v59_0030 - KINGDOM OF COMMAGENE - ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES Unité

KINGDOM OF COMMAGENE - ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES

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Commagene, located in northern Syria and backed by the Euphrates, was a kingdom established in 162 BC. The region was annexed by Tiberius in 17. Twenty years later, Antiochus IV, friend of Caligula, had his kingdom restored. The monarch wasted no time in falling out with his protector and had to flee. Claude, in 41, restores it to its prerogatives. For the next thirty years, Antiochus was a staunch ally of Rome. He first gave his support to Nero, then rallied to Vespasian in 69, sending auxiliary troops to Titus during the siege of Jerusalem in 70. Two years later he was accused of conspiring with the Parthians and had to abdicate. He ended his days in Rome.