Emesene dynasty
Emesene dynasty آل شمسيغرام Āl Shamsīghirām Sampsigeramids | |
---|---|
client kingdom) | |
Founded | by 46 BC |
Founder | Sampsigeramus I |
Final ruler | likely Gaius Julius Alexion or, before him, Sohaemus of Emesa[1] |
Titles | thought to have been priest-kings |
Traditions | cult of Elagabalus[2] |
Deposition | as kings, likely between 72 and 78/79, at latest by 161[1] |
The Emesene (or Emesan) dynasty, also called the Sampsigeramids
Onomastics
Historical Arab states and dynasties |
---|
Most modern sources declare the family to be of
Some authors believe that Kings Sampsigeramus and
In Emesa, Aramaic and Greek were commonly spoken languages and, during the Roman Empire, Latin was probably commonly spoken in the city.[23]
Religion
Emesa was recorded by Herodian[a] to have been by the 3rd-century the centre of a worship of the ancient pagan god Elagabalus, the original name of which is posited to have been El-Gabal,[23] Elah Gabal[18] or Ilah Gabal (Modern Arabic "إله جبل"),[24] meaning "God of the Mountain".[23][18] In Emesa, the religious "lord", or Ba'al, was the cult of Elagabalus.[18][b] This cult is assumed to have existed already at the time when the dynasty was still ruling (it is believed, as priest-kings),[2] although there might have been originally two separate cults.[26] The deity Elagabalus successfully preserved Arab characteristics both in his names, and in his representations.[27]
History
Sampsiceramus I to Sampsiceramus II
Sampsiceramus I was an ally to the last Seleucid Greek Monarchs of Syria. By this time, the Seleucid Empire had become very weak and always appealed to the Roman Republic to help solve political or succession problems. Around 64 BC, the Roman General and Triumvir, Pompey had reorganised Syria and the surrounding countries into Roman provinces. Pompey had installed client kings in the region, who would become allies of Rome. Among these was Sampsiceramus I (whose name is also spelt Sampsigeramus). The Roman politician Marcus Tullius Cicero, nicknamed Pompey ‘Sampsiceramus’ to make fun of Pompey's pretensions as an eastern potentate.[29] At the request of Pompey, Sampsiceramus I captured and killed in 64 BC, the second last Seleucid King Antiochus XIII Asiaticus. After the death of Antiochus XIII, Sampsiceramus I was confirmed in power and his family was left to rule the surrounding region under Roman suzerainty.[29] Client rulers such as Sampsiceramus I could police routes and preserve the integrity of Rome without cost to Roman manpower or to the Roman treasury; they were probably paid for the privilege.[29]
Emesa was added to the domains of Sampsiceramus I, but the first Emesene capital was Arethusa, a city north of Emesa, along the Orontes River. The kingdom of Sampsiceramus I was the first of Rome's client kingdoms on the desert's fringes.[30] The kingdom's boundaries extended from the Beqaa Valley in the West to the border of Palmyra[23] in the East, from Yabrud in the South to Arethusa in the North and Heliopolis.[30] During his reign, Sampsiceramus I built a castle at Shmemis on top of an extinct volcano and rebuilt the city of Salamiyah which the Romans incorporated in the ruled territory. In time, Sampsiceramus I established and formed a powerful ruling dynasty and a leading kingdom in the Roman East. His Priest-King dynasty ruled from 64 BC until at least 254.
When Sampsiceramus I died in 48 BC, he was succeeded by son, Iamblichus I. In his reign, the prominence of Emesa grew after Iamblichus I established it as the new capital of the Emesene dynasty.[30] The economy of the Emesene Kingdom was based on agriculture. With fertile volcanic soil in the Orontes Valley and a great lake, as well as a dam across the Orontes south of Emesa, which provided ample water, Emesa's soil was ideal for cultivation.[23] Farms in Emesa provided wheat, vines and olives.[23] Emesa in antiquity was a very wealthy city. The city was a part of a trade route from the East, a route that went via Palmyra and passed through Emesa on its way to the coast.[23] An example on how wealthy Emesa was, ancient pieces of jewellery have been found at the necropolis of Tell Abu Sabun, suggests that the engineering work demanded to be constructed along the lake.[31] Apart from Antioch, a very important city for the Romans, this port city, prospered under its Roman vassal rulers.
