Dexiosis of king Mithridates
Arsameia on the Nymphaios, Turkey
1st century CE
The town of Arsameia was decorated with very large stela, all facing south and which probably could be seen from the villages in the valley; this could explain why they were not part of the decoration of buildings or squares. The most important stela has survived to our times; its importance is testified to by the fact that Mithridates I or his son Antiochus I, the kings who are thought to have founded/enlarged the town, dictated a very lengthy inscription on a nearby rock.
The inscription is placed on a rock above a tunnel which probably was used as an escape from the town or for sallies; the inscription is in Greek and it provides a detailed account of the history of the town and its facilities. The relief portrays a meeting between King Mithridates and Hercules; consistent with the Greek iconography of gods and demigods Hercules is naked and he carries a club and a lion's skin. Handshaking is unusual in Greek iconography, but it is found in the Persian one.
he dress and the arms of the king are very elaborate and they are depicted very accurately; the king wears a crown (atypical of Greece), but also a wreath of leaves, another indication of Commagene being in between two worlds. A question comes to mind; were his trousers (long pants) practical to wear?
