First record of Commagene in history is around 850 BC. Assyrian annals shows that Commagene people had to pay an annual tribute to Assyrians in gold, silver and the ever- needed cedar wood. At the time Commagene was a satellite state of the Assyrians. The Assyrian regional hegemony did not last long around 700 B.C. a Commagenian king revolted against the Assyrians but the revolt was put down by the Assyrian king, Sargon who gives a vivid description of this rebellious king : " He is a godless man, who does not fear the gods. He plots only bad things and is full of cunning' and he goes on to say ' I took his wife, his sons, his daughters, his possessions, his treasures, and finally took the population of his land and had them deported to the south of Mesopotamia, today's Iraq. Nobody escaped. The people of the south of Mesopotamia I transferred to Commagene.".
About a century later Assyrian superiority was tested by the Babylonians. They defeated Assyrians, the last confrontation was at Samosata, a place at the banks of the Euphrates river, later became the capital of Commagene kingdom. It was a regional power war involving Egyptians as well on the side of Assyrians. But the Babylonians managed to defeat the united armies. Being a small kingdom Commagene changed sides continually after the Babylonians came the Persians, around 550 B.C. and then came the Greek domination under Alexander the Great.
After Alexander's death the Commagene land came into possession of King Seleukos I Nicator, 300 B.C, who was the founder of Seleucides dynasty in Syria. Following defeats of Seleucids in battles against Lysimachus in western Anatolia Commagene became an independent kingdom around 130 B.C.
Commagene Kingdom was a melting pot of eastern and western cultures.Their kings especially King Mithridates did a great deal to smooth cultural differences. Each year he organized olympic games in honour of his ancestors. He was one of the participants, which made him popular amongst his people. In many contests he was victories and as a result he was given honourable name 'Kallinikos. This means literally 'He who triumphs beautifully'.
Mithridates married a Seleucid princess, named Laodice. They had three daughters and after having their fourth daughter, they fell in despair of ever having a son. This was very important, as without a son there was no heir to the throne, so the stability of the kingdom would be threatened. The joy and relief when Laodice bore a son was immense. He was given the name of the father of Laodice, Antiochus.
Mithridates was succeeded by his son Antiochus who was of mixed blood. On his mothers side, queen Laodice, he was from the lineage of Alexander the Great. While on his father's side, he descended from the Persian 'King of Kings', Darius I. At a young age a marriage was arranged for him with a Seleucid princess named Isias Philostorgos, 'the Beloved One'. This was more politically oriented than love for the protection of Commagene Kingom.
Mithridates abdicated the throne in favor of his son though he stayed by his side. Both father and son planned and built the sanctuary on top of Mount Nemrut. The sanctuary was to be the spiritual centre of the treaty with the gods. Antiochus had ideals. The sanctuary would promote the culmination of a new religion with Mount Nemrut as the centre from where his name and fame would radiate all over the world. After his coronation he soon called himself Theos (God), the originator of this new religion.
After the occupation of Pergamon Romans conquered Anatolian kingdoms one by one. At the same time Parthians were making advances from the east. They soon reached territories of Commagene and ready to confront Romans. In 70 BC. Romans inflicted a severe blow to their greatest opponents, the kingdom of Pontus. To complete their conquest, Romans made a swift advance to conquer the last independent kingdom, Commagene which was no match to their super power. Around 69 B.C. Samosata, the capital of Commagene, was besieged. Samosata resisted Roman forces but in the end a meeting was held between the Roman consul Lucullus and King Antiochus I. The Romans withdrew and left Commagene Kingdom as abuffer zone between themselves and powerful Parthians. However, Romans conquests did not stop in 64 B.C. they crushed Seleucid kingdom to the ground.
Antiochus died in these turmoil years. Antiochus was laid to rest in the sanctuary on the Nemrut probably next to the tomb of his father. The succession passed to Mithridates II who could not continue his independence and eventually he lost his kingdom to Romans and Commagene became a part of the province of Syria.
Under King Antiochus IV. Commagene became independent for the last time though only for a short while. Romans had no mercy they crushed Commagene forces in 71 A.D. After that the small Commagene army was disbanded and its dreaded archers and heavily armoured cavalry were absorbed into the Roman legions as the 'cohortes Comagenorum'.
