Marcus Antonius Polemon Pythodoros, also known as Polemon II of Pontus and Polemon of Cilicia ( el, Μάρκος Ἀντώνιος Πολέμων Πυθόδωρος; 12 BC/11 BC–74), was a prince of the Bosporan, Pontus,

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...

, and Cappadocia. He served as a Roman Client King of Pontus, Colchis, and

He is held to be the

progenitor In genealogy, the progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; german: Stammvater or ''Ahnherr'') is the – sometimes legendary – founder of a family, line of descent, clan or tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines G ...

of the Lithuanian nobility (via Palemonids) in its origin theory.

Family

The Pontic royal family was of mixed Anatolian, Greek, and Roman origin. His paternal grandmother is unknown; however his paternal grandmother could have been named Tryphaena, while his paternal grandfather was Zenon, a prominent orator, aristocrat, and ally to Roman Triumvir Mark Antony. His maternal grandparents were

Pythodoros of Tralles Pythodoros of Tralles, also known as Pythodorus ( grc-gre, Πυθόδωρος; c. 70 – after 28 BC), was an exceedingly wealthy Greek living in the 1st century BC. Pythodoros originally came from Tralles (modern Aydın, Turkey). Not much is know ...

, a wealthy Greek and friend of Pompey, and Antonia. Polemon II was the namesake of his parents and his maternal grandparents. Polemon II was the second son and middle child of the Pontic Rulers Polemon Pythodoros and

Pythodorida of Pontus Pythodorida or Pythodoris of Pontus ( el, Πυθοδωρίδα or Πυθοδωρίς, 30 BC or 29 BC – 38) was a Roman client queen of Pontus, the Bosporan Kingdom, Cilicia, and Cappadocia. Origins and early life Pythodorida is also known as ...

. His eldest brother was Zenon, also known as Artaxias III, who was Roman Client King of Armenia. His youngest sister was

Antonia Tryphaena Antonia Tryphaena also known as Tryphaena of Thrace or Tryphaena (her name in Ancient Greek, Greek: ἡ Ἀντωνία Τρύφαινα or Τρυφαίνη, 10 BC – 55 AD) was a Kingdom of Pontus, Pontian Princess and a Ancient Rome, Roman Clie ...

, who was married to

Cotys VIII Cotys III (Ancient Greek: Κότυς, flourished second half of 1st century BC and first half of 1st century, died 18 AD) was the Sapaean Roman client king of eastern Thrace from 12 to 18 AD. Family and origins Cotys was the son and heir of loya ...

, King of Thrace. Through his maternal grandmother he was a direct descendant of Mark Antony and his second wife, Antonia Hybrida Minor. Antony and Antonia Hybrida were first paternal cousins. He was Antony's second born great grandson and great grandchild. Polemon II is the only known male descendant of Mark Antony that carries his name. The other male descendant of Mark Antony who carries a form of his name, ''Antonius,'' was the consul Quintus Haterius Antoninus. Through Antony, his great maternal aunt was Queen Cleopatra Selene II of

Mauretania Mauretania (; ) is the Latin name for a region in the ancient Maghreb. It stretched from central present-day Algeria westwards to the Atlantic, covering northern present-day Morocco, and southward to the Atlas Mountains. Its native inhabitants, ...

. Through Antony, he was a distant cousin to Roman Client King Ptolemy of Mauretania. Through Antony, he was also a distant cousin to Roman emperors

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 ...

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusu ...

, and Nero, and Roman empresses Valeria Messalina,

Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from 49 to 54 AD, the fourth wife and niece of Emperor Claudius. Agrippina was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claud ...

, and Claudia Octavia. The Sophist Polemon of Laodicea was his grandson.

Reign

Polemon II's father died in 8 BC. His mother then married King Archelaus of Cappadocia, and the family had moved to Cappadocia, where Polemon II and his siblings were raised at the court of their stepfather. Archelaus died in 17, whereupon Polemon II and his mother moved back to Pontus. From 17 until 38, Polemon II lived as a private citizen in Pontus and assisted his mother in the administration of their realm. When his mother died in 38, Polemon II succeeded his mother as the sole ruler of Pontus, Colchis and

. According to an honorary inscription at Cyzicus in 38, Polemon II participated in celebrating the local games in the city, honoring

Julia Drusilla Julia Drusilla (16 September AD 16 – 10 June AD 38) was a member of the Roman imperial family, the second daughter and fifth child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder to survive infancy. She was the favorite sister of Emperor Caligula, wh ...

, the late sister of Caligula; in this way Polemon II expressed his loyalty to the emperor and the Roman state. With another Roman Client King, Antiochus IV of Commagene, Polemon II held athletic games in honor of Claudius in

in 47. Antiochus IV with Polemon II had showed favor towards Claudius in which they offered significant services to him.

