The Origins of the Ariobarzanid Dynasty

Abstract

The Ariobarzanid kings of Cappadocia belonged to a cadet branch of the Mithridatids of Pontus and the Ariarathids of Cappadocia, who merged their bloodlines in an undetermined moment previous to the reign of Ariarathes V. Therefore, these families descended from the ancient satraps of Dascylium, and in particular from a branch of this family installed in Cius which gave rise to the Pontic dynasty. This kinship explains some passages of Appian difficult to interpret. Henceforth, when the Romans settled Ariobarzanes I on the throne, they were supporting a family which was already well known to the Republic. Thus, the Ariobarzanids represented a continuity in the royal house of Cappadocia until it became extinct by the deposition of Ariarathes X. Arcobarzanes, grandson of the Numidian king Syphax, would have also been a member of this Pontic-Cappadocian lineage.