The Persian defeat of the Medes opens the floodgates
for Cyrus with a wave of conquests, beginning with Cilicia in 549
BC. Appuashu may even welcome the intervention of the light-handed
overlordship of Cyrus the Great over the tighter controls of the
Babylonians. He is sometimes described as an ally of the Persians.
Harpagus, a Median of the royal house and the main cause of the
defeat of the Medes, commands Cyrus' army in Anatolia, conquering
it between 547-546 BC. Taken during this campaign are Karkâ (Caria),
Lycia, Lydia, Paphlagonia, Phrygia, and Tabal (Cappadocia), and
Harpagus and his descendants reign thereafter in Karkâ and Lycia
as satraps of the empire, normally within the satrapy of Karkâ.
Cilicia would appear also to be under their control, at least initially,
although Appuashu continues to administer it at first.
Persian
Satraps of Khilakku (Cilicia / Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus) :
Conquered by Cyrus the Great, the region of Cilicia was added to
the Persian empire. Under the Persians, it was formed into an official
satrapy or province, and the satraps ruled the region in the name
of the Persian king. By the mid-fourth century BC, part of Cilicia
(Khilakku) was known officially as the minor satrapy of Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus.
Under Satrap Datames in the mid-fourth century it was joined with
his original satrapal seat of Cappadocia-beside-the-Pontus (Katpatuka).
The River Halys separated these two very minor provinces.
Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus bordered Cappadocia-beside-the-Pontus
along its northern border. Its eastern frontier was formed by the
Euphrates, as confirmed by Herodotus, with a western border which
was shared with Greater Phrygia and a southern border with Ebir-nāri
which is only vaguely definable. Only in the south-west do references
to the Taurus Gates, and especially to the Cilician Gates, provide
more precise indications about the border with Cilicia 'proper'.
Babirush (Babylon) was the senior great satrapy in Mesopotamia.
The main satrapy of Athura (former Assyria) fell within Babylonia's
administrative umbrella and was subservient to it. Thanks to its
close association with Babylonia, the name of Athura was used almost
synonymously (certainly by Herodotus and Strabo). Babylon's rank
during the Achaemenid period (and beyond) and the status of officials
who were installed there also suggest that Babylonia was the superior
great satrapy. On the occasion of the rebellion of Megabyzus in
Syria, the satrap of Babylonia was responsible for its suppression.
This alone proves its higher hierarchical rank, as does the fact
that Alexander the Great settled matters relating to Assyria in
Babylon. It was also Strabo who reported (accurately) that Athura
consisted of (old) Assyria along with Khilakku, Syria, and Phoenicia.
Therefore Megabyzus and other holders of his office were satraps
of all of these - at least at first.
The provincial capital of Cilicia 'beside-the-sea' was at Tarsus.
Local dynasts with the title syennesis held power until the
fourth century, but then the royal court began to install officers.
To the north and east, mounts Taurus and Amanus separated the province
from Greater Phrygia and Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus, as well as
from Syria. Several well-known passes may have marked the frontier,
including the Cilician Gates, the Amanus Gates, and the Syrian Gates.
In the west the province touched Pamphylia, which belonged to Greater
Phrygia; the boundary must have been situated somewhere between
Coracesium and Celenderis.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Edward
Dawson, from The Persian Empire, J M Cook (1983), from The
Histories, Herodotus (Penguin, 1996), from Alexander the
Great, Krzysztof Nawotka (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009),
and from External Links: Encyclopaedia Iranica, and Lives
of Eminent Commanders, Cornelius Nepos (1886 Edition), and The
Government of Syria under Alexander the Great, A B Bosworth
(The Classical Quarterly Vol 24, No 1, May, 1974, pp 46-64,
Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Classical Association
(available at JSTOR)), and Livius.)
549
- 546 BC :
Appuashu
/ Appuau : Last king of Cilicia and first Persian client
king of Khilakku.
549
- 546 BC :
The
Persian defeat of the Medes allows Cyrus the Great to conquer Anatolia
between 549-546 BC. Appuashu may even welcome the intervention of
the light-handed overlordship of Cyrus over the tighter controls
of the Babylonians. He is sometimes described as an ally of the
Persians. However, he remains in the post of client king of Khilakku
only for three years.
