Просмотр кода страницы Английская Википедия:Emesene dynasty

{{Английская Википедия/Панель перехода}}
{{short description|Roman client kingdom based in the Levant}} 
{{Infobox family
|name                 = Emesene dynasty
|native_name          = {{lang|ar|آل شمسيغرام}}<br>{{transl|ar|ALA|Āl Shamsīghirām}}
|other_name           = Sampsigeramids
|image                = KingdomOfEmesa.png
|image_caption        = The Kingdom of Emesa at its greatest extent
|country              = [[Kingdom of Emesa]] (Roman [[client kingdom]])
|founded              = by 46 BC
|founder              = Sampsigeramus I
|deposition           = as kings, likely between 72 and 78/79, at latest by 161{{sfn|Kropp|2010|p=205}}
|final_ruler          = likely [[Gaius Julius Alexion]] or, before him, [[Sohaemus of Emesa]]{{sfn|Kropp|2010|p=205}}
|titles               = thought to have been priest-kings
|traditions           = cult of [[Elagabalus (deity)|Elagabalus]]{{sfn|Fisher|2020}}
}}
The '''Emesene''' (or '''Emesan''') '''dynasty''', also called the '''Sampsigeramids'''{{sfnm|1a1=Edwell|1y=2007|1p=198|2a1=Zahran|2y=2001|3a1=Sartre|3y=2005|3p=662|4a1=Sommer|4y=2017}} or the '''Sampsigerami'''{{sfnm|1a1=Wellesley|1y=1989|1p=123|2a1=Stoneman|2y=1992|2p=101|3a1=Dudgeon|3a2=Lieu|3y=2002}} or the '''House of Sampsigeramus'''<ref>{{cite book|title=The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire|author=Michael Ivanovitch Rostovtzeff|year=1926}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Journal of Roman Archaeology|volume=9|page=524|year=1996}}</ref> ({{lang-ar|آل شمسيغرام|translit=ʾĀl Šamsīġirām}}),<ref>{{cite book|title=مجلة الحوليات الاثارية العربية السورية|year=1996|language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=المرأة العربية|year=2004|language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=بين التراب والتراث: منتخبات من بحوث تاريخية وأثرية|year=2005|language=ar}}</ref> were a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] client dynasty of Syrian priest-kings known to have ruled by 46 BC from [[al-Rastan|Arethusa]] and later from [[Emesa]], [[Roman Syria|Syria]], until between 72 and 78/79, or at the latest the reign of Emperor [[Antoninus Pius]] (138–161). [[Iamblichus]], the famous [[Neoplatonist]] [[philosopher]] of the third century, was one of their descendants, as was empress [[Julia Domna]], matriarch of the [[Severan Dynasty|Severan dynasty]].

==Onomastics==
{{History of the Arab States}}
Most modern sources declare the family to be of [[Arab]] origin.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bowman|first1=Alan|last2=Garnsey|first2=Peter|last3=Cameron|first3=Averil|title=The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume 12, The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337|date=2005|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521301992|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MNSyT_PuYVMC&q=Emesa+dynasty+arab+city&pg=PA502|language=en}}; {{cite book|last1=Hornblower|first1=Simon|last2=Spawforth|first2=Antony|last3=Eidinow|first3=Esther|title=The Oxford Classical Dictionary|date=2012|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=9780199545568|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVWcAQAAQBAJ&q=%22arab+kingdom%22+emesa&pg=PA754|language=en}}; {{harvnb|Ball|2000}}; {{cite book|last1=Burns|first1=Jasper|title=Great Women of Imperial Rome: Mothers and Wives of the Caesars|date=2006|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134131853|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hL99AgAAQBAJ&q=Emesa+arab+tribe&pg=PA181|language=en}}; {{cite book|last1=Prado|first1=Leonardo de Arrizabalaga y|title=Varian Studies Volume One: Varius|date=2017|publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing|isbn=9781443893855|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zHbXDgAAQBAJ&q=emesa+arab&pg=PA191|language=en}}; {{harvnb|Birley|2002}}; {{cite book |last=Shahid |first=Irfan |date=1984 |title=Rome and The Arabs: A Prolegomenon to the Study of Byzantium and the Arabs |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks |page=37 |isbn=0884021157 }}; {{cite book|last1=Freisenbruch|first1=Annelise|title=Caesars' Wives: Sex, Power, and Politics in the Roman Empire|date=2011|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9781416583059|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VUR_3B97ctQC&q=%22arab+kingdom%22+emesa&pg=PA182|language=en}}</ref> Roman sources such as [[Herodian]] describe the family as [[Phoenicia|Phoenician]] by [[genos]] or stock.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Quinn |first=Josephine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEKdDwAAQBAJ&dq=Emesa+In+Search+of+the+Phoenicians&pg=PA148 |title=In Search of the Phoenicians |date=10 December 2019 |pages=148|publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691195964 }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Icks |first=Martijn |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_g-MDwAAQBAJ&dq=Emesa+phoenician&pg=PA46 |title=The Crimes of Elagabalus: The Life and Legacy of Rome's Decadent Boy Emperor |date=30 August 2011 |pages=46|publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=9780857720177 }}</ref> Some members of the family such as [[Julius Bassianus]], father of [[Julia Domna]], are described in Roman sources as "a priest of the Sun, whom the Phoenicians, from whom he sprang, call Elagabalus".<ref>{{Cite book |last=McHugh |first=John S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JyIzDwAAQBAJ&dq=Julius+Bassianus+phoenician&pg=PT45 |title=Emperor Alexander Severus: Rome's Age of Insurrection, AD 222–235|date=30 June 2017 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=9781473845824 }}</ref> Writer [[Heliodorus of Emesa]], a descendant of the family, identified himself as "a Phoenician, from the race of the Sun".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Whitmarsh |first=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wLDOxj9lURYC&q=phoenician&pg=PA10 |title=The Cambridge Companion to the Greek and Roman Novel |date=15 May 2008 |pages=10|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781139827973 }}</ref> Since Emesa was never part of historical [[Phoenicia]], modern historians consider the use of "Phoenician" in these sources a pseudo-ethnic label; one that arose from the political creation of [[Phoenice (Roman province)|Syria Phoenice]] by [[Septimius Severus]] in 194.<ref name=":0" />

