Commagene (Rome)

This article is about the specific polity Commagene (Rome) and therefore only includes events related to its territory and not to its possessions or colonies. If you are interested in the possession, this is the link to the article about the nation which includes all possessions as well as all the different incarnations of the nation.

If you are looking for the page with the statistics about this polity you can find it here:All Statistics

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 served as its capital. It became a Roman client and was later integrated in the Roman state.

Establishment

January 65 BC: Border corrections due to military occupations and reorganization.

January 65 BC: Pompey passed through the Taurus Mountains and waged war both against Antiochus I of Commagene, forcing him to seek peace, and against Darius of Media, whom he put to flight because he had aided Antiochus or Tigranes before him.

Chronology

Interactive Chronologies with maps are available in the section Changes Navigation

1. Mithridatic Wars

Were three conflicts fought by Rome against the Kingdom of Pontus and its allies between 88 BC and 63 BC. They are named after Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus during the course of the wars.

1.1.Third Mithridatic War

Was the last and longest of the three Mithridatic Wars, fought between Mithridates VI of Pontus and the Roman Republic. The conflict ended in defeat for Mithridates, ending the Pontic Kingdom, ending the Seleucid Empire (by then a rump state), and also resulting in the Kingdom of Armenia becoming an allied client state of Rome.

2. Pontic War

Was a military campaign waged by Julius Caesar (at the same time of his war against Pompeius) that lead to the Roman submission of the Kingdom of Pontus.

January 47 BC: Pharnace II attempted to reconstitute the kingdom of Pontus by force: during the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, he invaded Asia Minor in 48 BC, conquering Colchis, Armenia Minor, Pontus and Cappadocia, defeating a Roman army in Nicopolis.

January 47 BC: Pharnace of Pontus moved to the southeast along the Black Sea coast and without difficulty subjugated Colchis and all of Armenia.

August 47 BC: Caesar decisively defeated Pharnaces of Pontus at the Battle of Zela. Pharnaces was killed and Caesar conquered Pontus. In addition, the territories occupied by Pharnaces were freed.

3. Roman-Persian Wars

Were a series of Wars between Rome (first the Roman Republic then the Roman Empire and finally the Eastern Roman Empire) and Persia (the Parthian Empire, and then its successor, the Sasanian Empire). The wars were ended by the early Muslim conquests, which led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire and huge territorial losses for the Byzantine Empire.

3.1.Antony's Atropatene campaign

Was a military campaign by Mark Antony, the eastern triumvir of the Roman Republic, against the Parthian Empire under Phraates IV.

3.1.1.Persian Invasion (Antony's Atropatene campaign)

Was the Persian invasion of the Roman Republic during Mark Antony's Parthian War.

March 40 BC: The Parthians conquered Syria (with the exception of Tyre), and Anatolia up to Caria including Cappadocia, Commagene and Galatia

3.1.2.Roman Counterattack

Was a Roman offensive against the Persian invasion during Mark Antony's Parthian War.

October 38 BC: In the meantime, Ventidio Basso had besieged Samosata, the main fortress on the Euphrates of the kingdom of Commagene. Mark Antony preferred not to prolong the siege operations of Samosata any further. He therefore concluded in September 38 B.C. the operations receiving the surrender of the fortress and accepting from the king of Commagene a tribute of 300 talents of silver.

3.1.3.Anthony's Invasion

Was the Roman invasion of Persia during Mark Antony's Parthian War.

October 36 BC: As his legionaries were tired and begged to return home, at the end of October, Mark Anthony decided to end the war with Persia.

4. Annexation of Commagene (18)

When Antiochus III of Commagene, a Roman client, died, Tiberius annexed his territory to the province of Syria.

January 18: When Antiochus III of Commagene, king of Commagene and a Roman client, died, Roman emperor Tiberius annexed his territory to the province of Syria.

5. Annexation of Commagene (73)

Commagene became a Roman province.

January 73: Commagene is made into Roman province.

6. Further events (Unrelated to Any War)

January 39: In 38 AD, Caligula reinstated Antiochus III's son Antiochus IV and also gave him the wild areas of Cilicia to govern. Antiochus IV was the only client king of Commagene under the Roman Empire.