Ariarathes VIII of Cappadocia
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Ariarathes VIII Epiphanes (in Greek Aριαράθης Eπιφανής; reigned c. 101–c. 96 BC), king of Cappadocia, was a second son of Ariarathes VI, and ascended to the throne when the Cappadocian noblemen rebelled against Mithridates VI king of Pontus and his son, the puppet king Ariarathes IX. But he was speedily driven out of the kingdom by Mithridates, and shortly afterwards died a natural death. By the death of these two sons of Ariarathes VI, the royal family was extinct. Mithridates restored upon the throne his own son Ariarathes, who was only eight years old. Nicomedes sent an embassy to Rome to lay claim to the throne for a youth, who, he pretended, was a third son of Ariarathes VI and Laodice. Mithridates also, with equal shamelessness, says Justin, sent an embassy to Rome to assert that the youth, whom he had placed upon the throne, was a descendant of Ariarathes V, who fell in the war against Aristonicus. The senate, however, did not assign the kingdom to either, but granted liberty to the Cappadocians. But as the people wished for a king, the Romans allowed them to choose whom they pleased, and their choice fell upon Ariobarzanes.
| Preceded by: Ariarathes VII |
King of Cappadocia 101 BC – 96 BC |
Succeeded by: Ariarathes IX |
[edit] References
- Hazel, John; Who's Who in the Greek World, "Ariarathes VIII", (1999)
- Head, Barclay; Historia Numorum, "Cappadocia", (1911)
- Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Ariarathes VIII", Boston, (1867)
[edit] Notes
1 Justin, Epitome of Pompeius Trogus, xxxviii. 1-2; Strabo, Geography, xii.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology by William Smith (1867).