Some authors believe that Kings Sampsigeramus and [[Iamblichus (phylarch)|Iamblichus]] had [[Aramaic]] names,{{sfn|Kropp|2010|p=203}} while other historians state their names are Arabic.{{sfn|Retso|2013|p=322}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Shahid |first=Irfan |date=1984 |title=Rome and The Arabs: A Prolegomenon to the Study of Byzantium and the Arabs |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks |page=xxii |isbn=0884021157 }}</ref> The name Samsigeramus is derived from ''Shams'', meaning sun; while ''geram'' is related to the Arabic root ''k-r-m'', meaning "to venerate".{{sfn|Ball|2000|p=37}} Other kings, such as [[Aziz]]us and [[Sohaemus of Emesa|Sohaemus]], had clearly [[Arabic]] names.<ref>{{harvnb|Retso|2013|p=409}} "Later rulers are called 'kings of the Emesenians', although they carry good Arabic names like Azizus (Aziz) and Sohaemus (Suhaym)"</ref> [[Iamblichus (phylarch)|Iamblichus]] was referred to as "[[Phylarch]] of the [[Arabs]]" by [[Cicero]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cicero|first1=Marcus Tullius|title=Cicero's Cilician Letters|date=1996|publisher=LACTORs|isbn=9780903625258|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a1FoAAAAMAAJ&q=Iamblichus+|language=en}}</ref> and "King of an Arabian tribe" by Cassius Dio.<ref>Roman History by Cassius Dio, Book L 13.7, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Cassius_Dio/50*.html</ref> It is said that [[Emesa]] and its surrounding had a strong presence of Arabic-speaking people at the time, although the ancient name of the city appears to be Aramaic.<ref>{{harvnb|Retso|2013|p=409}} "There is no doubt that there was a strong admixture of Arabic-speaking people in Emesa and its surroundings, although the ancient name of the city itself looks more aramaic: Hemsa."</ref>

In Emesa, Aramaic and [[Greek language|Greek]] were commonly spoken languages and, during the Roman Empire, [[Latin]] was probably commonly spoken in the city.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}}

==Religion==
[[File:Elagabalus Aureus Sol Invictus.png|thumb|right|263x263px|3rd-century Roman [[aureus]] depicting Elagabalus. The reverse reads ''Sanct Deo Soli Elagabal'' (''To the Holy Sun God Elagabal''), and depicts a [[quadriga|four-horse]], gold chariot carrying the holy stone of the Emesa temple.]]
Emesa was recorded by [[Herodian]]{{efn|in History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus (5.4)|group=notes}} to have been by the 3rd-century the centre of a worship of the ancient pagan god [[Elagabalus (deity)|Elagabalus]], the original name of which is posited to have been ''El-Gabal'',{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} ''Elah Gabal''{{sfn|Ball|2000|p=37}} or ''Ilah Gabal'' (Modern Arabic "إله جبل"),<ref>''The Journal of Juristic Papyrology'', volume 23, page 116: "und mit palmyrenischer Inschrift "Gott Berg" steht die umstrittene Etymologie des Namens "Elagabal" (ilah gabal) fest"</ref> meaning "God of the Mountain".{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}}{{sfn|Ball|2000|p=37}} In Emesa, the religious "lord", or [[Baal|Ba'al]], was the cult of Elagabalus.{{sfn|Ball|2000|p=37}}{{efn|Herodian further describes the Temple of Emesa in the early third century (5.4): it was the renowned place of worship of Elagabalus in the form of a conical black stone. The priesthood of the cult of El-Gebal in Emesa was held by a family (that may be assumed to be descended from Sampsiceramus I or the later Priest-King Sohaemus, either by the Priest-King or another member of the dynasty{{sfn|Birley|2002|pp=71–72}}). Each year neighbourhood princes and rulers sent generous gifts honoring and celebrating Emesa's cult and its ''Temple of the Sun''. The priest that served in the cult of El-Gebal wore a clad costume. The dress of an Emesene Priest was very similar to the dress of [[Parthian Empire|a Parthian Priest]].{{sfn|Birley|2002|pp=71–72}} An Emesene priest wore a long-sleeved and gold-embroidered purple tunic reaching to his feet, gold and purple trousers and a jewelled diadem on his head.{{sfn|Birley|2002|pp=71–72}}}} This cult is assumed to have existed already at the time when the dynasty was still ruling (it is believed, as priest-kings),{{sfn|Fisher|2020}} although there might have been originally two separate cults.<ref>{{harvnb|Ball|2000|p=115}}, after Kropp (2013: 280−1).</ref> The deity Elagabalus successfully preserved Arab characteristics both in his names, and in his representations.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Cambridge Ancient History: Volume 12, The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1970|isbn=9780521850735|pages=502}}</ref>

