Ptolemaeus (
Greek: Πτολεμαῖος; 201 BC – 130 BC) was initially the satrap of
Commagene, later becoming its first king in 163 BC. He belonged to the
Orontid dynasty, founded by
Orontes I. Ptolemaeus' father was King
Orontes IV of Armenia, son of
Arsames I.
Ptolemaeus served as Satrap of Commagene until 163 BC. When the
Seleucid Empire began to disintegrate, Ptolemaeus asserted his sovereignty and made Commagene an
independent kingdom in 163 BC.[1] Ptolemaeus declared
Samosata, the capital of Commagene under the Seleucid rule, as the capital of his new kingdom.[1]
Ptolemaeus was a relative to King
Mithridates I of Parthia. Also, according to fragments of inscribed reliefs found at
Mount Nemrut, archaeologists have discovered that Ptolemaeus was a descendant of King
Darius I of Persia. Ptolemaeus died in 130 BC and his wife is unknown. His son and successor was
Sames II Theosebes Dikaios.
Kaizer, Ted, ed. (2022). A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East. John Wiley & Sons.
Erskine, Andrew; Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd; Wallace, Shane (2017). The Hellenistic Court: Monarchic Power and Elite Society from Alexander to Cleopatra. The Classical Press of Wales.
ISBN978-1910589625.