Kingdom of Adiabene: Map & History
Adiabene was an ancient kingdom in northern Mesopotamia, corresponding to the heartland of ancient Assyria.
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Adiabene was an ancient kingdom in northern Mesopotamia, corresponding to the heartland of ancient Assyria. The size of the kingdom varied over time; initially encompassing an area between the Zab Rivers, it eventually gained control of Nineveh and starting at least with the rule of Monobazos I, Gordyene became an Adiabenian dependency. It reached its zenith under Izates II, who was granted the district of Nisibis by the Parthian king Artabanus II as a reward for helping him regain his throne. Adiabene's eastern borders stopped at the Zagros Mountains, adjacent to the region of Media. Arbela served as the capital of Adiabene.
Kingdom of Adiabene in Depth
History
Under the Achaemenid Persian kings, Adiabene seems for a time to have been a vassal state of the Persian Empire. The Ten Thousand, an army of Greek mercenaries, retreated through Adiabene on their march to the Black Sea after the Battle of Cunaxa.
According to Jewish tradition, Helena, the Queen of Adiabene converted to Judaism from paganism in the 1st century. Queen Helena of Adiabene (known in Jewish sources as Heleni HaMalka) moved to Jerusalem where she built palaces for herself and her sons, Izates bar Monobaz and Monobaz II at the northern part of the city of David, south of the Temple Mount, and aided Jews in their war with Rome. Queen Helena's sarcophagus was discovered in 1863.
Location
Adiabene occupied a district in Median Empire between the Upper Zab (Lycus) and the Lower Zab (Caprus), though Ammianus Marcellinus speaks of Nineveh, Ecbatana, and Gaugamela as also belonging to it. By the late 1st century CE, its borders extended as far as Nisibis. In the Talmudic writings the name occurs as חדייב,חדייף and הדייב. Its chief city was Arbela (Arba-ilu), where Mar Uqba had a school, or the neighboring Hazzah, by which name the later Arabs also called Arbela.
In Kiddushin 72a the Biblical Habor is identified with Adiabene, but in Jerusalem Talmud, Megillah i. 71b with Riphath. In the Targum Jonathan on Jeremiah li. 27, Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz are paraphrased by Kordu, Harmini, and Hadayab, i.e., Corduene, Armenia, and Adiabene; while in Ezekiel xxvii.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Adiabene (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kingdom of Adiabene: Key Facts
| Capital | Erbil |
|---|---|
| Form of government | monarchy |
Facts from Wikidata Q149747 (CC0).
Kingdom of Adiabene Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Kingdom of Adiabene appears, with the other states of the time.
Kingdom of Adiabene Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 13,758 km² in 174 CE.
Kingdom of Adiabene: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Kingdom of Adiabene exist?
The Kingdom of Adiabene is dated to 63 BCE – 370 CE, in the Classical Antiquity era.
What was the capital of the Kingdom of Adiabene?
The capital of the Kingdom of Adiabene was Arbela.
How large was the Kingdom of Adiabene at its peak?
At its peak in 174 AD the Kingdom of Adiabene covered about 13,758 km².
How did the map of the Kingdom of Adiabene change over time?
The Kingdom of Adiabene appears on 3 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1 CE to 300 CE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.