==History==
===Sampsiceramus I to Sampsiceramus II===
[[Sampsiceramus I]] ({{lang-arc|𐡔𐡌𐡔𐡂𐡓𐡌|Šamšigeram}}) was the founding Priest-King of the Emesene dynasty who lived in the 1st century BC and was a tribal chieftain or [[Phylarch]]. The ancestors of Sampsiceramus I were [[Arab]]s{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} who had travelled the Syrian terrain, before deciding to settle in the Orontes Valley{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} and South of the [[Apamea (Syria)|Apamea region]]. Sampsiceramus I, his family and his ancestors in Syria had lived under the Greek rule of the [[Seleucid Empire]]. Sampsiceramus I was a son of Aziz (Azizus, c. 94&nbsp;BC); paternal grandson of Iamblichus (c. 151&nbsp;BC) and there was a possibility he may have had a brother called Ptolemaeus (c. 41&nbsp;BC) who may have had descendants through his son.{{sfn|Ball|2000|p=35}} Through the rule and influence of the Seleucid dynasty and Greek settlement in the Seleucid Empire, the area was assimilated into the Greek language and culture of the [[Hellenistic period]].{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} Hence, Sampsiceramus I and his ancestors became Hellenized through the Greek rule of Syria and the surrounding territories.

Sampsiceramus I was an ally to the last Seleucid Greek Monarchs of Syria. By this time, the [[Seleucid Empire]] had become very weak and always appealed to the [[Roman Republic]] to help solve political or succession problems. Around 64&nbsp;BC, the Roman General and Triumvir, [[Pompey]] had reorganised Syria and the surrounding countries into [[Roman province]]s. Pompey had installed client kings in the region, who would become allies of Rome. Among these was Sampsiceramus I (whose name is also spelt ''Sampsigeramus''). The Roman politician Marcus Tullius [[Cicero]], nicknamed Pompey ‘Sampsiceramus’ to make fun of Pompey's pretensions as an eastern [[wikt:potentate|potentate]].{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}} At the request of Pompey, Sampsiceramus I captured and killed in 64&nbsp;BC, the second last Seleucid King [[Antiochus XIII Asiaticus]]. After the death of Antiochus XIII, Sampsiceramus I was confirmed in power and his family was left to rule the surrounding region under Roman suzerainty.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}} Client rulers such as Sampsiceramus I could police routes and preserve the integrity of Rome without cost to Roman manpower or to the Roman treasury; they were probably paid for the privilege.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}}

[[File:Ash_Shmemis_castle.jpg|thumb|260x260px|Ash Shmemis castle, built by Sampsiceramus I]]
Emesa was added to the domains of Sampsiceramus I, but the first Emesene capital was [[Arethusa (see)|Arethusa]], a city north of Emesa, along the [[Orontes River]]. The kingdom of Sampsiceramus I was the first of Rome's client kingdoms on the desert's fringes.{{sfn|Ball|2000|pp=34–35}} The kingdom's boundaries extended from the [[Beqaa Valley]] in the West to the border of [[Palmyra]]{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} in the East, from [[Yabroud|Yabrud]] in the South to Arethusa in the North and [[Baalbek|Heliopolis]].{{sfn|Ball|2000|pp=34–35}} During his reign, Sampsiceramus I built a castle at [[Shmemis]] on top of an extinct volcano and rebuilt the city of [[Salamiyah]] which the Romans incorporated in the ruled territory. In time, Sampsiceramus I established and formed a powerful ruling dynasty and a leading kingdom in the [[Roman Syria|Roman East]]. His Priest-King dynasty ruled from 64&nbsp;BC until at least 254.

[[File:Bronze-Uranius Antoninus-Elagabal stone-SGI 4414.jpg|thumb|right|The Emesa temple to the sun god El-Gabal, with the [[black stone|holy stone]], on the reverse of this 3rd-century AD bronze coin by Roman usurper [[Uranius|Uranius Antoninus]]|261x261px]]
When Sampsiceramus I died in 48&nbsp;BC, he was succeeded by son, [[Iamblichus (phylarch)|Iamblichus I]]. In his reign, the prominence of Emesa grew after Iamblichus I established it as the new capital of the Emesene dynasty.{{sfn|Ball|2000|pp=34–35}} The economy of the Emesene Kingdom was based on agriculture. With fertile volcanic soil in the Orontes Valley and a great lake, as well as a dam across the Orontes south of Emesa, which provided ample water, Emesa's soil was ideal for cultivation.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} Farms in Emesa provided wheat, vines and olives.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} Emesa in antiquity was a very wealthy city. The city was a part of a trade route from the East, a route that went via Palmyra and passed through Emesa on its way to the coast.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} An example on how wealthy Emesa was, ancient pieces of jewellery have been found at the necropolis of Tell Abu Sabun, suggests that the engineering work demanded to be constructed along the lake.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=10}} Apart from [[Antioch]], a very important city for the Romans, this port city, prospered under its Roman vassal rulers.

