Sohaemus was a prince and a Roman Client King from Syria who lived in the 1st century.Sohaemus was a prince and a member of the Royal Family of Emesa from Emesa...
.
- Iotapa, daughter of Sampiceramus II and Iotapa. She had married the prince from the Herodian Dynasty
The Herodian Dynasty was a Jewish dynasty of Idumean descent, who ruled Iudaea Province between 37 BC - AD 92.- Origin :During the time of the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus 134-104 BCE, Judea conquered Edom and forced the Edomites to convert to Judaism.The Edomites were integrated into the Jewish...
, Aristobulus MinorAristobulus Minor or Aristobulus the Younger was a prince from the Herodian Dynasty. He was of Jewish, Nabataean and Edomite ancestry....
. Iotapa and Aristobulus had a daughter called Iotapa who was mute and deaf.
- Princess Drusilla of Mauretania
Drusilla of Mauretania was a princess of Mauretania, the daughter and only child of king Ptolemy of Mauretania and queen Julia Urania.-Life:...
, child of Ptolemy and Julia Urania. Drusilla married Gaius Julius SohaemusSohaemus of Emesa, sometimes known as Sohaemus of Sophene or to give his full name Gaius Julius Sohaemus was a prince and a Roman Client King from Syria who lived in the 1st century.Sohaemus was a prince and a member of the Royal Family of Emesa from Emesa...
. They had a son, Gaius Julius Alexio. Queen of PalmyraPalmyra was in ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 120 km southwest of the Euphrates. It has long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert and was known as the Bride of the Desert...
, ZenobiaZenobia was a 3rd century Syrian queen of the Palmyrene Empire. After her father's death, before becoming the second wife of King Septimius Odaenathus...
, is descended from Drusilla.
- Princess from the Herodian Dynasty Drusilla
Drusilla was a daughter of Herod Agrippa I and thus sister to Berenice, Mariamne and Herod Agrippa II.-First marriage:She was six years of age at the time of her father's death at Caesarea in 44...
, married Gaius Julius Azizus after 51. Azizus married Drusilla on the condition that he was to be circumcised (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, xx.7.1). Drusilla was briefly married to Azizus, as Drusilla ended the marriage and divorced Azizus because she fell in love with Marcus Antonius FelixMarcus Antonius Felix was the Roman procurator of Iudaea Province 52-58, in succession to Ventidius Cumanus.- Life :...
. Felix was a Greek FreedmanA freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation, ....
who was Procurator of JudeaJudea or Judæa is the name given to the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel , an area now divided between Israel and the West Bank Judea or Judæa (Hebrew: יהודה,
Standard Yəhuda
Tiberian , "praised, celebrated"; Greek: Ιουδαία, Ioudaía; ) is the...
, whom Drusilla later married. Drusilla and Azizus had no children.
- Roman Empress Julia Domna
Julia Domna was a member of the Severan dynasty of the Roman Empire. Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus and mother of Emperors Geta and Caracalla, Julia was among the most important women ever to exercise power behind the throne in the Roman Empire.- Family background...
and her sister Julia MaesaJulia Maesa was a Roman citizen
[Shahid, Irfan . Rome and The Arabs: A Prolegomenon to the Study of Byzantium and the Arabs]
, through them had descendants who would become Roman Emperors and relatives to Roman Emperors. Domna and Maesa were daughters of a high-priest Gaius Julius BassianusGaius Julius Bassianus or Bassus, also known as Julius Bassianus was an Arab, who lived in the second and third century AD. Bassianus was a high priest for the Temple of the Sun, which was adored in a shape of a black stone. The Aramaean Sun God in Aramaic is El-Gabal. Bassianus was a member of...
. Their descendants included the Roman Emperors CaracallaCaracalla , born Lucius Septimius Bassianus and later called Marcus Aurelius Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus, was the eldest son of Septimius Severus and Roman Emperor from 211 to 217. He was one of the most nefarious of Roman emperors...
, his brother Publius Septimius GetaPublius Septimius Geta , was a Roman Emperor co-ruling with his father Septimius Severus and his older brother Caracalla from 209 to his death.-Early life:...
, ElagabalusElagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus or Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, was a Roman Emperor of the Severan dynasty who reigned from 218 to 222...
and Alexander SeverusMarcus Aurelius Severus Alexander , commonly called Alexander Severus, was the last Roman emperor of the Severan dynasty...
.
Sources
- http://www.loebtree.com/emesa.html
- http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05402a.htm
- http://www.sfagn.info/information/michael_burgess.html
- http://www.sfagn.info/information/kritt.html
- http://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/volume.1/nt23/098htm
- http://www.hostkingdom.net/Syria.html#Homs
- http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3035.html
- Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 2002 Edition.
- Morkot.R., The Penguin Historical Altas of Ancient Greece, Penguin Group, 1996.
- The Building Program of Herod the Great, By Duane W. Roller, Published by University of California Press 1998, ISBN 0520209346