Marriages

Around 50, Polemon II was attracted to the wealth and beauty of the Judean princess Julia Berenice, whom he had met in Tiberias during a visit to King Herod Agrippa I. Berenice in turn wanted to marry Polemon II to end rumors that she and her brother were committing incest. Berenice had become a widow in 48 when her second husband, her paternal uncle Herod of Chalcis, died. She had two sons by him, Berenicianus and Hyrcanus. Berenice set the condition that Polemon II had to convert to Judaism, which included undergoing the rite of circumcision, before marriage. Polemon II assented, and the marriage went ahead. It did not last long, however, and Berenice left Pontus with her sons and returned to the court of her brother. Polemon II abandoned Judaism and, according to the legend of

Bartholomew the Apostle Bartholomew (Aramaic: ; grc, Βαρθολομαῖος, translit=Bartholomaîos; la, Bartholomaeus; arm, Բարթողիմէոս; cop, ⲃⲁⲣⲑⲟⲗⲟⲙⲉⲟⲥ; he, בר-תולמי, translit=bar-Tôlmay; ar, بَرثُولَماو� ...

, he accepted Christianity, only to become a pagan again. At an unknown date, perhaps after the early 50s, Polemon II married a princessBirley, ''Septimius Severus: The African Emperor'', p. 70 called

Julia Mamaea Julia Avita Mamaea or Julia Mamaea (14 or 29 August around 182 – 235) was a Syrian noble woman and member of the Severan dynasty. She was the mother of Roman emperor Alexander Severus and remained one of his chief advisors throughout his ...

, who was from the

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

Roman Client Emesene Kingdom. Mamaea was of

Assyrian Assyrian may refer to: * Assyrian people, the indigenous ethnic group of Mesopotamia. * Assyria, a major Mesopotamian kingdom and empire. ** Early Assyrian Period ** Old Assyrian Period ** Middle Assyrian Empire ** Neo-Assyrian Empire * Assyrian ...

, Armenian, Greek, and

Median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...

ancestry. Polemon II married Mamaea as his second wife,Coinage of Polemon II and Julia Mamaea
/ref> and the circumstances that lead Polemon II to marry her are unknown. Through Mamaea's marriage to him, she became a Roman Client Queen of Pontus, Colchis, and

. The relationship between Polemon II and Mamaea is unknown. Her name and identity is revealed from surviving bronze coinage. Surviving coinage that was issued from Polemon II and Mamaea is extremely rare, as only three specimens are known. These coins show her royal title in Greek, ''ΙΟΥΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΜΑΙΑΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ'' (''of Julia Mamaea the Queen'') or ''ΒΑΣΙΛΙΣΣΗΣ ΙΟΥΛΙΑΣ ΜΑΜΑΙΑΣ'' (''of Queen Julia Mamaea''). These coins can be dated from the second half of Polemon II's reign from 60 until 74. Mamea may have bore Polemon II two sons, Polemon and Rhoemetalces Philocaesar, according to a fragmentary inscription from Amphipolis, Greece.On the Polemonid dynasty - see R.D. Sullivan, "Dynasts in Pontus", ''ANRW'' 7.2 (1980), pp. 925-930. For the intermarriages between the Polemonids and other dynasties of East Asia Minor, see R.D. Sullivan, "Papyri reflecting the Eastern Dynastic Network", ''ANRW'' 2.8 (1977), p. 919 Polemon II renamed the town Fanizan after himself. He changed the name to Polemonium (modern Fatsa, Turkey). In 62, Nero induced Polemon II to abdicate the Pontian throne, and Pontus, including Colchis, became a Roman province. From then until his death, Polemon II only ruled Cilicia.

References

Sources

* Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' XX.7.3 * Josephus, ''Antiquities of the Jews'' XIX.8.1 * H. Temporini & W. Haase, '' Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt: Principat'', Walter de Gruyter, 1980 *H. Temporini & W. Haase, ''Politische Geschichte (Provinzen und Randvölker: Griechischer Balkanraum; Kleinasien). Griechischer Balkanraum; Kleinasien)'', Walter de Gruyter, 1980 * A.R. Birley, ''Septimius Severus. The African Emperor'', Routledge, 2002 * B. Levick, ''Julia Domna. Syrian Empress'', Routledge, 2007
Polemon II article at Ancient Library

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polemon 2 Rulers of Pontus Rulers of the Bosporan Kingdom Herodian dynasty Converts to Judaism from paganism Jewish monarchs 74 deaths 1st-century BC rulers in Asia Roman client rulers 1st-century monarchs in the Middle East Emesene dynasty Year of birth unknown Jewish royalty