Name Ariarathes of | ||
Ariarathes I (Ancient Greek: Ἀριαράθης Ariaráthēs; died 322 BC) was the satrap of the Satrapy of Cappadocia under the Achaemenid Empire from 350 BC to 331 BC, and the King of Cappadocia from 331 BC until his death in 322 BC.
Ariarathes was the son of the Cappadocian satrap Ariamnes I. He was distinguished (Φιλάδελφος, Philádelphos) for his love of his brother Holophernes, whom he sent to assist his overlord king Artaxerxes III in the recovery of Egypt, in 350 BC. Then he devotedly supported Darius III. Alexander the Great conquered Cappadocia during his route and installed a governor there (though two different names of this governor are given). Nevertheless, by the time of Alexander's death Ariarathes somehow assumed power as the first king of Cappadocians and even expanded the kingdom by subduing Cataonia.
After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Perdiccas appointed Eumenes as governor of Cappadocia; but upon Ariarathes refusing to submit to Eumenes, Perdiccas made war upon him. Ariarathes was defeated, taken prisoner, and crucified, together with many of his relations, in 322 BC. Eumenes then obtained possession of Cappadocia. Ariarathes was 82 years of age at the time of his death: he had adopted as his son Ariarathes II, the eldest son of his brother Holophernes.