![Cyrus the Great](Persia_CyrusGreat_01_full.jpg)
Cyrus
the Great freed the Indo-Iranian Parsua people from Median domination
to establish a nation that is recognisable to this day, and an empire
that provided the basis for the vast territories that were later
ruled by Alexander the Great
Harpagus,
a Median of the royal house and commander of Cyrus' army in Anatolia,
is already ruling in Karkâ (Caria), Lykia, and Sparda. From 546
BC - when the conquest of Anatolia has been completed - Cilicia
would appear also to be under his control, and the fate of Appuashu
is not known.
546 - bef 530? BC :
Harpagus
: Satrap of Karkâ, Lykia, & Sparda. Of the royal house
of Media.
530s?
BC :
Harpagus is succeeded as satrap of Sparda at some point before 530
BC, which possibly marks his death rather than retirement. There
seem to be no subsequent satraps of Karkâ. Instead Sparda remains
the dominant satrapy, with Karkâ possibly being administered directly
through minor local offices. Khilakku would appear to regain its
status as a client kingdom at some point between now and the early
years of the fifth century BC, possibly the only way to successfully
govern this fairly independently-minded territory. Oromedon, if
he is a client king himself, is probably descended from Appuashu
or his immediate family.
fl c.500? BC :
Oromedon
: Client king of Khilakku?
It is not known for certain that Oromedon is a client king himself.
The historical record only provides him as the father of 'Syennesis'
(II). This Syennesis - a title rather than a name - is almost certainly
a Persian client king of Khilakku (the first bearer of the 'name'
being the earliest-known instance of its use at the start of sixth
century Cilicia). The Luwian word suuannassai means 'belonging
to the dog', a title that is well attested in Khilakku, although
its meaning remains unclear. It seems highly likely that only the
ruler's title has been recorded, not his name, and perhaps the title
has later been mistaken for a name.
?
- 480 BC :
'Syennesis'
(II) : Son. Client king of Khilakku. Killed at Salamis.
480
- 479 BC :
Invading
Greece in 480 BC, the Persians subdue the Thracian tribes, and they
join his forces, all except the Satrai, precursors to the Bessoi,
who refuse to succumb. The Macedonians are also subdued but continue
to supply aid in the war against the Persians. Then the vast army
of the Persian King Xerxes makes its way southwards and is swiftly
engaged by Athens and Sparta in the Vale of Tempe. The Persians
are subsequently stymied by a mixed force of Greeks led by Sparta
at Thermopylae. (These events are depicted somewhat colourfully
- but no less impressively for that - in the 2007 film, 300.)
![Battle of Thermopylae](Sparta_Thermopylae01_full.jpg)
The
Spartan stand at Thermopylae in 480 BC, along with some Greek allies,
stopped the Persian advance in its tracks and provided a rallying
call for the rest of the free Greek cities to oppose the Persians
Athens,
as the leader of the coalition of city states known as the Delian
League, then defeats the Persian navy at Salamis, and after Xerxes
returns home his army is decisively defeated at the Battle of Plataea
and kicked out of Greece. (The naval battles of Artemisium and Salamis
are shown to superb graphic effect in the 2014 sequel film, 300:
Rise of an Empire, although it does contain a great many historical
inaccuracies.) Along with many others killed at Salamis on the Persian
side is the client ruler of Khilakku, Syennesis. Xeinagores becomes
his replacement after saving the life of the brother of Xerxes,
one Masistes.
480 - ? BC : Xeinagores Of Halicarnassus. Client king of
Khilakku.
469
BC :
Athenian statesman and general, Kimon (or Cimon) leads an allied
Greek fleet to Karkâ. The attack focuses on destroying Persian strongholds
as far as Phaselis on the border with Pamphylia. The response from
Xerxes is to send an army under Pherendates to Pamphylia and a joint
fleet from Khilakku and Phoenicia (rebuilt after the loss of the
Persian fleet in 479 BC) under the command of Tithraustes, a bastard
son of Xerxes. The new fleet is destroyed and captured, and the
Persian army is utterly defeated.
?
- 401 BC :
'Syennesis'
(III) : Client king of Khilakku. Removed?
401
BC :
Cyrus,
satrap of Asia Minor, attempts to revolt, mobilising an army and
ten thousand Greek mercenaries to attack his brother. Defeat leads
to his death in October 401 BC at the Battle of Cunaxa. Along with
his wife, Epyaxa, the client king of Khilakku, 'Syennesis' (a title
rather than a name), has supported the rebel army of Cyrus, primarily
to protect his own lands from looting. Now his position may be untenable.
