Elymais
Elymais is the Greek name for a landscape and a people in southwestern Iran .
General
The name Elymais probably derives from Elam , although this etymology has been questioned. The region is still referred to as Elam in cuneiform texts. The capital of Elymais were often Susa , which actually did not belong directly to this landscape, and Seleukia at Hedyphon . The exact boundaries of the Elymais are not certain. Strabon (XVI.1.17) reports that Elymais was divided into three provinces: Gabiane, Massabatene and Korbiane. The meaning of the term province is disputed in this case. Other ancient authors, however, report that the Susiana also belonged to Elymais.
Seleucid rule
The term Elymais appears for the first time in the time of Alexander the Great (in the account of Nearchus , which is passed down by Strabo ). In the following years Elymais became part of the Seleucid Empire. In the army of Antiochus III. are said to have been archers from the Elymais. When this ruler suffered from financial difficulties, he is said to have plundered a temple of Bel in the Elymais ( Diodorus Siculus , 28.3; 29, 15). This venture eventually cost him his life. The location of the temple is controversial in research. Antiochus IV undertook a similar undertaking and tried to plunder a temple of Artemis in this province, but was beaten back and died on the way back.
Striving for independence and the Parthian Empire
When from the middle of the second century BC BC the Seleucid Empire was in the process of state dissolution , there were also efforts in the Elymais to break away from the empire. Local rulers rose to be kings. Little is known, however, of the following history of the region. The rulers of the Elymais are almost exclusively documented on these coins. Mentions in classical texts are rare. The number and order of rulers is controversial in research. Only the coins of the pre-Christian rulers are marked with dates, the later ones are undated.
The rulers of Elymais can be divided into different groups. Kamnaskires I seems to have been around 147 BC. To have expelled the Seleucid satrap from Susa and installed himself as king. In the following year, however, the Seleucid ruler Demetrios II was able to take Susa again. At least there were 145 BC. BC coins minted with his name. Shortly afterwards, Kamnaskires II. Nikephoros appears here with his own coins, which indicates that the city and province were no longer under Seleucid rule. This ruler is also known from Babylonian sources showing that he was in 141 BC. BC tried to usurp parts of the disintegrating Seleucid Empire. He invaded Babylonia but was unsuccessful in the end. A few more rulers follow, but shortly afterwards the Elymais is probably 140/139 BC. Was occupied by the Parthian king Mithridates I.
Nothing is known from the following years, but it appears in 82/81 BC. A certain Kamnaskires III. on coins, which also invaded Babylonia and obviously sought to free itself from Parthian rule. This struggle for independence lasted for a number of years. In 65 BC A king of the Elymais sent gifts to the Roman general Pompeius (Plutarch, Pompeius 36). For chronological reasons, this king may have been Kamnaskire IV.
Other rulers are documented on coins in the following years. Another group of rulers finally minted coins in the second century AD. The sequence and identification of the rulers of the second century caused great difficulties, since almost all of them bore the name Orodes. Perhaps they are family members of the Arsacids , as the name Orodes is well documented in this ruling house. With the invasion of the Sassanids , the Elymais disappeared as an independent political unit.
swell
Apart from the coins, there are few sources on the history of Elymais. The information from classic authors:
- Lucian of Samosata ( Macrobi , XVI): The Parthian king Mnaskires also lived ninety-six years .
Inscription from Palmyra (dated 138 AD):
- Yarhibol, son of Lishamschu ... who voluntarily went as an envoy to Orodes, king of Elymais.
The rulers
| king | Dating | comment | coin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kamnaskires I. Soter | around 147 BC Chr. | Identical to Kamnaskire II. Nikephoros? | |
| Kamnaskires II. Nikephorus | around 145-139 BC Chr. | Raids to Babylonia |
|
| Occonapses | around 139 BC Chr. | temporary usurper | |
| Tigraios | 138 / 37-133 / 32 v. Chr. | temporary usurper | |
| Dareios | 129 BC Chr.? | temporary usurper |
|
| Kamnaskires III. , along with Anzaze | 82 / 81-75 BC Chr. | The Parthian King Orodes I moved against Kamnaskires III, as he apparently rebelled |
|
| Kamnaskires IV. | 62/61 or 59/58 and 56/55 BC Chr. | Sent gifts to the Roman general Pompey |
|
| Kamnaskires V. | 36/35 BC Chr. |
|
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| Orodes I. | 1st half of the 1st century AD |
|
|
| Orodes II | 1st half of the 2nd century AD | ||
| Kamnaskires-Orodes III. | 2nd half of the 2nd century AD |
|
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| Phraates | End of the 1st / beginning of the 2nd century | ||
| Osroes | 2nd century AD | ||
| Orodes IV. | 2nd half of the 2nd century AD | Identical to Orodes V.? | |
| Orodes V. | Late 2nd century AD |
literature
- Pieter A. van't Haaf: Catalog of Elymaean Coinage. Approx. 147 BC - AD 228. Classical Numismatic Group, Lancaster PA et al. 2007, ISBN 978-0-9709268-8-3 .
- Daniel T. Potts: The Archeology of Elam. Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1999, ISBN 0-521-56358-5 , pp. 354-409.
- Josef Wiesehöfer : Ancient Persia. From 550 BC BC to AD 650. Albatros, Düsseldorf 2005, ISBN 3-491-96151-3 , p. 411.
Web links
- Elymais . In: Ehsan Yarshater (Ed.): Encyclopædia Iranica (English, including references)
Individual evidence
- ↑ quoted from: Monika Schuol : Die Charakene. A Mesopotamian kingdom in the Hellenistic-Parthian period (= Oriens et occidens. Studies on ancient cultural contacts and their afterlife. Volume 1). Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-515-07709-X , pp. 62-63, (also: Kiel, Universität, Dissertation, 1998).