Antiochus III Epiphanes ( el, , flourished 1st century BC and 1st century AD) was the ruler of 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 s ...

from 12 BC to 17 AD. He was the son and successor 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 ...

and Iotapa, and of mixed

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

,; ; ; ; Armenian,Mark Chahin: ''The Kingdom of Armenia'', S. 190–191, Routledge, 2001, ISBN 0-7007-1452-9

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 ...

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 f ...

descent--the last through his mother. His parents were first cousins. When Antiochus died in 17 AD, his death created major issues for the kingdom, which was in political turmoil at the time.Tacitus, The Annals 2.42 The reasons for this situation are unclear, but it may have been the consequence of his children, Antiochus and Iotapa, being too young to succeed their father. This may have meant that there was no effective authority to prevent civil unrest and unite the citizens of Commagene. Very little is known on his life and his reign as King. After Antiochus' death, two factions appeared: one 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-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

and the other led by citizens who wanted Commagene's independence to be retained under the rule of their own king. Both factions 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 Emperor

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 ...

to decide the future of Commagene. Tiberius 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 ...

. That decision was welcomed by many of the citizens by Commagene, which remained under Roman rule until

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 Germani ...

restored the kingdom to Antiochus’ children in 38 AD. Antiochus III and his son are honoured on the

Philopappos Monument The Philopappos Monument ( el, Μνημείο Φιλοπάππου, , ) is an ancient Greek mausoleum and monument dedicated to ''Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos'' or ''Philopappus'', ( el, Γάιος Ιούλιος Αντίοχος � ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

, dedicated to his great-grandson, Prince Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos, who was a prominent and respected citizen in Athens. In the left figure of the monument is a statue of Antiochus III's son, Antiochus IV. Below Antiochus IV is an inscription that states ''King Antiochus son of King Antiochus''.

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

- The Annals, Part One: Tiberius, Chapter 4, First Treason Trials {{DEFAULTSORT:Antiochus 03 Of Commagene Kings of Commagene 17 deaths 1st-century BC rulers in Asia 1st-century monarchs in Asia Year of birth unknown