Archelaus (Greek: Ἀρχέλαος, born before 8 BC-38) was a Cappadocian Prince[1] from Anatolia and was as a Roman Client King[2] of Cilicia Trachea and Eastern Lycaonia.[3] He is sometimes known as Archelaus Minor (Minor Latin for the younger) [1] and Archelaus II [4] to distinguished him from his father Archelaus of Cappadocia.
Archelaus was a Monarch of Greek, Armenian and Persian descent. He was fifth and final Archelaus to be named after the first Archelaus (his paternal great-great grandfather), who was a General of King Mithridates VI of Pontus.[5] He was the son and heir of the Roman Client King Archelaus of Cappadocia from his first marriage to an unnamed Princess from Armenia and his sister was the Cappadocian Princess Glaphyra.[5] There is a possibility that his parents may have been distantly related. His father is descended from Mithridates VI. His mother may have been a daughter of King Artavasdes II of Armenia (reigned 53 BC-34 BC) of the Artaxiad Dynasty. The father of Artavasdes II was Tigranes the Great [6], who married Cleopatra of Pontus a daughter of Mithridates VI from his first wife, his sister Laodice [7], thus Artavasdes II was a maternal grandson to Mithridates VI and Laodice. Archelaus was the maternal uncle of Glaphyra’s children: Tigranes, Alexander and her unnamed daughter.
Little is known on Archelaus’ life prior to becoming King. He was born and raised on the mainland and spent his later life at the harbor city of Elaiussa Sebaste. The Roman Emperor Augustus in 25 BC gave his father extra territories to govern and among them included Elaiussa Sebaste.[8] After 25 BC, Archelaus and his family settled there, where his father developed the city. His father built a royal residence, built a palace on the island in the harbor and he renamed the city in honor of Augustus.[9]
In 17 the father of Archelaus had died. Cappadocia had become a Roman province and Armenia Minor was given to Artaxias III to rule as Roman Client King. The Romans had given Archelaus to rule as Roman Client King other former territories of his father’s which were Cilicia Trachea including the maritime possessions of that region [10], Derbe, Laranda and all the surrounding region to Eastern Lycaonia.[3] Archelaus was also given a small region in Cilicia called Cetis to rule which he had possessed.[11]
Historical sources mention little on the life of Archelaus and his reign as King. What is mainly known about Archelaus is from surviving inscriptions from his dominion. In 36, a Cappadocian tribe called the Cietae, who were subjects to Archelaus resisted against the monarch because of compulsion to supply property returns and taxes in Roman fashion.[1] The tribe withdrew to the heights of the Taurus Mountains aided by the local natural environment, where they held out against Archelaus’ unwarlike troops. For Archelaus to end the rebellion, Imperial Governor of Syria Lucius Vitellius the Elder, commanded by Marcus Trebellius sent four thousand legionaries from the army of Syria, along with auxiliary troops were dispatched against the tribe.[12] When the Roman legionaries arrived to the Taurus Mountains, they constructed earthworks round two hills held by the captives one called Cadra and other called Davara. After the Romans, starting killing some who attempted to break out, Trebellius forced the rest of the tribe to surrender.[1]
In 38, Archelaus had died leaving no heir to his throne. Later the year, the monarch Antiochus IV of Commagene was restored to his ancestral dominion as Roman Client King. Roman Emperor Caligula also gave Archelaus’ ruling territories to Antiochus IV to rule as a part of his dominion.[11] When Antiochus IV and his sister-wife Iotapa, became Roman Client Monarchs over their dominions, Iotapa bore Antiochus IV their first child, a son. As a posthumous honor to Archelaus; as a mark of respect to the former King and their distant relative, Iotapa and Antiochus IV named their son: Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes.