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Ariarathes of Cappadocia

While this was going on at Rome, envoys from the
Missions to Ariarathes, king of
city, under Marcus Junius, had arrived to arbitrate on the disputes between the Gauls and king Ariarathes.
Cappadocia, in regard to the encroachments of the Gauls.
For the Trocmi, having found themselves unable to annex any portion of Cappadocia by their unaided efforts, and having been promptly foiled in their audacious attempts,1 sought refuge with the Romans, and endeavoured to bring Ariarathes into discredit there. On this account an embassy under M. Junius was sent to Cappadocia. The king gave them a satisfactory account of the affair, treated them with great courtesy, and sent them away loud in his praises. And when subsequently Gnaeus Octavius and Spurius Lucretius arrived, and again addressed the king on the subject of his controversies with the Gauls, after a brief conversation on that subject, and saying that he would acquiesce in their decision without difficulty, he directed the rest of his remarks to the state of Syria, being aware that Octavius and his colleagues were going thither.
Ariarathes warns Octavius of the dangerous state of Syria.
He pointed out to them the unsettled state of the kingdom and the unprincipled character of the men at the head of affairs there; and added that he would escort them with an army, and remain on the watch for all emergencies, until they returned from Syria in safety. Gnaeus and his colleagues acknowleged the king's kindness and zeal, but said that for the present they did not need the escort: on a future occasion, however, if need should arise, they would let him know without delay; for they considered him as one of the true friends of Rome. . . .

Ariarathes died soon after this embassy, and was succeeded by his son Ariarathes Philopator. B. C. 164. Livy, Ep. 46.

1 The Greek of this sentence is certainly corrupt, and no satisfactory sense can be elicited from it.

Histories. Polybius. Evelyn S. Shuckburgh. translator. London, New York. Macmillan. 1889. Reprint Bloomington 1962.

Robert B. Strassler provided support for entering this text.

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