Nysa or Nyssa ( el, Νύσ(σ)α, flourished second half of 2nd century BC) was a Princess from the Kingdom of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. Nysa was a royal of

Greek Macedonian Macedonian Greek or Greek Macedonian may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Macedonia (Greece), a region in Greece *Macedonians (Greeks), the Greek people of Macedonia * Greeks in North Macedonia, those living as a minority in the neighbo ...

and Persian ancestry. She was the daughter and first-born child of the monarchs

Ariarathes VI of Cappadocia Ariarathes VI Epiphanes Philopator ( grc, Ἀριαράθης Ἐπιφανής Φιλοπάτωρ), was the Ariarathid king of Cappadocia from 130 BC to 116 BC. He was the youngest son of Ariarathes V of Cappadocia and Nysa of Cappadocia. Name ...

and

Laodice of Cappadocia Berenice or Laodice of Cappadocia, also known as Laodice ( grc, Λαοδίκη ''Laodíkē''; flourished from the mid-120s BC to the 90s BC) was a princess from the Kingdom of Pontus and a queen of the Kingdom of Cappadocia by marriage to Ariarat ...

.Gabelko, O. L., The Dynastic History of the Hellenistic Monarchies of Asia Minor According to Chronography of George Synkellos. pp. 9-1

Her parents were cousins and her younger brothers were the Kings

Ariarathes VII of Cappadocia Ariarathes VII Philometor ("mother-loving") ( grc, Ἀριαράθης Φιλομήτωρ, Ariaráthēs Philomḗtōr; reigned in 116–101 BC or 111–100 BC), King of Cappadocia, was the first son of King Ariarathes VI of Cappadocia and ...

and

Ariarathes VIII of Cappadocia Ariarathes VIII Epiphanes ( grc, Ἀριαράθης Ἐπιφανής, Ariaráthēs Epiphanḗs; reigned c. 101–c. 96 BC and in 95), King of Cappadocia, was the second son of Ariarathes VI of Cappadocia and wife Laodice of Cappadocia. Ariarath ...

. She was the namesake of her paternal grandmother

Nysa of Cappadocia Nysa or Nyssa ( el, Νύσ(σ)α, flourished 150s BC-126 BC) was a princess from the Kingdom of Pontus and was a Queen of Cappadocia. She was the ruler of Cappadocia on behalf of her minor son in 130-126 BC. Biography Nysa was of Greek Macedonia ...

a previous Queen, wife of the previous King

Ariarathes V of Cappadocia Ariarathes V Eusebes Philopator ( grc-gre, Ἀριαράθης Εὐσεβής Φιλοπάτωρ; reigned 163–130 BC) was a son of the preceding king Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia and queen Antiochis. He was distinguished by his contemporaries ...

and mother of Ariarathes VI. She was born and raised in Cappadocia. At an unknown date, Nysa became the first wife Greek King

Nicomedes III of Bithynia 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 Nic ...

, who reigned between from c. 127 BC to c. 94 BC. Nysa and Nicomedes III were distantly related as they held lineage from the

Seleucid dynasty The Seleucid dynasty or the Seleucidae (from el, Σελευκίδαι, ') was a Macedonian Greeks (ancient), Macedonian Greek royal family, founded by Seleucus I Nicator, which ruled the Seleucid Empire centered in the Near East and regions o ...

, the

Antipatrid dynasty The Antipatrid dynasty (; grc-gre, Ἀντιπατρίδαι) was a Dorian Greek dynasty of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon founded by Cassander, the son of Antipater, who declared himself King of Macedon in 302 BC. This dynasty did not l ...

and the

Antigonid dynasty The Antigonid dynasty (; grc-gre, Ἀντιγονίδαι) was a Hellenistic dynasty of Dorian Greek provenance, descended from Alexander the Great's general Antigonus I Monophthalmus ("the One-Eyed") that ruled mainly in Macedonia. History ...

. Through marriage, she became Queen of Bithynia. Nysa bore Nicomedes III a daughter also named

Nysa Nysa may refer to: Greek Mythology * Nysa (mythology) or Nyseion, the mountainous region or mount (various traditional locations), where nymphs raised the young god Dionysus * Nysiads, nymphs of Mount Nysa who cared for and taught the infant ...

Gabelko, O. L., The Dynastic History of the Hellenistic Monarchies of Asia Minor According to Chronography of George Synkellos, p.1

Not much is known about her life after her daughters birth. Nicomedes III married her mother after some time, possibly because Nysa died.

Quotes

References

; Primary sources *Justin, Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus (Classical Resources Series, No 3), Society for Classical Studies Classical Resources, Oxford University Press, U.S.A., 1994

; Secondary sources * http://www.ancienthistory.com/smith-bio/3180.html * Cartledge, P. Garnsey P. Gruen, E.S., Hellenistic constructs: essays in culture, history and historiography (Hellenistic Culture and Society), University of California Press, 1997; * Gabelko, O. L.
The Dynastic History of the Hellenistic Monarchies of Asia Minor According to Chronography of George Synkellos
* McGing, . C., The foreign policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus, BRILL, 1986; {{DEFAULTSORT:Nysa (Wife Of Nicomedes 03 Of Bithynia) Hellenistic Cappadocia Ancient Greek princesses 2nd-century BC women 2nd-century BC Asian people Queens of Bithynia Ariarathid dynasty