An area in N Syria, ruled in Seleucid and Roman times by a Hellenized dynasty of Persian (Achaemenid) origin. The Romans suppressed the dynasty in AD 72 because of its pro-Parthian leanings, and made Commagene part of the Syrian province.
Commagene (Greek Kομμαγηνή Kommagênê) was a kingdom, located in modern south-central Turkey, with its capital at Samosata (modern Samsat, near the Euphrates).
History
It was first mentioned in Assyrian texts as Kummuhu, which was normally an ally of Assyria, but eventually annexed as province in 708 BC under Sargon II.
The Hellenistic kingdom, bounded by Cilicia on the west and Cappadocia on the north arose in 162 BC, when its governor Ptolemy broke free from the disintegrating Seleucid Empire. His dynasty was related to the Parthian kings, but his descendant Mithradates Callinicus (100 - 69 BC), embraced the Hellenistic culture and married Laodice, a Seleucid princess, thus claiming dynastical ties with both Alexander the Great and the Persian kings.
Nemrut National Park
The Nemrut Dağı sanctuary is an enormous complex on a mountain-top founded by Antiochus Theos featuring giant statues of the king (whose epithet means God), surrounded by gods. The location of Antiochus' tomb is one of the mysteries of archeology and recent research has revealed that on the peak of Nemrut Mountain close to the mausoleum there are some cavities that could hold the tomb of the king. Nemrut is a testament to Hellenistic syncretism at its peak, each god being a synthesis of classical Greek and Persian gods (e.g. Apollo-Mithras-Helios) and was meant to be no less than the "home of the gods", making Commagene and its kings a spiritual center for the Middle East.
The kings of Commagene under the Roman Empire tried to make strong connections between their dynasty and the Iranian god Mithra.
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