Prior to succeeding his father, Iamblichus I was considered by Cicero in 51 BC (then Roman Governor of Cilicia), as a possible ally against Parthia.[29] Shortly after Iamblichus I became priest-king, he had become prudent and supported the Roman politician Julius Caesar in his Alexandrian war against Pompey. Iamblichus I sent troops to aid Caesar. Pompey was the patron for the family of Iamblichus I, who was later defeated and killed.[29] The Emesene dynasty had proven from the late Republic into the Imperial era that the dynasty were loyal to the Roman state.[32]
After the death of Julius Caesar, for a brief period Iamblichus I supported the Roman Governor of Syria who was one of Julius Caesar's assassins.
Later in 20 BC, Octavian, now as the
Sampsiceramus II is also known from other surviving inscriptional evidence. In one inscription dating from his reign, Sampsiceramus II with his wife Iotapa are known as a happy couple.[37] Posthumously Sampsiceramus II is honoured by his son, Sohaemus in an honorific Latin inscription dedicated to his son while he was a Patron of Heliopolis during his reign as King. In this inscription, Sampsiceramus II is honored as a Great King [Regis Magni].[38] Sampsiceramus II ruled as a Great King at least in local parlance.[38]
Azizus, Sohaemus and afterwards
After the death of Sampsiceramus II, his first son Azizus succeeded him. He reigned from 42 until 54. Little is known of the reign of Azizus, except for his childless marriage to the Herodian Princess Drusilla.[39] Azizus married Drusilla in 53,[40] on the condition that he was to be circumcised.[41] She was briefly married to Azizus and Drusilla ended their marriage. She divorced him because she fell in love with Marcus Antonius Felix, a Greek Freedman who was the Roman Governor of Judea, whom she later married.
When Azizus died in 54, he was succeeded by his brother Sohaemus who reigned from 54 until his death in 73. Under the rule of Sohaemus, Emesa's relations with the government of Rome grew closer. In 70, in the
Sohaemus died in 73 and was succeeded by his son, Gaius Julius Alexion. Despite the fact that the Emesene dynasty were loyal allies to Rome, for unknown reasons the Roman State reduced the autonomous rule of the Emesene dynasty. Sohaemus was apparently the last king of the Emesene Kingdom[42] and after his death in 78, the Kingdom most probably was absorbed by the Roman Province of Syria, but there is no explicit evidence of this occurring.[42]
Between 211 & 217, the Roman emperor Caracalla, made Emesa into a Roman Colony, as this was partly due to the Severan dynasty's relations with and connections to Emesa. Partly due to the influence and rule of the Emesene dynasty, Emesa had grown and became one of the most important cities in the Roman East. Despite the Emesenes being a warlike people;[46] they exported wheat, grapes and olives throughout the Roman world, and the city was part of the Eastern trade route which stretched from the mainland to the coast, which benefited the local and the Roman economy. The Emesenes sent men into the Roman legions and contributed their archers to the auxiliaries of the imperial army.[46] In modern Syria, Emesa has retained its local significance as it is the market centre for surrounding villages.
Archaeology
The royal family of Emesa is imperfectly known.[47] What is known about the Emesene dynasty and their kingdom is from surviving archaeological evidence, as the ancient Roman historical sources do not provide a lot of information about them. It is from surviving inscriptions that we know the names of the Emesene Priest-Kings; the Emesene Priests, their known relatives and the limited information about them.[23] As a capital of a Roman client kingdom, Emesa exhibits attributes of a Greek city-state and traces of Roman town planning.
Archaeological evidence remains from the Emesene dynasty in the city of Salamiyah which was rebuilt by Sampsiceramus I. Surviving monuments built by the Emesene dynasty includes the castle at Shmemis which is on top of an extinct volcano built by Sampsiceramus I and the Emesene dynastic tomb. Among those who are buried there is Alexander, Sohaemus and Julius Alexander.[48] The remains of the Tomb of Sampsigeramus were blown up with dynamite by the Ottoman authorities c. 1911, in order to make room for an oil depot.[49][50]
Coins have survived from the Emesene dynasty; the earliest known ones being issued for celebrating the cult of El-Gebal under the Roman emperor Antoninus Pius, 138-161.[25] They depict an eagle perched on a black stone and an elaborate monumental altar being shown. Two superimposed row of niches, between two pilasters stand on a massive base; with statues in each of the six niches. Above is a smaller altar, surmounted by the great stone itself, ornamented with mysterious markings.[25]
List of members
Priest-Kings
The known Emesene Priest-Kings were:
- Sampsiceramus I (Šamšigeram), reigned 64 BC–48 BC, son of Aziz (Aziz, c. 94 BC) and paternal grandson of Iamblichus (Yamliḵu, c. 151 BC)[28]
- Iamblichus I (son of Sampsiceramus I and brother of Alexander[51]), reigned 48 BC–31 BC[29]
- Alexander[39] (brother of Iamblichus I and another son of Sampsiceramus I[39]). Usurper to the Emesene throne in 31 BC and executed in the same year by Octavian[29]
- The Emesene kingdom dissolved from 30 BC to 20 BC and becomes an autonomous community under the supervision of the Roman governor of Syria[31]
- Iamblichus II (son of Iamblichus I[51]), reigned 20 BC–14[52]
- Gaius Julius Sampsiceramus II, also known as Sampsiceramus II (grandson of Iamblichus II[34]), reigned 14–42