Khilakku is reorganised as a formal satrapy within about a decade
and its native kings are either removed or entirely sidelined, not
to be mentioned again.
![Battle of Cunaxa](Persia_BattleCunaxa01_full.jpg)
The
Battle of Cunaxa saw the end of just one in a number of internal
Persian revolts that often involved thousands of troops on either
side, although in this case the presence of a large body of Greek
mercenaries should have been an indicator of the future threat the
Greeks would become
? - 385 BC :
Camissares
/ Kamisares : Persian satrap of Khilakku. Carian by birth.
Killed in battle.
385
BC :
Camissares is in favour with the Persian court of Artaxerxes II.
He is made satrap of Khilakku at an uncertain date but is killed
in the war against the Kadousioi to the north-east of Media, in
the Iranian mountains on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.
His son - by a Paphlagonian or Scythian mother - becomes his successor.
385
- 362 BC :
Datames
: Son. Satrap of Khilakku (with Katpatuka & Paphlagonia).
Killed.
367
- 365 BC :
At this time, Khilakku is known officially as the minor satrapy
of Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus. This is the main seat of Datames,
although later in his career he is promoted as satrap of Katpatuka,
otherwise known as the minor satrapy of Cappadocia-beside-the-Pontus.
Ariobarzanus, satrap of Phrygia, joins Datames, now satrap of Khilakku
and Katpatuka and independent ruler of Paphlagonia, in revolt against
Artaxerxes II. Autophradates, satrap of Sparda, is ordered to suppress
the rebellion and he manages to expel Ariobarzanes from the greater
part of his satrapy. In 365 BC, Athens sends thirty ships and 8,000
mercenaries to aid Ariobarzanus. He rewards Athens with the gift
of Sestos and Crithote, cities on the Thracian Chersonesus.
364
- 358 BC :
This
seems to be the point, in 364 BC, at which the native princes of
Paphlagonia are finally removed from holding any kind of office.
They are replaced by various individuals from more powerful regions.
By now the Greek city of Sinope has also fallen under Persian domination.
Datames is the first outsider to take control there. Given the fact
that he is in revolt against Persia, it would seem that Paphlagonia
has been seized as part of this effort.
![Southern coast of the Black Sea](BlackSea_SouthCoast01_full.jpg)
Like
the Kaskans before them, the Paphlagonians struggled to survive
in the somewhat tough conditions of the Black Sea's southern coast
Soon
all of Asia Minor (Anatolia) revolts against Artaxerxes II and,
in 362 BC, even Autophradates is driven to join the rebels. Sparta,
and also Takhôs, pharaoh of Egypt, send substantial help to the
rebels. Two years later, in 360 BC, Ariobarzanes is betrayed by
his son, Mithridates, and is executed. The satrapal revolt is finally
suppressed in 359-358 BC, by which time Datames has officially been
removed as satrap of Khilakku.
362
- 353? BC :
Sysinas
: Son. Satrap? Title or name?
In Khilakku & Paphlagonia.
Has
the former kingly title of syennesis become so commong in
terms of usage as a name that it can now be altered or shortened,
probably without losing its meaning in much the same way as the
modern 'Michael' can be shortened? The alternative (less likely
now that Khilakku is an official satrapy rather than a client kingdom)
is that Sysinas is a title and the satrap's name has been lost.
Edward Dawson considers the title to have been reduced rather than
being a diminutive, with a switched consonant order from 'ns' to
'sn'. The word itself 'syennesis' seems to consist of 'syenn' ('sienn')
plus a nominative suffix, '-es' (with Indo-European variants including
'-us, -os, -as', etc), plus a 'land' or 'locale' suffix, '-is',
if written by Greeks. As for 'sienn' itself, this could be a nominative
use of the verb 'to cut'. A translation of 'the Cutter' would be
appropriate.
fl
351/350 BC :
Mazaeus
/ Mazaios / Mazdai : Satrap. Promoted to Athura with Khilakku
after 345 BC.
346
BC :
In tandem with Satrap Bēlsunu of Ebir-nāri, Mazaeus leads
fresh contingents of Greek mercenaries to put down the revolt in
the Levant. Phoenicia is attacked first, but both satraps are repulsed.
