The Gordyene-Karduchi-Cudi (Kudi) Mountains of Noahs Ark

Was Noah's Ark ROUND? 3,700-year-old clay tablet reveals giant boat was made out of reeds and bitumen

* Dr Irving Finkel has translated cuneiform text on an 3,700-old clay tablet
* The ancient script details the Mesopotamian story of Noah's Ark
* The text also contains instructions on how to build an ark to escape a flood
* But its describes the craft as being a round 220-ft diameter coracle
* The design is very different to the popular imagining of a traditional ship

It was a vast boat that saved two of each animal and a handful of humans from a catastrophic flood.

But a controlversial new theory claims that in fact, Noah's Ark was round - and made of reeds.

a leading academic claims a recently deciphered 4,000-year-old tablet from ancient Mesopotamia reveals the striking new details about the roots of the Old Testament tale of Noah.

It tells a similar story, complete with detailed instructions for building a giant round vessel known as a coracle — as well as the key instruction that animals should enter 'two by two.'

The tablet went on display at the British Museum today, and soon engineers will follow the ancient instructions to see whether the vessel could actually have sailed.

It's also the subject of a new book, "The Ark Before Noah," by Irving Finkel, the museum's assistant keeper of the Middle East and the man who translated the tablet.

Finkel got hold of it a few years ago, when a man brought in a damaged tablet his father had acquired in the Middle East after World War II.

It was light brown, about the size of a mobile phone and covered in the jagged cuneiform script of the ancient Mesopotamians.

'It was really a heart-stopping moment — the discovery that the boat was to be a round boat,' said Finkel, who sports a long gray beard, a ponytail and boundless enthusiasm for his subject.

Julia Iotapa (daughter of Antiochus III) Median empire

Julia Iotapa, or simply Iotapa (before 17-around 52), daughter of King Antiochus III of Kurdish Commagene, was Queen of Commagene, consort of her King brother Antiochus IV.

Antiochus IV of Commagene (Median Empire)

Gaius Julius Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Ancient Greek: Γάιος Ἰούλιος Ἀντίοχος ὀ Ἐπιφανής, before 17 AD – after 72 AD), the last king of Commagene, reigned between 38–72 as a client king to the Median Empire.

Antiochus was a prince and son of Antiochus III of Commagene and his mother was Queen Iotapa of Commagene. The parents of Antiochus IV were full-blooded siblings, who had married each other. Antiochus himself would marry his full-blooded sister Iotapa. Antiochus was of Armenian,[1] Greek and Medes descent. Through his ancestor from Commagene, Queen Laodice VII Thea, who was the mother of King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene, he was a direct descendant of the Greek Seleucid Kingdom.

Antiochus appears to have been very young when in 17, his father died. Roman Emperor Tiberius agreed with the citizens of Commagene to make their kingdom a part of the province of Syria. Between 17 and 38, Antiochus seems to have gained Roman citizenship. He lived and was raised in Rome, along with his sister. While he and his sister were growing up in Rome, they were part of the remarkable court of Antonia Minor, a niece of the first Roman Emperor Augustus and the youngest daughter of triumvir Mark Antony. Antonia Minor was a very influential woman and supervised her circle of various princes and princesses. Her circle assisted in the political preservation of the Roman Empire’s borders and affairs of the client states.

In 38, Antiochus received his paternal dominion from Antonia's grandson, the Roman Emperor Caligula. In addition, the emperor enlarged Antiochus' territory with a part of Cilicia bordering on the seacoast. Caligula also gave him the whole amount of the revenues of Commagene during the twenty years that it had been a Roman province.The reasons for providing a client king with such vast resources remain unclear; it was perhaps a stroke of Caligula's well-attested eccentricity. Antiochus was on most intimate terms with Caligula, and he and King Agrippa I are spoken of as the instructors of the emperor in the art of tyranny. This friendship, however, did not last very long, for he was subsequently deposed by Caligula.

