Nicomedes II Epiphanes (
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
: Νικομήδης ὁ Ἐπιφανής "Nicomedes God-Manifest") was the king of
Bithynia from 149 to c. 127 BC. He was fourth in descent from
Nicomedes I
Nicomedes I ( grc, Νικομήδης; lived c. 300 BC – c. 255 BC, ruled 278 BC – c. 255 BC), second king of Bithynia, was the eldest son of Zipoetes I, whom he succeeded on the throne in 278 BC.
Life
He commenced his reign by putting ...
. Nicomedes II was the son and successor of
Prusias II
Prusias II Cynegus (Greek: Προυσίας ὁ Κυνηγός; "the Hunter", c. 220 BC – 149 BC, reigned c. 182 BC – 149 BC) was the Greek king of Bithynia. He was the son and successor of Prusias I and Apama III.
Life
Prusias was ...
and
Apame IV. His parents were related as they were maternal cousins.
Life
He was so popular with the people that his father sent him 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 ...
to limit his influence. However, in Rome, he also gained favor from the
Roman Senate
The Roman Senate ( la, Senātus Rōmānus) was a governing and advisory assembly in ancient Rome. It was one of the most enduring institutions in Roman history, being established in the first days of the city of Rome (traditionally founded in ...
, forcing Prusias to send an emissary named Menas with secret orders to assassinate him. But the emissary revealed the plot, and persuaded the prince to rebel against his father.
Supported by
Attalus II Philadelphus
Attalus II Philadelphus (Greek: Ἄτταλος Β΄ ὁ Φιλάδελφος, ''Attalos II Philadelphos'', which means "Attalus the brother-loving"; 220–138 BC) was a Greek King of Pergamon and the founder of the city of Attalia (Antalya) ...
, king of
Pergamon
Pergamon or Pergamum ( or ; grc-gre, Πέργαμον), also referred to by its modern Greek form Pergamos (), was a rich and powerful ancient Greek city in Mysia. It is located from the modern coastline of the Aegean Sea on a promontory on th ...
, he was completely successful, and ordered his father to be put to death at
Nicomedia
Nicomedia (; el, Νικομήδεια, ''Nikomedeia''; modern İzmit) was an ancient Greek city located in what is now Turkey. In 286, Nicomedia became the eastern and most senior capital city of the Roman Empire (chosen by the emperor Diocleti ...
.
During his long reign Nicomedes adhered steadily to the Roman alliance, and assisted them against the pretender to the throne of Pergamon
Eumenes III
Eumenes III (; grc-gre, Εὐμένης Γʹ; originally named Aristonicus; in Greek Aristonikos Ἀριστόνικος) was a pretender to the throne of Pergamon. He led the against the Pergamene regime and found success early on, seizing vari ...
. He was succeeded by his son
Nicomedes III
Nicomedes III Euergetes ("the Benefactor", grc-gre, Νικομήδης Εὐεργέτης) was the king of Bithynia, from c. 127 BC to c. 94 BC. He was the son and successor of Nicomedes II of Bithynia.
Life
Memnon of Heraclea wrote that N ...
.
Nicomedes introduced the
Bithynian era
The Bosporan era (BE or AB), also called the Bithynian era, Pontic era or Bithyno-Pontic era, was a calendar era (year numbering) used from 149 BC at the latest until at least AD 497 in Asia Minor and the Black Sea region. It originated in the Bit ...
for numbering years on his coins. This system was to last in parts of the Greek world down to the 4th century AD.
[Jakob Munk Højte, "From Kingdom to Province: Reshaping Pontos after the Fall of Mithridates VI", in Tønnes Bekker-Nielsen (ed.), ''Rome and the Black Sea Region: Domination, Romanisation, Resistance'' (Aarhus University Press, 2006), 15–30.]
References
*
2nd-century BC rulers
Year of birth unknown
127 BC deaths
Kings of Bithynia
2nd-century BC Kings of Bithynia
{{Turkey-bio-stub