Sophene

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Sophene in antiquity

The Sophene (Assyrian Šupa , Greek  Σωφηνή , Armenian Ծոփք Tsopk ) was a province of the Armenian and Roman Empire . It was east of the Euphrates and Melitene , northeast of the Kommagene and northwest of the Gordyene . With the eastern Sophanene , Sophene often formed a unit and both were geographically assigned to Armenia . In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC Sophene had her own kings.

Around 200 BC The Seleucid conquered Antiochus III. Armenia and the Sophene and set Artaxias and Zariadris as governors. After the defeat of Antiochus III. In the battle of Magnesia against the Romans, the two generals declared themselves around 189 BC. To independent kings. Zariades and his successors ruled the kingdom of Sophene until it was ruled by Tigranes the Great around 93 BC. Was united with the rest of Armenia.

Later Sophene became a Roman province with Amida as its capital. Around 54 the province of Sohaemus was ruled by Emesa . In 530 AD, Sophene was integrated into the Byzantine province of Armeniakon .

Sophene is referred to as Supa in Urartian sources and Suppo in Assyrian sources .

List of the kings of Sophene

Surname Reign ancestry Remarks
Zariadris around 202 – around 163 BC Chr. Son of Xerxes of Armenia initially Seleucid governor, around 189 BC Chr. Independent
Mithrobuzanes around 163 BC Chr.–? Son of Zariadris
Orontes IV. ? - around 93 BC Chr. Son of Mithrobuzanes deposed by Tigranes the Great of Armenia
to Armenia
Sohaemus 54 AD – around 60 AD Son of Sampsigeramos II of Emesa installed as king by the Roman emperor Nero

literature

  • Michał Marciak: Sophene, Gordyene, and Adiabene. Three Regna Minora of Northern Mesopotamia Between East and West (=  Impact of Empire . Band 26 ). Brill, Leiden / Boston 2017, ISBN 978-90-04-35070-0 , pp. 9–160 ( specialist review ).

Remarks

  1. ^ Simon Swain, Hellenism and Empire: Language, Classicism, and Power in the Greek World, Ad 50-250. Oxford University Press, 1996, p. 304.
  2. ↑ Frank R. Trombley, John W. Watt (Ed.) The Chronicle of Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite. Liverpool University Press, Liverpool 2000, p. 54.
  3. ^ List of kings according to Martin Schottky: The Hellenistic Kingdom of (West) Armenia / Sophene. In: Walter Eder , Johannes Renger (Ed.): Ruler Chronologies of the ancient world. Names, dates, dynasties (= The New Pauly . Supplements. Volume 1). Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-476-01912-8 , pp. 91-93.
  4. ^ On Zariadris Andreas Mehl : Zariadris. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 12/2, Metzler, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-476-01487-8 , Sp. 696.
  5. ↑ On Mithrobuzanes Martin Schottky: Mithrobuzanes. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 8, Metzler, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-476-01478-9 , Sp. 292.
  6. ^ On Orontes IV. Martin Schottky: Orontes [6]. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 9, Metzler, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-476-01479-7 , column 50.
  7. ↑ To Sohaemus Martin Schottky: Sohaemus [3]. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 11, Metzler, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-476-01481-9 , Sp. 672.