Orsabaris, also spelt as Orsobaris ( el, , meaning in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: ''brilliant Venus'', flourished 1st century BC) was a Princess of the

Kingdom of Pontus Pontus ( grc-gre, Πόντος ) was a Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty (of Persian origin), which possibly may have been directly related to Darius the Great of the Achaemeni ...

. She was a Queen of Bithynia by marriage to

Socrates Chrestus Socrates Chrestus ( el, Σωκράτης ό Χρηστός; ''Chrestus'' (The Good) died 90–88 BC) was the second son of Nicomedes III of Bithynia. He usurped the Bithynian throne by deposing his elder brother or half brother, Nicomedes IV of Bi ...

and later married to

Lycomedes of Comana Lycomedes of Comana ( gr, Λυκομήδης; fl. 1st century BC) was a Bithynian nobleman of Cappadocian Greek descent who ruled Comana, Cappadocia in the second half of the 1st century BC. Biography In 47 BC, Lycomedes was probably about 50 ye ...

Life

Orsabaris was of Greek Macedonian and Persian ancestry. She was the youngest daughter born to King

Mithridates VI of Pontus Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...

from an unnamed concubine. Orsabaris was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus.

Queen of Bithynia

Orsabaris was betrothed or had married as her first husband the

Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...

n prince,

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it as ...

. Socrates Chrestus was a political ally to her father; as well he was her paternal second cousin. This possibility is based on coins minted after 72 BC, found at the Bithynian city of

Prusias ad Mare Prusias may refer to : ;People *Two kings of ancient Bithynia ** Prusias I of Bithynia ** Prusias II of Bithynia ;Places and jurisdictions * Prusias ad Hypium, city in the Roman province of Honorias * ''Prusias'' and ''Prusias ad Mare'', former al ...

, which bears the inscription of Orsabaris’ name. These coins reveal Orsabaris’ full name and her royal title in Greek. An example of this coinage is, on one surviving coin, on the obverse side inscribes the full name and royal title of Orsabaris in Greek: ''ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΜΟΥΣΗΣ ΟΡΣΟΒΑΡΙΟΣ'', which means ''of Queen Mousa Orsobaris'', showing her portrait. On the reverse side of the coin, is inscribed in Greek: ''ΠΡΟΥΣΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΠΡΟΣ ΘΑΛΑΣΣΗ'', showing the head of

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptive ...

. The city of Prusias ad Mare was the city that the Pontian paternal ancestors of Orsabaris originated from. Socrates Chrestus had died by the time the Kingdom of Pontus was annexed by the Roman Triumvir and General

Pompey Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (; 29 September 106 BC – 28 September 48 BC), known in English as Pompey or Pompey the Great, was a leading Roman general and statesman. He played a significant role in the transformation of ...

in 63 BC. Orsabaris was captured by Pompey and it seems that she was one of the few remaining relatives from the family of Mithridates VI, whose life was spared by the Romans. Orsabaris became a political prisoner of Pompey and served to adorn his triumph parade in

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 ...

in 61 BC. After Pompey's triumph parade in Rome, Orsabaris was released by the Romans and she returned to

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 ...

Second marriage

Orsabaris married a nobleman from Bithynia who was 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 ...

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 ...

descent called

, who was the priest of the goddess Bellona and priest-ruler of the temple-state of

Comana, Cappadocia Comana was a city of Cappadocia ( el, τὰ Κόμανα τῆς Καππαδοκίας) and later Cataonia ( la, Comana Cataoniae; frequently called Comana Chryse or Aurea, i.e. "the golden", to distinguish it from Comana in Pontus). The Hittit ...

. Lycomedes ruled as priest-ruler from 47 BC until after 30 BC. Orsabaris through her marriage, became a ruler of the temple-state and had a daughter with Lycomedes called Orodaltis. The Romans had approved the status of Lycomedes, Orsabaris and their family, as they ruled over Comana for a substantial period. Orsabaris and her family could be viewed as potential successors of Mithridates VI on the Pontian throne, however the Kingdom of Pontus at the time became a Roman Client State who was ruled by Orsabaris' half-paternal brother

Pharnaces II of Pontus Pharnaces II of Pontus ( grc-gre, Φαρνάκης; about 97–47 BC) was the king of the Bosporan Kingdom and Kingdom of Pontus until his death. He was a monarch of Persian and Greek ancestry. He was the youngest child born to King Mithridate ...

; the sons of Pharnaces II and eventually by

Polemon I of Pontus Polemon I Pythodoros ( grc-gre, Πολέμων Πυθόδωρος; fl. 1st century BC – died 8 BC) was the Roman Client King of Cilicia, Pontus, Colchis and the Bosporan Kingdom. Polemon was the son and heir of Zenon and possibly Tryphaena. Ze ...

References

Sources

* A. Mayor, The Poison King: the life and legend of Mithradates, Rome's deadliest enemy, Princeton University Press, 2009

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The Dynastic History of the Hellenistic Monarchies of Asia Minor According to Chronography of George Synkellos by Oleg L. Gabelko
1st-century BC women Iranian people of Greek descent 1st-century BC Iranian people People from Bithynia Queens of Bithynia Mithridatic dynasty