- Gaius Julius Azizus or Asisus (son of Sampsiceramus II[39]), reigned 42–54
- Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus[38][53][54] (brother to Azizus and second son to Sampsiceramus II[39]), reigned 54–73
- Gaius Julius Alexion (son of Sohaemus[55]), reigned 73–78
Reign uncertain
- Gaius Julius Sampsigeramus (fl. 78/79)
Usurpers (kinship uncertain)
- Uranius Antoninus, usurper 210–235: "it seems that Uranius Antoninus styled himself as a new Sampsigeramid king of Emesa"[56]
- Uranius Antoninus, usurper 235–254: claimed that he was related to the Sampsigeramids"[57]
Other
- C. (Iulius?) Longinus Sohaemus ("son of Sampsigeramus"), fl. 110[58]
- Mamaea[39]
- Mamaea married the Roman Client King Polemon II of Pontus,[59] who through this marriage became Roman Client Queen of Pontus, Cilicia and Colchis.[60]
- Julia Urania Queen of Mauretania, who may have been a minor Emesene Princess and married Roman Client King Ptolemy of Mauretania[47]
- Drusilla, Mauretanian princess from North Africa, who was the daughter of Ptolemy of Mauretania and Julia Urania, married Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus,[47] son of Sampsiceramus II and Iotapa.[39] Drusilla and Sohaemus had a son called Gaius Julius Alexion
- Sohaemus of Armenia also known as Gaius Julius Sohaemus[53][61] King of Armenia from 144 until 161, then again in 163 to perhaps up to 186
- Julius Alexander,[48] an Emesene nobleman who could be the possible son of Sohaemus of Armenia[62] who died in c. 190 and is a contemporary of the Roman emperor Commodus[48]
- Julius Agrippa, an Emesene nobleman who served as a Primipilaris or a former leading centurion[63] son of a Julius and paternal uncle of the Emesene High Priest Gaius Julius Bassianus[64]
- The Emesene High Priest Gaius Julius Bassianus, son of a Julius and nephew of Julius Agrippa[64] and a possible descendant of Drusilla of Mauretania and Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus.[47] He married an unnamed woman by whom was the father of Julia Maesa and her younger sister, the Roman Empress Julia Domna
- Publius Septimius Geta
- Julius Avitus Alexianus by whom had two daughters: Julia Soaemias Bassiana and Julia Avita Mamaea
- Julia Soaemias Bassiana, wife of the Syrian Roman politician Sextus Varius Marcellus by whom she had one unnamed son and a second son, the Severan Roman emperor Elagabalus (born as Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus)
- Alexander Severus(born as Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus)
- Aemilius Papinianus (142–212) also known as Papinian, a celebrated Roman Jurist and Praetorian prefect who was a kinsman of Julia Domna[65]
Descendants
- Cleopatra VII
- Iamblichus, 2nd century novelist, claims his ancestry from the Emesene Priest Kings and was a contemporary of Sohaemus of Armenia[23]
- Iamblichus, 3rd century Neoplatonist, claimed to have been a descendant of the Emesene Priest Kings
- Uranius Antoninus, usurper in the 3rd century, may have been called Sampsiceramus, and have been an Emesene priest.
- Theodora of Emesa is a possible descendant of the Emesan dynasty. Patriarch of Constantinople, Scholar, and Christian Saint of the 9th century, Photios I, notes that around A.D. 500, the Syrian Pagan Philosopher Damascius dedicated a book to a Theodora, daughter of Diogenes, son of Eusebius, son of Flavianus and a descendant of King Sampsiceramus of Emesa[47]
- Heliodorus of Emesa claims to have been a descendant of the Royal family of Emesa[68]
Family tree
Iamblichus (151 BC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aziz (94 BC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ptolemaus | Sampsiceramus I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Iamblichus I | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sohaemus | Cleopatra VII | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sampsiceramus II | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julia Urania | Ptolemy of Mauretania | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Aziz | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sohaemus (65–75) | Drusilla | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gaius Julius Alexion | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julius Bassianus (d. 217) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Julia Domna | Julia Maesa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Caracalla | Geta | Julia Soaemias | Julia Avita Mamaea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alexander Severus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
See also
Notes
- ^ in History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus (5.4)
- ^ Herodian further describes the Temple of Emesa in the early third century (5.4): it was the renowned place of worship of Elagabalus in the form of a conical black stone. The priesthood of the cult of El-Gebal in Emesa was held by a family (that may be assumed to be descended from Sampsiceramus I or the later Priest-King Sohaemus, either by the Priest-King or another member of the dynasty[25]). Each year neighbourhood princes and rulers sent generous gifts honoring and celebrating Emesa's cult and its Temple of the Sun. The priest that served in the cult of El-Gebal wore a clad costume. The dress of an Emesene Priest was very similar to the dress of a Parthian Priest.[25] An Emesene priest wore a long-sleeved and gold-embroidered purple tunic reaching to his feet, gold and purple trousers and a jewelled diadem on his head.[25]
References
- ^ a b c Kropp 2010, p. 205.
