ARMENIAN HERITAGE SITES IN TURKEY AND IRAN

MOUNTNEMROUT–TOMBOF
ANTIOCHUSITHEOSOFCOMMAGENE
Nemrut or Nemrud (Turkish: Nemrut Dağı;
Kurdish: Çiyayê Nemrûdê‎; Armenian: Նեմրութ
լեռ) is a 2,134 m-high mountain in southeastern
Turkey, notable for the summit where a number of
large statues are erected around what is assumed to
bearoyaltombfromthe1 st c.BC.
Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes
Philorhomaios Philhellen (Ancient Greek: Ἀντίοχος
ὁ Θεὸς Δίκαιος Ἐπιφανὴς Φιλορωμαῖος Φιλέλλην,
meaning"Antiochos,thejust,eminentgod,friendof
Romans and friend of Greeks", c. 86 BC – 31 BC,
ruled70BC–31BC)wasKingoftheGreco-Iranian
KingdomofCommageneandthemostfamousking
of that kingdom. In 1987, Mount Nemrut was
declaredaWorldHeritageSitebyUNESCO .
When the Seleucid Empire was defeated by the
Romansin190BCattheBattleofMagnesiaitbegan
to fall apart and new kingdoms were established on
itsterritorybylocalauthorities.Commagene,oneof
the Seleucid successor states, occupied a land
between the Taurus mountains and the Euphrates.
ThestateofCommagenehadawiderangeof
cultureswhichleftitsleaderfrom62BC–38BC
Antiochus I Theos to carry on a peculiar dynastic
religious program, which included not only Greek
and Iranian deities but Antiochus and his family as
well. This religious program was very possibly an
attempt by Antiochus to unify his multiethnic
kingdom and secure his dynasty's authority.
Antiochussupportedthecultasapropagatorof
happinessandsalvation.
ORONTIDSOFCOMMAGENE
In Nemrut Dagi, opposite the statues of Gods there
arealongrowofpedestals,onwhichstoodthesteles
oftheGreekancestorsofAntiochos.Atarightangle
tothisrowstoodanotherrowofsteles,depictinghis
Orontid and Achaemenid ancestors. From these
steles the ones of Darius and Xerxes are well
preserved.Antiochosexpendedgreatefforttoensure
that everyone was aware that he was related to the
dynasty of the King of Kings, Darius I, by the
marriage of princess Rhodogune to his ancestor
Orontes. The father of Rhodogune was the Persian
king, Artaxerxes. In 401 BC Artaxerxes defeated his
youngerbrother,whotriedtodeposehim.Becauseof
the help Artaxerxes received from Orontes—his
military commander and satrap of Armenia—he
gavehisdaughterinmarriagetohim.
The Orontid dynasty, also known by their native
nameEruandidorYervanduni(Armenian: Երվանդ
ունի), was a hereditary Armeniandynasty and the
rulersofthesuccessorstatetotheIronAgekingdom
of Urartu (Ararat). The Orontids established their
supremacy over Armenia around the time of
the Scythian and Median invasion in the 6 th century
BC.MembersoftheOrontiddynastyruledArmenia
intermittently during the period spanning the 6 th
centuryBCtoatleastthe2 nd century BC, first as
client kings or satraps of
the Median and Achaemenid empires who
established an independent kingdom after the
collapseoftheAchaemenidempire,andlateraskings
of Sophene and Commagene who eventually
succumbedtotheRomanEmpire.