Polemon II.

Polemon II , also known as Iulius Polemon , Polemon of Cilicia or Marcus Antonius Polemon Pythodoros ( Greek Μάρκος Αντώνιος Πολέμων Πυθόδωρος ; * 12/11 BC; † after 68 AD) was a prince and ruler over the Roman Vassal regions of Pontus , Colchis and Cilicia . He was the last ruler of the kingdom of Pontus, which was transformed into a Roman province during his reign by Emperor Nero .

Life

Polemon was a son of Kotys, son of the Thracian king Rhoimetalkes I , and the Pontic queen Antonia Tryphaina . This was a granddaughter of the general Mark Antony . Polemon's father died 8 BC. After which his mother married King Archelaos of Cappadocia . The family moved to Cappadocia, where Polemon grew up with his siblings. Archelaus died in 17 AD, after which the family moved back to Pontus.

From 17 to 38 Polemon lived in Pontus and helped his mother manage her empire. When his mother died in 38, Polemon succeeded in succeeding her as sole ruler of Pontus, Colchis and Cilicia. In 37 or 38 he was appointed King of the Bosporan Empire by Emperor Caligula . The late King Aspourgos , however, had an heir, Mithradates III., Who did not agree to bypassing him, claimed the throne himself and was able to exercise de facto power due to Polemon's inaction. In 41 Claudius ended the unclear situation by recognizing Mithradates and expanding the Cilician territory of Polemons II to compensate.

Around the year 50 came around Polemon II. Of the Judean princess Julia Berenice closer he in Tiberias during a visit of King I. Agrippa met. They married shortly thereafter, but that required Polemon to convert to Judaism . The marriage lasted only for a short period of time, Julia went back to Judea and Polemon became a Christian according to the legend of the Apostle Bartholomew , but only afterwards turned back to paganism .

Polemon II named the city of Fanizan (today's Fatsa Turkey) after his name Polemonium. In 62 the Roman Emperor Nero asked him to abdicate, after which Pontus and Colchis became Roman provinces. Polemon only remained the rule over Cilicia, which he held until his death.

swell

Flavius Josephus , Antiquitates Judaicae 19,8,1; 20.7.3.

literature

Edward Herbert Bunbury: Polemon II. In: William Smith (Ed.): Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology . tape 3 : Oarses-Zygia and Zygius . Little, Brown and Company, Boston 1870, p. 434 (English, Textarchiv - Internet Archive ).
Iris von Bredow : Polemon 5. In: Der Neue Pauly (DNP). Volume 10, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01480-0 , column 8.

Individual evidence

↑ Viktor F. Gajdukevič : The Bosporan Empire. 2nd edition, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1971, p. 340 f.

personal data
SURNAME	Polemon II.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Mark Antony Polemon Pythodorus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	King of Pontus
DATE OF BIRTH	uncertain: 12 v. Chr.
DATE OF DEATH	after 68

[1] Viktor F. Gajdukevič : The Bosporan Empire. 2nd edition, Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1971, p. 340 f.