- ^ a b Fisher 2020.
- ^ Edwell 2007, p. 198; Zahran 2001; Sartre 2005, p. 662; Sommer 2017.
- ^ Wellesley 1989, p. 123; Stoneman 1992, p. 101; Dudgeon & Lieu 2002.
- ^ Michael Ivanovitch Rostovtzeff (1926). The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire.
- ^ Journal of Roman Archaeology. Vol. 9. 1996. p. 524.
- ^ مجلة الحوليات الاثارية العربية السورية (in Arabic). 1996.
- ^ المرأة العربية (in Arabic). 2004.
- ^ بين التراب والتراث: منتخبات من بحوث تاريخية وأثرية (in Arabic). 2005.
- ISBN 9781416583059.
- ISBN 9780691195964.
- ^ ISBN 9780857720177.
- ISBN 9781473845824.
- ISBN 9781139827973.
- ^ Kropp 2010, p. 203.
- ^ Retso 2013, p. 322.
- ISBN 0884021157.
- ^ a b c d Ball 2000, p. 37.
- ^ Retso 2013, p. 409 "Later rulers are called 'kings of the Emesenians', although they carry good Arabic names like Azizus (Aziz) and Sohaemus (Suhaym)"
- ISBN 9780903625258.
- ^ Roman History by Cassius Dio, Book L 13.7, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/50*.html
- ^ Retso 2013, p. 409 "There is no doubt that there was a strong admixture of Arabic-speaking people in Emesa and its surroundings, although the ancient name of the city itself looks more aramaic: Hemsa."
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Birley 2002, p. 71.
- ^ The Journal of Juristic Papyrology, volume 23, page 116: "und mit palmyrenischer Inschrift "Gott Berg" steht die umstrittene Etymologie des Namens "Elagabal" (ilah gabal) fest"
- ^ a b c d e Birley 2002, pp. 71–72.
- ^ Ball 2000, p. 115, after Kropp (2013: 280−1).
- ISBN 9780521850735.
- ^ a b c Ball 2000, p. 35.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Levick 2007, p. 8.
- ^ a b c Ball 2000, pp. 34–35.
- ^ a b Levick 2007, p. 10.
- ^ a b Levick 2007, pp. 8–9.
- ^ Dusenbury 2021, p. 8.
- ^ a b Tomlins 1844, p. 713.
- ^ a b c Levick 2007, p. 9.
- ^ Josephus, AJ 19,338
- ^ Temporini, 2, Principat: 9, 2, Volume 8, p.214
- ^ a b c Temporini, 2, Principat: 9, 2, Volume 8, p.213
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Levick 2007, p. xx.
- ^ Smallwood 2001, p. 273.
- ^ Josephus, JA, xx.7.1
- ^ a b Birley 2002, p. 70.
- ^ Chad 1972, p. 92.
- ^ a b Sartre 2001
- ^ Kropp 2010, pp. 205–206.
- ^ a b Birley 2002, p. 72.
- ^ a b c d e f Ptolemaic Genealogy – Cleopatra Selene, Footnote 10
- ^ a b c Birley 2002, p. 223.
- ^ Kropp 2010, p. 204.
- ^ Seyrig 1952, p. 204
- ^ a b Levick 2007, pp. 8 & xx.
- ^ Levick 2007, p. 169.
- ^ a b Birley 2002, p. 224.
- ^ Philocaesar Philoromaios, means in Greek lover of Caesar, lover of Rome. His full name is known from a Latin honorific inscription on a statue of him dedicated to him in Heliopolis during his Kingship as he was patron of the city. In this inscription, he is honored as a Great King, a patron of the colony and reveals he was, granted honorary consular status
- ^ Settipani, Continuité gentilice et continuité familiale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l’époque impériale
- ^ Edwell 2007, p. 198.