Prior to succeeding his father, Iamblichus I was considered by Cicero in 51&nbsp;BC (then Roman Governor of [[Cilicia]]), as a possible ally against Parthia.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}} Shortly after Iamblichus I became priest-king, he had become prudent and supported the Roman politician [[Julius Caesar]] in his [[Alexandria]]n war against Pompey. Iamblichus I sent troops to aid Caesar. Pompey was the patron for the family of Iamblichus I, who was later defeated and killed.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}} The Emesene dynasty had proven from the late Republic into the Imperial era that the dynasty were loyal to the Roman state.{{sfn|Levick|2007|pp=8–9}}

After the death of Julius Caesar, for a brief period Iamblichus I supported the Roman Governor of Syria who was one of Julius Caesar's assassins.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}} In the period of the [[Roman civil wars]], Iamblichus I supported the Roman Triumvir [[Augustus|Octavian]]. Iamblichus I became suspect to Roman Triumvir [[Mark Antony]]. Antony encouraged Iamblichus I's brother [[Alexander (brother of Iamblichus I)|Alexander]], to usurp his brother's throne and had Iamblichus I executed. Octavian, after defeating Antony and reorganising the Eastern Roman provinces, had Alexander executed for treason in 31&nbsp;BC.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}} From 30&nbsp;BC until 20&nbsp;BC, the Emesene Kingdom was dissolved and became an autonomous community free of dynastic rule though under the supervision of the Roman governor of Syria.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}}

Later in 20&nbsp;BC, Octavian, now as the [[Roman emperor]] [[Augustus]], restored the Emesene Kingdom to [[Iamblichus II]], the son of Iamblichus I.{{sfn|Levick|2007|pp=8–9}} Iamblichus II was the first in his family to receive the [[Roman citizenship]] from Augustus,{{sfn|Ball|2000|p=35}} as the Emesene dynasty took the [[Roman naming conventions|Roman gentilicium]] [[Julia (gens)|Julius]] to be added to their Aramaic, Arabic, Greek and later Latin names in tomb inscriptions in the 1st century AD.{{sfn|Dusenbury|2021|p=8}} Iamblichus II ruled as a Priest-King from 20&nbsp;BC to 14. Iamblichus II's reign was stable and from it emerged a new era of peace, known as the [[Golden Age]] of Emesa. Iamblichus II died in 14 and his grandson [[Sampsiceramus II]] succeeded him as priest-king.{{sfn|Tomlins|1844|p=713}} Sampsiceramus II ruled from 14 until his death in 42. According to a surviving inscription at the [[Temple of Bel]] in [[Palmyra]], dating from the years 18/19 he may have acted as an intermediary between Palmyra and Rome.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=9}} In the inscription he is mentioned alongside the Roman general [[Germanicus]], the adoptive son and nephew of the Roman emperor [[Tiberius]]. Emesa was closely linked for its prosperity with its neighbour Palmyra.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=9}} Before he died, Sampsiceramus II was convened by the [[Herodian dynasty|Herodian King]] [[Agrippa I]] at [[Tiberias]].<ref>[[Josephus]], AJ 19,338</ref>

Sampsiceramus II is also known from other surviving inscriptional evidence. In one inscription dating from his reign, Sampsiceramus II with his wife [[Iotapa (spouse of Sampsiceramus II)|Iotapa]] are known as a ''happy couple''.<ref>Temporini, ''2, Principat: 9, 2, Volume 8'', p.214</ref> Posthumously Sampsiceramus II is honoured by his son, [[Sohaemus of Emesa|Sohaemus]] in an honorific [[Latin]] inscription dedicated to his son while he was a Patron of Heliopolis during his reign as King. In this inscription, Sampsiceramus II is honored as a ''Great King'' [Regis Magni].<ref name="Temporini, p.213">Temporini, ''2, Principat: 9, 2, Volume 8'', p.213</ref> Sampsiceramus II ruled as a Great King at least in local parlance.<ref name="Temporini, p.213"/>

===Azizus, Sohaemus and afterwards===
After the death of Sampsiceramus II, his first son [[Gaius Julius Azizus|Azizus]] succeeded him. He reigned from 42 until 54. Little is known of the reign of Azizus, except for his childless marriage to the Herodian Princess [[Drusilla (daughter of Herod Agrippa)|Drusilla]].{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}} Azizus married Drusilla in 53,{{sfn|Smallwood|2001|p=273}} on the condition that he was to be circumcised.<ref>Josephus, JA, xx.7.1</ref> She was briefly married to Azizus and Drusilla ended their marriage. She divorced him because she fell in love with Marcus [[Antonius Felix]], a [[Greeks|Greek]] [[Freedman]] who was the [[Judaea (Roman province)|Roman Governor of Judea]], whom she later married.

When Azizus died in 54, he was succeeded by his brother Sohaemus who reigned from 54 until his death in 73. Under the rule of Sohaemus, Emesa's relations with the government of Rome grew closer. In 70, in the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70)|Roman Siege of Jerusalem]], Sohaemus sent Emesene archers to assist the Roman army. He also assisted the Roman emperor [[Vespasian]], in 72, in annexing the Client State of the [[Kingdom of Commagene]].{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=9}}

Sohaemus died in 73 and was succeeded by his son, [[Gaius Julius Alexion]]. Despite the fact that the Emesene dynasty were loyal allies to Rome, for unknown reasons the Roman State reduced the autonomous rule of the Emesene dynasty. Sohaemus was apparently the last king of the Emesene Kingdom{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=70}} and after his death in 78, the Kingdom most probably was absorbed by the Roman Province of Syria, but there is no explicit evidence of this occurring.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=70}}

[[File:Tomb of Sampsigeramus 1907 2.jpg|thumb|The [[Tomb of Sampsigeramus]], photographed 1907. Its builder Gaius Julius Sampsigeramus may have been a relative of the Emesan dynasty.|369x369px]]
[[Gaius Julius Sampsigeramus]] ({{fl.}} 78 or 79 AD)<ref name="Chad, p. 92">{{harvnb|Chad|1972|p=92}}.</ref>), "from the Fabia tribe, also known as Seilas, son of Gaius Julius Alexion," was the builder of the so-named [[Tomb of Sampsigeramus]] that formerly stood in the necropolis of [[Tell Abu Sabun]], as recorded on an inscription said to have belonged to the monument. According to [[Maurice Sartre]], the owner's Roman citizenship, attested by his ''[[tria nomina]]'', strongly supports relatedness to the royal family.<ref name="Sartre">{{harvnb|Sartre|2001}}</ref> The lack of allusion to royal kinship is best explained if the dynasty had been deprived of its kingdom shortly before the mausoleum was built and the said kingdom had been annexed to the [[Roman province of Syria]], which occurred very likely between 72 and the construction of the mausoleum.<ref name="Sartre"/>{{sfn|Kropp|2010|p=205}} As worded by Andreas Kropp, "what the builder was really keen on stressing is that he was a Roman citizen bearing the ''tria nomina''."{{sfn|Kropp|2010|pp=205–206}}

