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Commagene (Greek Kομμαγηνή Kommagênê) was a small sometime kingdom, located in modern south-central Turkey, with its capital at Samosata (modern Samsat, near the Euphrates). Today it is famous for its sanctuary located on Mount Nemrud (Nemrud Dagi).
History
It was first mentioned in Assyrian texts as Kummuhu, which was normally an ally of Assyria, but eventually annexed as province in 708 BC under Sargon II.
The Hellenistic kingdom, bounded by Cilicia on the west and Cappadocia on the north arose in 162 BC, when its governor Ptolemy broke free from the disintegrating Seleucid Empire. His dynasty was related to the Parthian kings, but his descendant Mithradates Callinicus (100 - 69 BC), embraced the Hellenistic culture and married Laodice, a Seleucid princess, thus claiming dynastical ties with both Alexander the Great and the Persian kings. Their son Antiochus Theos (69 - 40 BC) supported Pompey against the Parthians, and in 64 BC was rewarded with additional territories. He was able to deflect Roman attacks from Mark Antony, whom he eventually joined in the Roman civil war, but after Antony's defeat to Augustus, Commagene was made a Roman client state. In AD 17 Tiberius deposed Antiochus III, but Caligula reinstated his son Antiochus IV who reigned until 72, when Vespasian deposed the dynasty. Their descendants lived on prosperously in Greece, where local benefactor Julius Antiochus Philopappus still has a monument in Athens.
Lucian, influential Greek satirist, was born in Samosata c. AD 125.
Nemrud National Park
The (Nemrud Dagi) sanctuary is an enormous complex on a mountain-top founded by Antiochus Theos featuring giant statues of the king (whose epithet means God), surrounded by gods. The location of Antiochus' tomb is one of the mysteries of archeology and recent research has revealed that on the peak of Nemrud Mountain close to the mausoleum there are some cavities that could hold the tomb of the king. Nemrud is a testament to Hellenistic syncretism at its peak, each god being a synthesis of classical Greek and Persian gods (e.g. Apollo-Mithras-Helios) and was meant to be no less than the "home of the gods", making Commagene and its kings a spiritual center for the Middle East. The statues were however destroyed by the Romans, and the sanctuary fell into oblivion, being rediscovered only in the 19th century. The site is now of utmost interest for archaelogists and a World Heritage Site.
The kings of Commagene under the Roman Empire tried to make strong connections between their dynasty and the Iranian god Mithra. Historian and researcher Roger Beck, in late 1996, suggested that a group of Commagenean military commanders and elites were instrumental in the formation and spread of the later Roman Mystery Cult known as Mithraism.
External links
See also
Ancient Roman enemies and allies | Commagene | Hellenistic civilization | Former monarchies | Ancient Roman provinces
"Commagene"