The Kingdom of Commagene is an ancient kingdom of the Hellenistic Age.
Little is known of the region of Commagene prior to the beginning of the 2nd century BCE.
However, it seems that, from what little evidence remains, Commagene forms part of a larger state that also includes Sophene.
The later kings of Commagene claim to be descended from the Orontid dynasty, and would therefore have been related to the family that founded the Kingdom of Armenia.
However, the accuracy of these claims is uncertain.
It is believed that the Seleucid Empire gained control of Commagene during the reign of the late 3rd/early 2nd century BC Seleucid king, Antiochus III the Great.
This control lasted until c. 163 BCE, when the local satrap, Ptolemaeus of Commagene, established himself as independent ruler following the death of the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
The Kingdom of Commagene maintained its independence until 17 CE, when it is made a Roman province by the Emperor Tiberius.
It reemerges as an independent kingdom when Antiochus IV of Commagene is reinstated to the throne by order of the Emperor Caligula, then deprived by that same Emperor, then restored a couple of years later by his successor, Claudius.
This re-emergent Kingdom lasts until 72 CE, when the Emperor Vespasian finally and definitively makes it a part of the Roman Empire.
