Abdissares

Abdissares
Coin of Abdissares, 210 BC
King of Sophene
Reign 212 – 200 BC
Coronation 212 BC
Predecessor Xerxes
Successor Zariadres
Died 200 BC
Sophene
Full name
Abdissares
Dynasty Orontid
Father Xerxes

Abdissares ruled the kingdom of Sophene after the assassination of his father, Xerxes in 212 BC.

There are no known western sources for this king, only numismatic. His coins are almost similar to those of his father.

His name seems to include the Aramaic prefix "Abd" which means slave. Aramaic was widely used in that region, and yet why he would have such a name, compared to his Armenian father Xerxes or brother Orontes IV, is uncertain. This may have been intended as a slur by the local Aramaic people, yet it is borne on his coins.

"Ssares" sounds like Zareh (known in Greek sources as Zariadres), and it was Zareh who overthrew Abdissares in 200 BC.

These coups were the work of king Antiochus III, which also resulted in Zareh's son Artaxias (Artaxerxes) overthrowing Orontes IV to become King of Armenia.

References

Richard G. Hovannisian[1]

  1. ↑ The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times, 2 vols. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997


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