Tarcondimotus I (Greek: Ταρκονδίμοτος; died 31 BC) was a Roman client king of Cilicia, who played a role in the Roman civil wars of the late Roman Republic.
Based on inscriptions relating to his family from Castabala, Tarcondimotus was the son of Straton. and had two sons called Philopator I and Laios, and a daughter called Julia.
He is probably appointed as Roman client king as part of Pompey’s eastern settlement.
Tarcondimotus at first supported Pompey in the civil war against Julius Caesar, but after Pompey's defeat and death, he was pardoned by Caesar and confirmed in his title and possessions. The name of Tarcondimotus' daughter is probably an indication that he received the Roman citizenship from Caesar as well. During the Liberators' civil war, he sided with Gaius Cassius Longinus, and after that with Mark Antony, whom he followed in the opening stages of the war against Octavian, adopting the royal epithet Philantonios (Antony-lover) as an expression of his devotion to Antony.
Tarcondimotus was killed in a battle at sea in 31 BC, fighting under Gaius Sosius against Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. His sons deserted Mark Antony's cause after Octavian's victory in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, but Octavian nevertheless deposed Philopator I in 30 BC from his kingdom. In 20 BC, Tarcondimotus' former possessions were restored to Tarcondimotus II, who is either the same person as Philopator I or a grandson of Tarcondimotus I. Tarcondimotus II lived until 17 AD. Shortly, after his death, the kingdom became a part of the Roman Empire.
References
- ^ Stein, E. (1932). "Tarcondimotus". Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft. Vol. Band IVA, Halbband 8, Symposion–Tauris. pp. 2297–2298.
- ^
Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Tarcondimotus". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. III. p. 975.
- Heller, Anna (2020). L'âge d'or des bienfaiteurs : titres honorifiques et sociétés civiques dans l'Asie Mineure d'époque romaine : Ier s. av. J.-C.-s. - IIIe apr. J.-C. Genève. p. 43. ISBN 978-2600057462.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Tobin, Jenner (2001). "The Tarcondimotid Dynasty in Smooth Cilicia". Actes de la Table Ronde d'Istanbul, 2-5 novembre 1999: 381–387.
- Tacitus Annals II.42