Between 211 & 217, the Roman emperor [[Caracalla]], made Emesa into a [[Colonies in antiquity|Roman Colony]], as this was partly due to the Severan dynasty's relations with and connections to Emesa. Partly due to the influence and rule of the Emesene dynasty, Emesa had grown and became one of the most important cities in the Roman East. Despite the Emesenes being a warlike people;{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=72}} they exported [[wheat]], grapes and [[olive]]s throughout the Roman world, and the city was part of the Eastern trade route which stretched from the mainland to the coast, which benefited the local and the Roman economy. The Emesenes sent men into the Roman legions and contributed their archers to the auxiliaries of the imperial army.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=72}} In modern Syria, Emesa has retained its local significance as it is the market centre for surrounding villages.

==Archaeology==
The royal family of Emesa is imperfectly known.<ref name="tyndalehouse1">[http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/selene_ii_fr.htm Ptolemaic Genealogy – Cleopatra Selene, Footnote 10]</ref> What is known about the Emesene dynasty and their kingdom is from surviving archaeological evidence, as the ancient Roman historical sources do not provide a lot of information about them. It is from surviving inscriptions that we know the names of the Emesene Priest-Kings; the Emesene Priests, their known relatives and the limited information about them.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}} As a capital of a Roman client kingdom, Emesa exhibits attributes of a Greek [[city-state]] and traces of Roman town planning.

Archaeological evidence remains from the Emesene dynasty in the city of [[Salamiyah]] which was rebuilt by Sampsiceramus I. Surviving monuments built by the Emesene dynasty includes the castle at [[Shmemis]] which is on top of an extinct volcano built by Sampsiceramus I and the Emesene dynastic tomb. Among those who are buried there is Alexander, Sohaemus and Julius Alexander.{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=223}} The remains of the [[Tomb of Sampsigeramus]] were blown up with dynamite by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman authorities]] {{circa}} 1911, in order to make room for an oil depot.{{sfn|Kropp|2010|p=204}}<ref name="Seyrig">{{harvnb|Seyrig|1952|p=204}}</ref>

Coins have survived from the Emesene dynasty; the earliest known ones being issued for celebrating the cult of El-Gebal under the Roman emperor [[Antoninus Pius]], 138-161.{{sfn|Birley|2002|pp=71–72}} They depict an eagle perched on a black stone and an elaborate monumental altar being shown. Two superimposed row of niches, between two pilasters stand on a massive base; with statues in each of the six niches. Above is a smaller altar, surmounted by the great stone itself, ornamented with mysterious markings.{{sfn|Birley|2002|pp=71–72}}

==List of members==
===Priest-Kings===
The known Emesene Priest-Kings were:
* [[Sampsiceramus I]] (''Šamšigeram''), reigned 64&nbsp;BC–48&nbsp;BC, son of Aziz (''Aziz'', c. 94&nbsp;BC) and paternal grandson of Iamblichus (''Yamliḵu'', c. 151&nbsp;BC){{sfn|Ball|2000|p=35}}
* [[Iamblichus (phylarch)|Iamblichus I]] (son of Sampsiceramus I and brother of Alexander{{sfn|Levick|2007|pp=8 & xx}}), reigned 48&nbsp;BC–31&nbsp;BC{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}}
* [[Alexander (brother of Iamblichus I)|Alexander]]{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}} (brother of Iamblichus I and another son of Sampsiceramus I{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}}). [[Usurper]] to the Emesene throne in 31&nbsp;BC and executed in the same year by Octavian{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=8}}
* The Emesene kingdom dissolved from 30&nbsp;BC to 20&nbsp;BC and becomes an autonomous community under the supervision of the Roman governor of Syria{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=10}}
* [[Iamblichus II]] (son of Iamblichus I{{sfn|Levick|2007|pp=8 & xx}}), reigned 20&nbsp;BC–14{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=169}}
* [[Sampsiceramus II|Gaius Julius Sampsiceramus II]], also known as Sampsiceramus II (grandson of Iamblichus II{{sfn|Tomlins|1844|p=713}}), reigned 14–42
* [[Gaius Julius Azizus]] or Asisus (son of Sampsiceramus II{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}}), reigned 42–54
* [[Sohaemus of Emesa|Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus]]<ref name="Temporini, p.213"/>{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=224}}<ref>''Philocaesar Philoromaios'', means in Greek ''lover of Caesar, lover of Rome''. His full name is known from a Latin honorific inscription on a statue of him dedicated to him in Heliopolis during his Kingship as he was patron of the city. In this inscription, he is honored as a ''Great King'', a patron of the colony and reveals he was, granted honorary consular status</ref> (brother to Azizus and second son to Sampsiceramus II{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}}), reigned 54–73
* [[Gaius Julius Alexion]] (son of Sohaemus<ref name="natoriales1">Settipani, ''Continuité gentilice et continuité familiale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l’époque impériale''</ref>), reigned 73–78

