Iotapa (daughter of Artavasdes I)

Iotapa (born in 43 BC-unknown date of death) was a princess of Media Atropatene, daughter of King Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene. She was Queen consort of King Mithridates III of Commagene.

Iopata was of Median, Armenian and Greek descent. She was the daughter and one of the children born to King Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene and his wife, Athenais a daughter of the Commagenean Monarchs Antiochus I Theos and Isias Philostorgos.

In 33 BC, she was engaged to her distant relative, the Ptolemaic Prince Alexander Helios, son of Greek Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt and Roman Triumvir Mark Antony. The background to this was as follows. In 35 BC Artavasdes I offered Antony an alliance against Parthia, and Antony gladly accepted. To deepen this friendship Alexander Helios, the son of Antony and Cleopatra VII, was betrothed to Artavasdes I’s daughter Iotapa, although both were young children in 34 BC.

In 33 BC Antony met his coalition partner on the river Araxes; they agreed that Antony should support Artavasdes I against Parthia and that the Median King should help Antony against Octavian. They interchanged parts of their troops. The domain of Artavasdes I was enlarged with parts of Armenia. Antony had returned a standard that the Median king had taken from Oppius Statianus in 36 BC, and also took Iotapa along with him. With the help of the Roman reinforcements Artavasdes I was initially able to repulse the Parthian attack. Before the Battle of Actium, Antony called back his Roman troops without sending back the Median reinforcements. This time Phraates IV defeated Artavasdes I who was captured in 30 BC.

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