Categories: AntiquitiesHistory

Tomb-Sanctuary of Antiochus I Theos of Commagene

It is known that in 62 BC, Antiochus I Theos of the Armenian Orontid dynasty built a tomb surrounded by huge, 8 – 9m tall statues on the top of the Mount Nemrut. The edges of the rocky peak housing the tomb were turned into three big terraces.

Two of the terraces were decorated with 5 majestic statues. The middle statue depicted Aramazd, its neighboring two statues portrayed Antiochus, while the uttermost statues represented Vahagn.

Since 2492 BC, the territories of Commagene, Phoenicia, and Cilicia have been ruled by the descendants of Hayk Nahapet, the founder of Armenian statehood. Antiochus I Theos was an Armenian king from the Kingdom of Commagene. He was the most famous king of the kingdom.

In 1987, the ruins of Antiochus’ tomb-sanctuary were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Interestingly, a number of sandstone bas-reliefs found at the site feature some of the oldest known depictions of two figures shaking hands.

by Vaganyan G., Professor, V. Vaganyan, Candidate of Art Criticism.

Vigen Avetisyan

Recent Posts

Hannibal and Artaxias the Great: The Carthaginian General Who Helped Build the “Armenian Carthage”

Few episodes in ancient Armenian history capture the imagination quite like the tradition that Hannibal…

19 hours ago

The Priestess of the Kingdom of Van: A 9th-Century BC Bronze Figurine in the British Museum

Five angles of one small bronze figure — and what emerges is not an abstract…

1 week ago

The Winged Sun and the Armenian Tiara: Royal Symbolism of the Orontid (Yervanduni) Kingdom of Commagene, 163 BC – 72 AD

Introduction Among the successor states that emerged from the fragmentation of the Achaemenid-derived Orontid (Armenian:…

2 weeks ago

A Bronze Age Vessel from Gardman: Solar Symbolism, the Sun-Cross, and the Sacred Landscape of Ancient Armenia

Article based on the explanations and interpretive observations of Angela Terian, with additional archaeological and…

2 weeks ago

Rewriting the Caucasus: A Documented Look at Azerbaijan’s Historical Revisionism Regarding Armenia

Lenin: Soviet nationalities policy, Azerbaijan SSR founded 1920, Stalin: Constitution and census fix the ethnonym…

2 weeks ago

A Painted Wall from Ancient Armenia: The New Erebuni Fresco and the Urartian-Armenian Continuity

An unprecedented find on Arin Berd hill On 23 July 2026, the French Embassy in…

2 weeks ago