===Reign uncertain===
* [[Gaius Julius Sampsigeramus]] ({{fl.}} 78/79)

===Usurpers (kinship uncertain)===
* [[Uranius Antoninus]], usurper 210–235: "it seems that Uranius Antoninus styled himself as a new Sampsigeramid king of Emesa"{{sfn|Edwell|2007|p=198}}
* [[Uranius Antoninus]], usurper 235–254: claimed that he was related to the Sampsigeramids"{{sfn|Zahran|2001|p=123}}

===Other===
* C. (Iulius?) Longinus Sohaemus ("son of Sampsigeramus"), fl. 110<ref>{{cite book|author=Christian Settipani|title=Continuité gentilice et continuité familiale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque impériale|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RHFoAAAAMAAJ|page=444|publisher=Unit for Prosopographical Research, Linacre College, University of Oxford |isbn=9781900934022}}</ref>
* [[Kingdom of Commagene|Commagenean Princess]] [[Iotapa (spouse of Sampsiceramus II)|Iotapa]], married Sampsiceramus II.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}} Iotapa bore Sampsiceramus II four children: two sons, [[Gaius Julius Azizus]] and [[Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus]]{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}} and two daughters, [[Iotapa (daughter of Sampsiceramus II)|Iotapa]] who married the Herodian Prince [[Aristobulus Minor]] and [[Julia Mamaea (wife of Polemon II of Pontus)|Mamaea]]{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}} 
* [[Julia Mamaea (wife of Polemon II of Pontus)|Mamaea]] married the Roman Client King [[Polemon II of Pontus]],{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=222}} who through this marriage became Roman Client Queen of Pontus, Cilicia and Colchis.<ref>On the Polemonid dynasty - see R.D. Sullivan, “Dynasts in Pontus”, ANRW 7.2 (1980), p.p. 925–930. For the intermarriages between the Polemonids and other dynasties of East Asia Minor, see R.D. Sullivan, “Papyri reflecting the Eastern Dynastic Network”, ANRW 2.8 (1977), p. 919</ref>
* [[Julia Urania]] Queen of Mauretania, who may have been a minor Emesene Princess and married Roman Client King [[Ptolemy of Mauretania]]<ref name="tyndalehouse1"/>
* [[Drusilla (daughter of Ptolemy of Mauretania)|Drusilla, Mauretanian princess from North Africa]], who was the daughter of Ptolemy of Mauretania and Julia Urania, married Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus,<ref name="tyndalehouse1"/> son of Sampsiceramus II and Iotapa.{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=xx}} Drusilla and Sohaemus had a son called [[Gaius Julius Alexion]]
* [[Sohaemus of Armenia]] also known as Gaius Julius Sohaemus{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=224}}<ref>According to [[Christian Settipani]], Sohaemus was the son of Avitus (Gaius Julius Avitus), son of Soaemus (Gaius Julius Longinus Soaemus), son of Sampsiceramus ([[Caius Julius Sampsigeramus|C. Iulius Sampsigeramus Silas]]), son of Alexio ([[Gaius Julius Alexio]]), son of [[Sohaemus of Emesa|Sohaemus]] (Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus)</ref> [[History of Armenia|King of Armenia]] from 144 until 161, then again in 163 to perhaps up to 186
* [[Julius Alexander]],{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=223}} an Emesene nobleman who could be the possible son of Sohaemus of Armenia{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=217}} who died in c. 190 and is a contemporary of the Roman emperor [[Commodus]]{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=223}}
* [[Julius Agrippa]], an Emesene nobleman who served as a ''Primipilaris'' or a former leading centurion{{sfn|Levick|2007|p=18}} son of a Julius and paternal uncle of the Emesene High Priest Gaius [[Julius Bassianus]]{{sfn|Birley|2002|pp=223–224}}
* The Emesene High Priest Gaius [[Julius Bassianus]], son of a Julius and nephew of Julius Agrippa{{sfn|Birley|2002|pp=223–224}} and a possible descendant of Drusilla of Mauretania and Gaius Julius Sohaemus Philocaesar Philorhomaeus.<ref name="tyndalehouse1"/> He married an unnamed woman by whom was the father of [[Julia Maesa]] and her younger sister, the Roman Empress [[Julia Domna]]
* [[Julia Domna]], second wife of Roman emperor Lucius [[Septimius Severus]]; mother of the [[Severan dynasty|Severan]] [[Roman emperor]]s [[Caracalla]] (born as Lucius Septimius Bassianus) and [[Publius Septimius Geta]]
* [[Julia Maesa]], wife of the Syrian Roman politician Gaius [[Julius Avitus]] Alexianus by whom had two daughters: [[Julia Soaemias]] Bassiana and [[Julia Avita Mamaea]]
* [[Julia Soaemias]] Bassiana, wife of the Syrian Roman politician [[Sextus Varius Marcellus]] by whom she had one unnamed son and a second son, the [[Severan dynasty|Severan]] Roman emperor [[Elagabalus]] (born as Sextus Varius Avitus Bassianus)
* [[Julia Avita Mamaea]], wife of the Syrian Roman politician [[Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus]] and was possibly the mother of [[Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus]], but was definitely the mother of [[Theoclia (sister of Alexander Severus)|Theoclia]] and [[Severan dynasty|Severan]] Roman emperor [[Alexander Severus]] (born as Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus Alexianus)
* [[Aemilius Papinianus]] (142–212) also known as Papinian, a celebrated Roman Jurist and Praetorian prefect who was a kinsman of [[Julia Domna]]<ref name="Hitti2002">{{cite book|last=Hitti|first=Philip K.|author-link=Philip Hitti|title=[[History of Syria: including Lebanon and Palestine]]|year=2004|publisher=Gorgias Press LLC|isbn= 1-59333-119-3 |page=326}}</ref>

