Iotapa (born c. 20 BC) was a daughter of King

Mithridates III of Commagene Mithridates III Antiochus Epiphanes ( el, , flourished 1st century BC) was a prince who served as a King of Commagene. Biography Mithridates III was the son and successor of King Mithridates II of Commagene. He was of Iranian; ; ; ; and Gree ...

. She reigned as Queen of

Commagene Commagene ( grc-gre, Κομμαγηνή) was an ancient Greco-Iranian kingdom ruled by a Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty that had ruled over Armenia. The kingdom was located in and around the ancient city of Samosata, which ser ...

after marrying her King brother

Antiochus III Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the res ...

Biography

Iotapa was a princess from the

Kingdom of Commagene Commagene ( grc-gre, Κομμαγηνή) was an ancient Greco-Iranian kingdom ruled by a Hellenized branch of the Iranian Orontid dynasty that had ruled over Armenia. The kingdom was located in and around the ancient city of Samosata, which ser ...

who lived in the second half of the 1st century BC and the first half of the 1st century AD. She was the daughter of King

and Queen Iotapa of Commagene. Ethnically, she was of Armenian, Greek and Median descent. Iotapa was most probably born, raised and educated in

Samosata Samsat ( ku, Samîsad), formerly Samosata ( grc, Σαμόσατα) is a small town in the Adıyaman Province of Turkey, situated on the upper Euphrates river. It is the seat of Samsat District.Antiochus III of Commagene Antiochus III Epiphanes ( el, , flourished 1st century BC and 1st century AD) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Commagene from 12 BC to 17 AD. He was the son and successor of King Mithridates III of Commagene and Iotapa, and of mixed Iranian,; ; ...

, whom she married. When her father died in 12 BC, her brother succeeded their father as King of Commagene. Iotapa and Antiochus III reigned as the last independent rulers of Commagene. Through her marriage to her brother, she had two children: a son, prince

Antiochus IV of Commagene Gaius Julius Antiochus IV Epiphanes ( grc, Γάιος Ἰούλιος Ἀντίοχος ὀ Ἐπιφανής, before 17 AD – after 72 AD), the last king of Commagene, reigned between 38 and 72 as a client king to the Roman Empire. The epit ...

and a daughter, princess Iotapa. Antiochus III died in 17 AD; his death became unsettling for the kingdom. At the time of Antiochus’ death, Commagene was in political turmoil as their children were too young to succeed their father and there was no authority to prevent civil unrest and unite the citizens of Commagene. Following the death of Antiochus III, two factions had appeared: one faction led by noblemen who wanted Commagene to be placed under the rule of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...

, and the other faction led by the citizens who wanted to retain the rule of the King. The political factions from Commagene had both sent embassies to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, seeking the advice and assistance of the Roman emperor Tiberius, to decide the future of Commagene. When the political factions addressed the Emperor regarding the future of Commagene, they recognised the political reality of Roman rule and were prepared to live with the decision that Tiberius made. They were also prepared to live in the rule of the Roman Empire. The sending of the embassies to Rome marked the end of the independence of Commagene.

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

decided to make Commagene a part of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. The decision that Tiberius made was welcomed by many citizens by Commagene, but some, particularly those who were supporters of the royal family, were unhappy with this outcome. The whereabouts of Iotapa after the annexation of Commagene are unknown. Her children were raised and lived in Rome. In 38 AD, the Roman Emperor

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

restored the kingdom to her children.

References

Sources

Mavors.org - Commagene
*

Tacitus Publius Cornelius Tacitus, known simply as Tacitus ( , ; – ), was a Roman historian and politician. Tacitus is widely regarded as one of the greatest Roman historiography, Roman historians by modern scholars. The surviving portions of his t ...

- Annals of Imperial Rome, Part One: Tiberius, Chapter 4, First Treason Trials. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Iotapa Queens of Commagene Year of birth missing Year of death missing 1st-century BC women 1st-century women Herodian dynasty People from Roman Anatolia Roman client rulers

Biography

See also

References

Sources