ARTWORK/HISTORY:
The Handshake Between King Antiochus I of Commagene and Heracles (Hercules) in the Ancient City of Arsemia
In this magnificent relief, the figures shaking hands are King Antiochus I of Commagene and Heracles (Hercules), one of the most powerful heroes and gods of Greek mythology.
In this scene, King Antiochus I is depicted shaking hands with the gods, seeing himself as equal to them. This handshake symbolizes the king’s desire to both demonstrate his power and legitimacy to his people and to place his kingdom under divine protection.
This relief (dexiosis scene) was commissioned by King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene (approximately 69-36 BC). Antiochus was a Hellenistic ruler who governed his kingdom with a policy of balance between Rome and the Parthian Empire. He was a king who considered himself to have divine status (hence the title “Theos”).
Such scenes are found particularly in the king’s tomb-temple (Hierothesion) on Mount Nemrut and in the ancient city of Arsameia (Nymphaion).
They are among the finest examples of the unique Hellenistic-Eastern synthesis art of the Kingdom of Commagene in the 1st century BC. The Mount Nemrut (Adıyaman, Türkiye) complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