===Descendants===
*[[Zenobia]], Queen of [[Palmyra]] in the 3rd century, is a possible descendant of Drusilla of Mauretania and Gaius Julius Sohaemus.<ref name="tyndalehouse1"/><ref>[http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/affilates/aff_ptolemies.htm Ptolemaic Affiliated Lines: Descendant Lines]</ref><ref>[http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/new_notes.htm Ptolemaic Points of Interest: Cleopatra VII & Ptolemy XIII]</ref> Zenobia's possible descent from Drusilla might support Zenobia's claims of being a descendant of the last Queen of Egypt [[Cleopatra VII]]
*[[Iamblichus (novelist)|Iamblichus]], 2nd century novelist, claims his ancestry from the Emesene Priest Kings and was a contemporary of [[Sohaemus of Armenia]]{{sfn|Birley|2002|p=71}}
*[[Iamblichus]], 3rd century [[Neoplatonism|Neoplatonist]], claimed to have been a descendant of the Emesene Priest Kings
*[[Uranius]] Antoninus, usurper in the 3rd century, may have been called Sampsiceramus, and have been an Emesene priest.
*[[Theodora of Emesa]] is a possible descendant of the Emesan dynasty. [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]], Scholar, and Christian Saint of the 9th century, [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photios I]], notes that around A.D. 500, the Syrian Pagan Philosopher [[Damascius]] dedicated a book to a [[Theodora of Emesa|Theodora]], daughter of Diogenes, son of Eusebius, son of Flavianus and a descendant of King Sampsiceramus of Emesa<ref name="tyndalehouse1"/>
*[[Heliodorus of Emesa]] claims to have been a descendant of the Royal family of Emesa<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Heliodorus |volume= 13 |short= x}}</ref>

==Family tree==

{{Tree chart/start|align=center|summary=An example family tree}}
{{Tree chart| | |  | | | |I| | |I=Iamblichus (151 BC)}}
{{Tree chart| | |  |  || | |:|}}
{{Tree chart| | |   || | |I| | |I=Aziz (94 BC)}}
{{Tree chart| | | |  | | | |:|}}
{{Tree chart| JOE |P|P|P|I|||I=[[Sampsiceramus I]]|JOE=Ptolemaus}}
{{Tree chart| |:|  | | | | |!|}}
{{Tree chart| |:|  | | | |I1| | |I1=[[Iamblichus (phylarch)|Iamblichus I]]}}
{{Tree chart| |:|  | | | | |!|}}
{{Tree chart|JOE|P|m2|P|I1| | | CL |I1=[[Iamblichus II]] (20 BC)|JOE=Sohaemus|CL=[[Cleopatra VII]]}}
{{Tree chart| |!| | |: | | | | |  | | |:|}}
{{Tree chart|I| |:| | | | || |    |:|I=[[Sampsiceramus II]]}}
{{Tree chart| | !| | | L|~|URA|-|v|PTO|URA=[[Julia Urania]]|PTO=[[Ptolemy of Mauretania]]}}
{{Tree chart| I | | | | | ||  |! |I=[[Gaius Julius Azizus|Aziz]]}}
{{Tree chart| | :|| | | | ||| | !|}}
{{Tree chart|  SOH|-|-|-|-|v|-|DRU| |SOH=[[Sohaemus of Emesa|Sohaemus]] (65–75)|DRU=[[Drusilla (daughter of Ptolemy of Mauretania)|Drusilla]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | || | | |   !|}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | | |I| | |I=[[Gaius Julius Alexion]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | |   | | :|}}
{{Tree chart| | | | | |  |I| | |I=[[Julius Bassianus]] (d. 217)}}
{{Tree chart||| |,|-|-|-|^|-|-|.| | | }}
{{Tree chart||| JOE | |  | |  | SIS  |JOE=[[Julia Domna]]|ME='''Me!'''|SIS=[[Julia Maesa]]}}
{{Tree chart ||,|-|^|-|.| || |,|^|-|-|.| }}
{{Tree chart| JOE ||  SIS ||SK || MAE |JOE=[[Caracalla]]|SIS=[[Geta (emperor)|Geta]]|SK=[[Julia Soaemias]]|MAE=[[Julia Avita Mamaea]]}}
{{Tree chart| | | || | | | |   | !| |||  !|}}
{{Tree chart| | | || |  | | |   E1| |   E2|E1=[[Elagabalus]]|E2=[[Alexander Severus]]}}
{{Tree chart/end}}