The Persian king himself is forced to follow up with a more direct
intervention. It is known that Mazaeus is issuing coins in Sidon
as satrap of Ebir-nāri during his time in office (353-333 BC),
which makes problematical the assignment there of Bēlsunu (not
to mention Arsames, below). However, Mazaeus could be acting as
the senior satrap, overseeing both Bēlsunu and Ebir-nāri,
perhaps distantly at first, and more directly later. Arsames could
be a short term replacement in 333 BC alone.
?
- 333 BC :
Arsames
: Satrap of Athura, Ebir-nāri, Khilakku & Phoenicia.
Killed.
334
- 333 BC :
In
334 BC Alexander of Macedon launches his campaign into the Persian
empire by crossing the Dardanelles. The first battle is fought on
the River Graneikos (Granicus), eighty kilometres (fifty miles)
to the east. The Persian defeat forces Satrap Arsites of Daskyleion
to commit suicide. Sparda surrenders but Karkâ's satrap holds out
in the fortress of Halicarnassus with the Persian General Memnon.
The fortress is blockaded and Alexander moves on to fight the Lykian
mountain folk during the winter when they cannot take refuge in
those mountains.
![Alexander the Great crosses the River Graneikos](Macedonia_Alexander03_full.jpg)
Alexander
the Great crossed the River Graneikos (or Granicus) in 334 BC to
spark a direct face-off with the Persians that had been brewing
for generations, and his victory in battle near the river sent shockwaves
through the Persian empire
The
campaigning season of 333 BC sees Darius III and Alexander miss
each other on the plain of Cilicia and instead fight the Battle
of Issus on the coast. Darius flees when the battle's outcome hangs
in the balance, gifting the Greeks Khilakku and Katpatuka, although
pockets of Persian resistance remain in parts of Anatolia. The former
Persian satrapy of Khilakku now becomes the Greek-dominated satrapy
of Cilicia.
Argead
Cilicia / Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus :
The
Argead were the ruling family and founders of Macedonia who reached
their greatest extent under Alexander the Great and his two successors
before the kingdom broke up into several Hellenic sections. Following
Alexander's conquest of the Persian holdings in Anatolia and Syria
between 334-331 BC, the Greek empire ruled the region until Alexander's
death in 323 BC and the subsequent regency period which ended in
310 BC. Alexander's successors held no real power, being mere figureheads
for the generals who really held control of Alexander's empire.
Following that latter period and during the course of several wars,
Anatolia was divided between Cassander of Macedonia, the Lysimachian
empire, and the Antigonid empire.
Cilicia
had initially been conquered by Cyrus the Great in the sixth century
BC, following which it was formed into an official satrapy or province.
By the mid-fourth century BC, part of Cilicia (Khilakku) was known
officially as the minor satrapy of Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus
[Mountains]. Under Satrap Datames in the mid-fourth century it was
joined with his original satrapal seat of Cappadocia-beside-the-Pontus
(Katpatuka). The River Halys separated these two very minor provinces.
Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus bordered Cappadocia-beside-the-Pontus
along its northern border. Its eastern frontier was formed by the
Euphrates, as confirmed by Herodotus, with a western border which
was shared with Greater Phrygia and a southern border with Syria
which is only vaguely definable. Only in the south-west do references
to the Taurus Gates, and especially to the Cilician Gates, provide
more precise indications about the border with Cilicia 'proper'.
The
provincial capital of Cilicia 'beside-the-[Black]-sea' was at Tarsus.
Local dynasts with the title syennesis held power until the fourth
century, but then the Persian royal court began to install officers.
To the north and east, mounts Taurus and Amanus separated the province
from Greater Phrygia and Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus, as well as
from Syria. Several well-known passes may have marked the frontier,
including the Cilician Gates, the Amanus Gates, and the Syrian Gates.
In the west the province touched Pamphylia, which belonged to Greater
Phrygia; the boundary must have been situated somewhere between
Coracesium and Celenderis.
(Information
by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Edward Dawson,
from The Persian Empire, J M Cook (1983), from The Histories, Herodotus
(Penguin, 1996), from Alexander the Great, Krzysztof Nawotka (Cambridge
Scholars Publishing, 2009), and from External Links: Encyclopaedia
Iranica, and Lives of Eminent Commanders, Cornelius Nepos (1886
Edition), and The Government of Syria under Alexander the Great,
A B Bosworth (The Classical Quarterly Vol 24, No 1, May, 1974, pp
46-64, Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Classical Association
(available at JSTOR)), and Livius, and A Walk Through Ancient Miletus.)