- ^ Zahran 2001, p. 123.
- ISBN 9781900934022.
- ^ Birley 2002, p. 222.
- ^ On the Polemonid dynasty - see R.D. Sullivan, “Dynasts in Pontus”, ANRW 7.2 (1980), p.p. 925–930. For the intermarriages between the Polemonids and other dynasties of East Asia Minor, see R.D. Sullivan, “Papyri reflecting the Eastern Dynastic Network”, ANRW 2.8 (1977), p. 919
- Gaius Julius Alexio), son of Sohaemus(Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus)
- ^ Birley 2002, p. 217.
- ^ Levick 2007, p. 18.
- ^ a b Birley 2002, pp. 223–224.
- ISBN 1-59333-119-3.
- ^ Ptolemaic Affiliated Lines: Descendant Lines
- ^ Ptolemaic Points of Interest: Cleopatra VII & Ptolemy XIII
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). 1911. .
Sources
- ISBN 9780415113762.
- Birley, A. R. (2002). Septimius Severus: The African Emperor. Routledge.
- Chad, Carlos (1972). Les Dynastes d'Émèse (in French).
- Dudgeon, Michael H.; Lieu, Samuel N. C. (2002). The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars AD 226-363. Routledge. ISBN 9781134961146.
- Dusenbury, David Lloyd (2021). Nemesius of Emesa on Human Nature: A Cosmopolitan Anthropology from Roman Syria. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780192598981.
- Edwell, Peter (2007). Between Rome and Persia: The Middle Euphrates, Mesopotamia and Palmyra under Roman Control. Routledge. p. 198. ISBN 9781134095735.
- Fisher, Greg (2020). Rome, Persia, and Arabia: Shaping the Middle East from Pompey to Muhammad. Routledge. ISBN 9781000740905.
- Halsberghe, G. H. (1972). The Cult of Sol Invictus. Brill.
- Kropp, Andreas (2010). "Earrings, Nefesh and Opus Reticulatum: Self-Representation of the Royal House of Emesa in the First Century AD". In Kaizer, Ted; Facella, Margherita (eds.). Kingdoms and Principalities in the Roman Near East. Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart.
- Levick, B. (2007). Julia Domna, Syrian Empress. Taylor & Francis.
- Millar, Fergus. The Roman Near East.
- Morkot, R. (1996). The Penguin Historical Altas of Ancient Greece. Penguin Group.
- Retso, Jan (4 July 2013). The Arabs in Antiquity: Their History from the Assyrians to the Umayyads. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-87289-1.
- Roller, D. W. (1998). The Building Program of Herod the Great. University of California Press.
- ISBN 9782213640693.
- Sartre, Maurice (2005). The Middle East Under Rome. Belknap Press. p. 662. ISBN 9780674016835.
- Settipani, C. (2000). Continuité gentilice et continuité familiale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque imperial. Oxford.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Smallwood, E. Mary (2001). The Jews Under Roman Rule: From Pompey to Diocletian – a Study in Political Relations. BRILL. ISBN 9780391041554.
- Sommer, Michael (2017). Palmyra: A History. Routledge. ISBN 9781351347150.
- Stoneman, Richard (1992). Palmyra and Its Empire: Zenobia's Revolt Against Rome. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472103874.
- Sullivan, Richard D. (1978). "The Dynasty of Emesa". In Hildegard Temporini; Wolfgang Haase (eds.). Politische Geschichte (Provinzen und Randvölker: Syrien, Palästina, Arabien). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 198–219. ISBN 9783110866940.
- Tomlins, Frederick Guest (1844). A Universal History of the Nations of Antiquity. W. Milner.
- Wellesley, Kenneth (1989). The Long Year A.D. 69. Bristol Classical Press. ISBN 9781853990496.
- Zahran, Yasamin (2001). Philip the Arab: A Study in Prejudice. Stacey International. ISBN 9781900988285.
External links
- Royal Egyptian Genealogy: Ptolemaic Descendants
- Ptolemaic Genealogy – Cleopatra Selene
- Ptolemaic Points of Interest: Cleopatra VII & Ptolemy XIII
- Sampsiceramus article at Ancient Library
- Biblical Genealogy: From Alexander son of Herod to Bustanai
- New Advent Encyclopaedia – Emesa
- Articles, Books and Studies: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress – The Rise and Fall of Cleopatra II Selene, Seleukid Queen of Syria by Michael Burgess
- Articles, Books and Studies: Numismatic Evidence For A New Seleucid King: Seleucus (VII) Philometor by Brian Kritt