==See also==
* [[Black Stone]]
* [[Elagabalus (deity)]]
* [[Homs]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|colwidth=25em}}
* {{cite book |last=Ball |first=Warwick |author-link=Warwick Ball |title=Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire |publisher=Routledge |year=2000 |isbn=9780415113762}}
* {{cite book |last=Birley |first=A. R. |title=Septimius Severus: The African Emperor |publisher=Routledge |year=2002}}
* {{cite book |last=Chad|first=Carlos|title=Les Dynastes d'Émèse|year=1972|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E_0yAAAAMAAJ|language=fr}}
* {{cite book|last1=Dudgeon|first1=Michael H.|last2=Lieu|first2=Samuel N. C.|year=2002|title=The Roman Eastern Frontier and the Persian Wars AD 226-363|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134961146 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3gGKAgAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Dusenbury |first=David Lloyd |title=Nemesius of Emesa on Human Nature: A Cosmopolitan Anthropology from Roman Syria |publisher=OUP Oxford |year=2021 |isbn=9780192598981 }}
* {{cite book |last=Edwell|first=Peter|year=2007|title=Between Rome and Persia: The Middle Euphrates, Mesopotamia and Palmyra under Roman Control|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DQgmOZlsEWcC|page=198|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134095735}}
* {{cite book|last=Fisher|first=Greg|year=2020|publisher=Routledge|title=Rome, Persia, and Arabia: Shaping the Middle East from Pompey to Muhammad|isbn=9781000740905|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n3zADwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Halsberghe |first=G. H. |title=The Cult of Sol Invictus |publisher=Brill |year=1972}}
* {{cite book |last=Kropp|first=Andreas|editor1-last=Kaizer|editor1-first=Ted|editor2-last=Facella|editor2-first=Margherita|chapter=Earrings, ''Nefesh'' and ''Opus Reticulatum'': Self-Representation of the Royal House of Emesa in the First Century AD|title=Kingdoms and Principalities in the Roman Near East|year=2010|publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart|url=https://www.academia.edu/1850846}}
* {{cite book |last=Levick |first=B. |title=Julia Domna, Syrian Empress |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2007}}
* {{cite book |last=Millar |first=Fergus |title=The Roman Near East}}
* {{cite book |last=Morkot |first=R. |title=The Penguin Historical Altas of Ancient Greece |publisher=Penguin Group |year=1996}}
* {{cite book |last1=Retso |first1=Jan |title=The Arabs in Antiquity: Their History from the Assyrians to the Umayyads |date=4 July 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-87289-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uq2_tK0L2g4C |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last=Roller |first=D. W. |author-link=Duane W. Roller |title=The Building Program of Herod the Great |publisher=University of California Press |year=1998}}
* {{cite book |last=Sartre|first=Maurice|author-link=Maurice Sartre|title=D'Alexandre à Zénobie : Histoire du Levant antique|year=2001|publisher=Fayard|isbn=9782213640693|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N5zBrssLDTQC|language=fr}}
* {{cite book |last=Sartre|first=Maurice|publisher=Belknap Press|year=2005|title=The Middle East Under Rome|page=662|isbn=9780674016835|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9y7nTpFcN3AC}}
* {{cite book |last=Settipani |first=C. |title=Continuité gentilice et continuité familiale dans les familles sénatoriales romaines à l'époque imperial |location=Oxford |year=2000}}
* {{cite journal | last = Seyrig | first = Henri | author-link = Henri Seyrig | date = 1952 | title = Antiquités Syriennes 53: Antiquités de la Nécropole d'Émèse (1<sup>re</sup> partie) | journal = Syria | volume = XXIX | issue = 3–4 | pages = 204–250 | doi = 10.3406/syria.1952.4788 | url = https://www.persee.fr/doc/syria_0039-7946_1952_num_29_3_4788 | jstor = 4390311}} {{in lang|fr}} {{free access}}
* {{cite book |last=Smallwood |first=E. Mary |title=The Jews Under Roman Rule: From Pompey to Diocletian – a Study in Political Relations |publisher=BRILL |year=2001 |isbn=9780391041554 }}
* {{cite book |last=Sommer|first=Michael|title=Palmyra: A History|year=2017|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781351347150|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wt5CDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Stoneman|first=Richard|year=1992|title=Palmyra and Its Empire: Zenobia's Revolt Against Rome|publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=9780472103874 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lo59AAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Sullivan |first=Richard D. |year=1978 |chapter=The Dynasty of Emesa |editor1=Hildegard Temporini |editor2=Wolfgang Haase |title=Politische Geschichte (Provinzen und Randvölker: Syrien, Palästina, Arabien) |pages=198–219 |location=Berlin |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |doi=10.1515/9783110866940-008|isbn=9783110866940 }}
* {{cite book |last=Tomlins |first=Frederick Guest |author-link=Frederick Guest Tomlins |title=A Universal History of the Nations of Antiquity |publisher=W. Milner |year=1844 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wellesley|first=Kenneth|year=1989|title=The Long Year A.D. 69|publisher=Bristol Classical Press |isbn=9781853990496 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wYUAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Zahran|first=Yasamin|year=2001|title=Philip the Arab: A Study in Prejudice|publisher=Stacey International |isbn=9781900988285|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MmdoAAAAMAAJ}}
{{Refend|colwidth=25em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/affilates/aff_ptolemies.htm Royal Egyptian Genealogy: Ptolemaic Descendants]
* [http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/selene_ii_fr.htm Ptolemaic Genealogy – Cleopatra Selene]
* [http://www.tyndalehouse.com/egypt/ptolemies/new_notes.htm Ptolemaic Points of Interest: Cleopatra VII & Ptolemy XIII]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080714224028/http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/3035.html Sampsiceramus article at Ancient Library]
* [http://www.loebtree.com/emesa.html Biblical Genealogy: From Alexander son of Herod to Bustanai]
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05402a.htm New Advent Encyclopaedia – Emesa]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120208101554/http://www.sfagn.info/information/michael_burgess.html Articles, Books and Studies: The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress – The Rise and Fall of Cleopatra II Selene, Seleukid Queen of Syria by Michael Burgess]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070928103357/http://www.sfagn.info/information/kritt.html Articles, Books and Studies: Numismatic Evidence For A New Seleucid King: Seleucus (VII) Philometor by Brian Kritt]

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[[Category:Emesene dynasty| ]]
[[Category:History of Homs]]
[[Category:Roman Syria]]
[[Category:Syrian monarchs]]
[[Category:Arab history]]
[[Category:Arabs in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Arab dynasties]]
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