334
- 323 BC :
Alexander
III the
Great : King of Macedonia. Conquered Persia.
323
- 317 BC :
Philip
III Arrhidaeus : Feeble-minded half-brother of Alexander
the Great.
317
- 310 BC :
Alexander
IV of Macedonia : Infant son of Alexander the Great and
Roxana.
333
- 332? BC :
Balacrus
: Greek satrap of Cilicia. Killed in battle in 332 BC.
332
- 331 BC :
Balacrus,
son of Nicanor, is killed fighting the herdsman inhabitants of
Isaura and Laranda, possibly in support of Antigonus of Phrygia
who is campaigning in Lycaonia. The date of his death is very
uncertain (after 332 BC, when he is know to regain Miletus from
a Persian reoccupation) and seemingly before the end of 331 BC),
but this approximate location seems suitable. This mountainous
region near Caria has long been at odds with the more placid farming
communities of the Colician plain, with the two groups even coming
to blows in the fourth century BC (and probably earlier). Even
now the Isaurians remain unbowed and undefeated.
![Map of Central Asia & Eastern Mediterranean 334-323 BC](Map_Bactria-&-India-334-324BC_full.jpg)
The
route of Alexander's ongoing campaigns are shown in this map,
with them leading him from Europe to Egypt, into Persia, and across
the vastness of eastern Iran as far as the Pamir mountain range
331
BC :
With a Samaritan insurgency dealt with, Syria seems to be securely
under Macedonian Greek control. From around this point onwards
it seems to revert to a single satrapal territory with only one
incumbent. The post is given to Menes at the end of 331 BC who
also commands a rather vast swathe of neighbouring territory.
331
- 323? BC :
Menes
: Greek
satrap of Athura, Cilicia, Phoenicia, & Syria.
329
BC :
The appointment
of Menes (probably the son of Dionysius who had been raised
to the circle of Alexander's 'Bodyguards' in 333 BC - a major
distinction which would mark him out as a commanding figure)
in such a satrapal role over so much territory has been called
into question by scholars. He has even been labelled as nothing
more than a communications officer despite scholars linking
him the the 'Bodyguards' role.
329
- 328? BC ? : Unnamed
deputy or stand-in?
Either
way, Menes is not in direct command of Syria in 329 BC, but may
be required in Cilicia as well as in Syria as a matter of urgent
expediency, what with the death of Balacrus and with Alexander's
crossing of the Euphrates being imminent. The fact that Menes
is also in Zariaspa in Bactria in 329 BC with his own levy of
troops makes it clear that his appointment is largely to retain
peaceful control without launching any unnecessary offensives
against remaining pockets of Persian resistance while raising
as many recruits as possible for Alexander's drive eastwards.
However, records regarding Syria now fall silent until the death
of Alexander, so Menes may well retain his position until then,
once he has returned from Bactria.
![Hindu Kush mountains](Afghan_HinduKush01_full.jpg)
In
his Hannibal Barca moment of brilliant tactical manoeuvre, Alexander
the Great confounded expectations by entering Bactria from the
southern side of the Hindu Kush mountain range
323
- 321 BC :
Philotas
: Greek
satrap of Cilicia. Removed to aid Perdiccas.
323
BC :
Following the death of Alexander the Great, Philotas is appointed
satrap of Cilicia. Then the First War of the Diadochi (the
successors - the generals of Alexander's army) sees civil war
break out between the generals. After having replaced Philotas
with Philoxenus in Cilicia, Perdiccas is murdered by his own generals
during an invasion of Egypt. Philip III agrees terms with the
murdering generals and appoints them as regents.
321
- ? BC :
Philoxenus
: Greek
satrap of Cilicia.
320
BC :
A new agreement with Antipater makes him regent of the Greek empire
instead and commander of the European section. Antigonus remains
in charge of Lycia and Pamphylia, to which is added Lycaonia,
Syria and Canaan, making him commander of the Asian section. Ptolemy
retains Egypt, Lysimachus retains Phrygia and Thrace, Philoxenus
retains Cilicia, while the three murderers of Perdiccas - Seleucus,
Peithon, and Antigenes - are given the former Persian provinces
of Babylonia, Media, and Susiana respectively. Arrhidaeus, the
former regent, receives Hellespontine Phrygia, while Tlepolemus
is again confirmed in Carmania. Eudamus regains control of the
Northern Indus. Unfortunately detailed information on Cilicia
ceases at this point, with no sign of how long Philoxenus retains
his office. However, numismatic (coin) evidence shows that coins
are being produced by Philoxenus in Cilicia from an unknown mint
between 321-318/317 BC.
