Artaxias III 18-35 AD
Description
Lucius Antonius Zeno was the eldest son of Polemo I of Pontus and Queen Pythodoris, rulers of the Pontic-Bosporan realm. Brought up in the Hellenistic courts of Anatolia, he earned a reputation for philhellenism yet cultivated close ties with Armenian merchants and nobles during his youth, acquiring the language and court customs.
When the Armenian throne fell vacant in AD 18, an embassy of leading nakharars asked Emperor Tiberius to appoint Zeno. The imperial heir Germanicus escorted the prince to Artaxata and, acting in Tiberius’ name, crowned him king. Zeno assumed the dynastic name Artaxias III, consciously linking himself to the revered Artaxiad founders.
Artaxias III died peacefully in AD 35, closing a seventeen-year reign that both Rome and Armenia judged successful. His passing, however, reopened the perennial contest between Rome and Parthia for influence over the Armenian crown.
When the Armenian throne fell vacant in AD 18, an embassy of leading nakharars asked Emperor Tiberius to appoint Zeno. The imperial heir Germanicus escorted the prince to Artaxata and, acting in Tiberius’ name, crowned him king. Zeno assumed the dynastic name Artaxias III, consciously linking himself to the revered Artaxiad founders.
Artaxias III died peacefully in AD 35, closing a seventeen-year reign that both Rome and Armenia judged successful. His passing, however, reopened the perennial contest between Rome and Parthia for influence over the Armenian crown.
Collection Tree
- ANCIENT
- Armenia Major
- Artaxias III 18-35 AD
- Armenia Major