Kingdom of Cappadocia
| Kingdom of Cappadocia | ||||||||||
| Subject of the Kingdom of Pontus and Seleucid Empire Client kingdom of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire (95 BC–17 AD) |
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| Capital | Mazaca | |||||||||
| Languages |
Greek (official) Old Persian (native and regional) Aramaic (initially used on coinage) |
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| Religion | Syncretic, incorporating Greek polytheism with Anatolian and Persian gods, as well as Zoroastrianism | |||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | |||||||||
| Basileus | ||||||||||
| • | 331 – 322 BC (First Ariarathid king) | Ariarathes I | ||||||||
| • | 96 – ca. 63 BC (First Ariobarzanid king) | Ariobarzanes | ||||||||
| • | 36 BC – 17 AD (last king) | Archelaus | ||||||||
| History | ||||||||||
| • | Founded by Ariarathes I | 320s BC | ||||||||
| • | Ariarathes IX deposed, Ariobarzanes I installed with military support from Sulla | 95 BC | ||||||||
| • | Ariarathes X deposed, Archelaus installed by Marc Anthony | 36 BC | ||||||||
| • | Annexed by the Roman Empire under Emperor Tiberius. | 17 AD | ||||||||
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The Kingdom of Cappadocia was a Hellenistic-era Iranian kingdom centered in the historical region of Cappadocia in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). It developed from the former Achaemenid satrapy of Cappadocia, and it was founded by its last satrap, Ariarathes (later Ariarathes I). Throughout its history, it was ruled by three families in succession; the House of Ariarathes (331-96 BC), the House of Ariobarzanes (96 BC-36 BC), and lastly that of Archelaus (36 BC-17 AD). In 17 AD, following the death of Archelaus, during the reign of Roman emperor Tiberius (14-37), the kingdom was incorporated as a Roman province.
Ariarathes I had been satrap of Cappadocia for 19 years and a loyal supporter of the Achaemenid kings. By blood, he was related to the ruling Achaemenid house ("Cyrus and Darius’ Seven") as well as other satraps. When Alexander of Macedon invaded the area as part of his conquest, he appointed two temporary governors. Following Alexander's death, Ariarathes I managed to assume power in Cappadocia, becoming the first king of the newly established Kingdom of Cappadocia. Ariarathes's line would provide the first ten kings of the kingdom. After a period of Seleucid overlordship, the Cappadocian Kingdom gained its independence during the reign of Ariarathes III (c. 255-220). The Ariarathid dynasty was abolished by the early course of the 1st century BC by the ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus, the infamous Mithridates VI (Eupator), this in an attempt to fully subdue the Cappadocian Kingdom. However, in "conflict" with the interests of the Roman Republic, the Romans supported the Cappadocians to choose a new king; this came to be another Iranian nobleman, namely Ariobarzanes I. After the civil war in Rome, the Romans started to interfere more directly in Cappadocian affairs; in 36 BC, Marcus Antonius appointed Archelaus, a local noble, to the Cappadocian throne. When, at an old age, Tiberius summoned him to Rome, he died there of natural causes; Cappadocia was subsequently incorporated as a fully functioning Roman province. Due to the kingdom's perilous location amongst powerful neighbors, the kings were often involved in beneficial marriage alliances, such as with the Mithridatic dynasty as well as the Seleucid dynasty.
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