301
BC :
During the Fourth War of the Diadochi, the diadochi
generals proclaim themselves king of their respective domains
following a similar proclamation by Antigonus the year before.
In 302 BC, Lysimachus had entered western Asia Minor, governed
as part of Greater Phrygia, and he soon gains (or regains) control
of much of it. Following the death of Antigonus at the Battle
of Ipsus in 301 BC, his territories are carved up by the other
diadochi.
![](Macedonia_Ipsus01_full.jpg)
The
Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC ended the drawn-out and destructive
Wars of the Diadochi which decided how Alexander's empire would
be divided
301 - 300 BC :
Pleistarchus
: Brother of Cassander of Macedonia. King of Cilicia
& Lycia.
301
BC :
As part of his Lysimachian empire, Lysimachus gains Ionia, Lydia,
Phrygia, and the southern Black Sea coast of Asia Minor. Cilicia
and Lycia are initially given to the brother of Cassander of Macedonia,
Pleistarchus, but he is forced out in the following year by the
Antigonid ruler, Demetrius I Poliorcetes. The region soon also
falls under the rule of the Lysimachian empire. Upon the death
in battle of Lysimachus in 281 BC, Cilicia seems to pass to Egypt,
but at some point before about 240 BC it is seized by the Seleucid
empire. They, however, rarely seem to hold much more than the
eastern regions.
Macedonian
Cilicia / Cappadocia-beside-the-Taurus :
Following the regency period of Greek rule between 323-310 BC over
its newfound empire, the course of several wars decided that Anatolia
would be divided between Cassander of Macedonia, the Lysimachian
empire, and the Antigonid empire. The conclusion of those wars in
301 BC saw Lysimachus gain Ionia, Lydia, Phrygia, and the southern
Black Sea coast of Asia Minor. Cilicia and Lycia were initially
given to Cassander's brother, Pleistarchus, but he was forced out
in 300 BC. Cilicia soon seemingly fell to the Lysimachian empire
until, upon the death in battle of Lysimachus in 281 BC, Egypt gained
mastery over it. At some point before about 240 BC it was then seized
by the Seleucid empire. They, however, rarely seem to hold much
more than the eastern regions.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information by Edward
Dawson, from The Persian Empire, J M Cook (1983), from The
Histories, Herodotus (Penguin, 1996), from Alexander the
Great, Krzysztof Nawotka (Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009),
and from External Links: Encyclopaedia Iranica, and Lives
of Eminent Commanders, Cornelius Nepos (1886 Edition), and The
Government of Syria under Alexander the Great, A B Bosworth
(The Classical Quarterly Vol 24, No 1, May, 1974, pp 46-64,
Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Classical Association
(available at JSTOR)), and Livius.)
190
- 188 BC :
Antiochus III of the Seleucid empire and Rome fight each other at
the Battle of Magnesia ad Sipylum in 190 BC. The Romans win a resounding
victory, ending the Seleucid War. Anatolia (Asia Minor) is
taken as a Roman province in 188 BC. The Seleucid ally, Cappadocia,
negotiates friendly terms with Rome, notably because Stratonice,
the king's daughter, is about to marry the king of Pergamon, a Roman
ally. Lydia is probably lost to Pergamon at the same time, while
Seleucid Lycia is awarded to Rhodes. Rome's enforced Treaty of Apamea
in 188 BC has denuded the Seleucid empire of all of its Anatolian
holdings bar Cilicia. It is reduced to Syria, Mesopotamia, and western
Iran.
134
- 129 BC :
Antiochus VII is the last Seleucid emperor of the east. After the
death of the Arsacid King Mithradates I in 132 BC, Antiochus launches
a campaign to recover lost Seleucid domains there. The campaign
is initially successful, recapturing Media and Babylonia in 130
BC. Antiochus demands that the Parthians restore all Seleucid territories
in Iran, so they defeat him in battle in 129 BC and he commits suicide
later that year. His death ends Seleucid rule in Mesopotamia and
Iran and limits them to Syria and Cilicia, plus Babylonia.
