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| That they both died in the same year looks suspicious, and may have been a Seleucid plot to take control, however it seems Arsames I took control of Commagene, Sophene and Armenia after 260 AD, and even that makes him look suspect. | That they both died in the same year looks suspicious, and may have been a Seleucid plot to take control, however it seems Arsames I took control of Commagene, Sophene and Armenia after 260 AD, and even that makes him look suspect. | ||
| Commagene was outside the boundary of historic Armenia, yet the |
Commagene was outside the boundary of historic Armenia, yet the ] Satraps remained in occupation of many regions of Anatolia, such as ] and ]. It may have been that the son and heir to the ] would rule another region, just as the son or heir to the ] had always ruled an outlying region, such as ] or ]. | ||
| Viewing it from this perspective it would make sense, as his father Orontes III was of the ] family. | Viewing it from this perspective it would make sense, as his father Orontes III was of the ] family. | ||
| Sames founded the city of ], which has been submerged by the ] since 1989. | Sames founded the city of ], which has been submerged by the ] since 1989. | ||
| ] was a ] god, equivalent to ], it was a dramatic break from a seemingly continous tradition of Satraps with Persian names. | ] was a ] god, equivalent to ], it was a dramatic break from a seemingly continous tradition of Satraps with ] and Persian names. | ||
| The neighbouring region of ] maintained a strong ] culture that the Persian and Greek occupiers never replaced. | The neighbouring region of ] maintained a strong ] culture that the Persian and Greek occupiers never replaced. | ||
| Although Sames had a very Babylonian (Aramaic) name, his name might have been "Mihrdat" which many of his successors had, but replaced it with the Babylonian equivalent for cultural reasons on taking control of Commagene. | Although Sames had a very Babylonian (Aramaic) name, his name might have been "Mihrdat" which many of his successors had, but replaced it with the Babylonian equivalent for cultural reasons on taking control of Commagene. | ||
Revision as of 01:35, 4 April 2011
For other uses, see Sames (disambiguation). Satrap of Commagene| Sames I | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satrap of Commagene | |||||
| Reign | circa 260 BC | ||||
| Successor | Arsames I | ||||
| Burial | Commagene | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Orontid Dynasty | ||||
| Father | Orontes III | ||||
Sames (Armenian: Շամուշ, Greek: Σαμωσ) was Satrap of Commagene.
War between the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom seems to have allowed Sames an opportunity of independence. What side he took in the Syrian Wars is unknown as most of the records of that era have been lost, though it would make sense that he would have supported the Ptolemaic Kingdom against his large and powerful neighbour, the Seleucid Empire.
Most sources give Orontes III as his father. After Orontes III died in 260 BC, there is no record for when Sames began his rule, only his year of death, in 260 BC as well. This seems to be blundered, chronogically. It may be that Sames was meant to succeed Orontes IV, but died the same year. That they both died in the same year looks suspicious, and may have been a Seleucid plot to take control, however it seems Arsames I took control of Commagene, Sophene and Armenia after 260 AD, and even that makes him look suspect.
Commagene was outside the boundary of historic Armenia, yet the Armenian Satraps remained in occupation of many regions of Anatolia, such as Cappadocia and Pontus. It may have been that the son and heir to the Armenian kingdom would rule another region, just as the son or heir to the Achaemenid Empire had always ruled an outlying region, such as Bactria or Hyrkania. Viewing it from this perspective it would make sense, as his father Orontes III was of the Achaemenian family.
Sames founded the city of Samosata, which has been submerged by the Ataturk Dam since 1989.
Shamash was a Babylonian god, equivalent to Mithra, it was a dramatic break from a seemingly continous tradition of Satraps with Armenian and Persian names. The neighbouring region of Osroene maintained a strong Aramaic culture that the Persian and Greek occupiers never replaced. Although Sames had a very Babylonian (Aramaic) name, his name might have been "Mihrdat" which many of his successors had, but replaced it with the Babylonian equivalent for cultural reasons on taking control of Commagene.
He was succeeded by his son, Arsames I.
See also
References
- Wayne G. Sayles, "Ancient Coin Collecting VI: Non-Classical Cultures", Krause Publications, 1999, ISBN 0873417534, p.29
- The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times, 2 vols. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997
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