115
- 104 BC :
Antiochus IX, a son of Cleopatra Thea and her marriage to Antiochus
VII, attempts to seize the Seleucid throne. He revolts against his
half-brother, occupying southern Syria and then Antioch, while Antiochus
VIII retains Cilicia, although he is unable to prevent Cilician
pirates from becoming increasingly powerful. In 104 BC, a Roman
commander, Marcus Antonius, attacks the Cilician pirates while the
Seleucid civil war peters out.
96
BC :
In 96 BC (and not 92 BC as has previously been stated), Rome and
Parthia meet on the Euphrates. The Parthian ambassador, Orobazos,
offers Sulla, the propraetor of the province of Cilicia,
the 'friendship' and 'alliance' of his master. Though the exact
outcome of this meeting is unclear, the agreements with China and
Rome prove Parthia's rise as a world power.
95
- 94 BC :
Seleucus VI meets his uncle, Antiochus IX, in battle and defeats
him, but the Seleucid empire remains divided with neither side able
to deliver a knock-out blow. With Antiochus IX dead, his son, Antiochus
X, continues to hold the southern part of the empire. At last, this
time the civil war is ended when Seleucus VI is defeated (in 94/93
BC depending on precise dating), being burned to death in the gymnasium
of the city of Mopsus in Cilicia.
66
- 65 BC :
Even at this stage of their decline, the Seleucids cannot stop fighting
one another. In 67/66 BC, supported by the population of Antioch
and a local ruler from Cilicia, Philip II Philoromaeus expels his
relative, Antiochus XIII, from Antioch, but Antiochus is restored
in 66/65 BC.
39
BC :
Darius
: Son. Vassal king of Cilicia & Pontus to Mark Antony.
Died 37 BC.
39
BC :
Having made Darius a vassal king of Cilicia, Mark Antony moves him
to Pontus in 39 BC and hands Cilicia to one Polemon I Pythodoros
in thanks for services rendered to Rome by his father, Zenon. When
Arsaces of Pontus dies in 37 BC, Pontus is added to Polemon's domains.
39
- 8 BC :
Polemon
I Pythodoros : Roman vassal king of Cilicia, Kolkis, &
Pontus.
31
- 30 BC :
With Octavian's defeat of Mark Antony at Actium and no other opponents
to his hold on power, Egypt and Libya become provinces of Rome upon
the death of Cleopatra in the following year. Octavian also recognises
the authority of the turncoat Polemon I, confirming his governance
of Cilicia, Kolkis, and Pontus.
13
or 12 BC :
Polemon's marriage to Dynamis of the Bosporan kingdom is relatively
brief. In either 13 or 12 BC he replaces her with Pythodoria of
Pontus by whom he has two sons and a daughter. During this period
he is also able to expand the borders of the Bosporan kingdom to
the River Tanais (otherwise known as the Jaxartes/Iaxartes or Syr
Darya, which traditionally forms the boundary between Sogdiana and
Scythia). Upon the death of Polemon in 8 BC, Dynamis resumes command
of her kingdom while his second wife retains Pontus and its holdings.
8
BC - AD 17 :
Pythodoria
of Pontus : Wife. Queen of Cilicia, Kolkis, & Pontus.
AD
17 :
Archelaus of Cappadocia proves relatively popular with Rome but
is less liked by the Cappadocians. For angering the Emperor Tiberius
after favouring one of his rivals for the imperial diadem, Archelaus
is summoned to Rome where he dies, possibly of natural causes (or
suicide). Tributary Cappadocia now becomes a Roman province with
Pythodoria of Pontus having to return to her own lands, while Armenia
and Lesser Armenia are recombined and handed to the elder son of
Polemon I, Artaxias III, who rules there as a client king. Cilicia
is handed to Archelaus' own son to rule as another client king.
AD
17 - 38 :
Archelaus
II / Archelaus Minor : Son of Archelaus of Cappadocia.
38
:
The junior Archelaus dies childless after a largely unremarked and
unrecorded reign. Antiochus IV of Commagene is restored to his ancestral
dominion as a Roman client king and is given Cilicia Trachaea and
other Cilician territories. The region around Cilicia eventually
forms part of the wide swathe of lands under the control of the
Armenians and later the Lesser Armenians.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsMiddEast/AnatoliaCilicia.htm