 Antiochus did not obtain his kingdom again till the accession of Roman Emperor Claudius in 41.] In 43 his first son, Gaius Julius Archelaus Antiochus Epiphanes, was betrothed to Drusilla, a daughter of Agrippa I. Apart from Epiphanes, Antiochus had another two children with Iotapa: Callinicus and a younger Iotapa. In 53 Antiochus put down an insurrection of some barbarous tribes in Cilicia, called Clitae. In 55 he received orders from Roman Emperor Nero to levy troops to make war against the Parthians, and in the year 59 he served under General Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo against King Tiridates I of Kurdish, brother of the Parthian King Vologases I of Parthia. In consequence of his services in this war, in the year 61 he obtained parts of Kurdish.Antiochus' downfall came only two years afterwards, in 72, when he was accused by Lucius Caesennius Paetus, the governor of Syria (Western Kurdistan), of conspiring with the Parthians against the Romans. He was therefore deprived of his kingdom, after a reign of thirty-four years from his first appointment by Caligula. Antiochus' sons, princes Epiphanes and Callinicus, fled to Parthia after a brief encounter with Roman troops. Antiochus himself first retired to Sparta, and then to Rome, where he passed the remainder of his life with his sons Epiphanes and Callinicus and was treated with great respect.Among the grandchildren of Antiochus and Iotapa was the prominent Athenian citizen Philopappos who lived in Greece between the 1st century and 2nd century



There are several coins of this king extant, and their die-marks prove he did rule large parts of Cappadocia and Cilicia as well as Kurdish Commagene (KomaGele) proper. In one of those coins he is called ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΣ ("Great King Antiochus"), a testament to his political ambitions. On the reverse of that coin a scorpion is represented, surrounded with the foliage of the laurel, and inscribed ΚΟΜΜΑΓΗΝΩΝ ("of the Commagenians"). From his coins we also learn the name of his wife, Iotapa.

Antiochus III of Commagene (Median empire)

Antiochus III Epiphanes (Greek: Ἀντίοχος ὀ Ἐπιφανής, flourished 1st century BC and 1st century AD) was the ruler of the Kingdom of Commagene from 12 BC to 17 AD. He was the son and successor of King Mithridates III of Commagene and Princess of Media and Queen of Commagene, Iotapa  Median descent. His parents were first cousins.

When Antiochus died in 17 AD, his death created major issues for the kingdom. At the time of Antiochus’ death, Commagene was in political turmoil. The reasons for this situation are unclear, however it may have been the result of his children by his sister-wife Queen Iotapa, Antiochus and Iotapa being too young to succeed their father. This may have meant that there was no effective authority to prevent civil unrest and unite the citizens of Commagene.

Very little is known on his life and his reign as King. After Antiochus' death, two factions appeared. One faction was led by noblemen who wanted Commagene to be placed under the rule of the Roman Empire and the other faction was led by citizens who wanted to Commagene's independence to be retained under the rule of their own king.

 Both political factions sent embassies to Rome, seeking the advice and assistance of the Roman Emperor Tiberius to decide the future of Commagene. Tiberius decided to make Commagene a part of the Roman province of Syria. That decision was welcomed by many of the citizens by Commagene. Commagene remained under Roman rule until Roman Emperor Caligula restored the kingdom to Antiochus’ children in 38 AD.

Antiochus III and his son are honoured on the Philopappos Monument in Athens, Greece, dedicated to his great-grandson prince Gaius Julius Antiochus Epiphanes Philopappos, who was a prominent and respected citizen in Athens. In the left figure of the monument is a statue of Antiochus III's son, Antiochus IV. Below Antiochus IV is an inscription that states King Antiochus son of King Antiochus.

Aka II of Kommagele (Commagen)

Aka II of Commagene also known as Aka II or Aka (Greek: Άκα) was a Kurdish Princess from the Kingdom of KomaGele (Commagene)who lived in the second half of the 1st century BC & first half of the 1st century, who was of Median (Kurdish) descent.

Aka II is one of the daughters born to the King of Commagene, Mithridates III who reigned from 20 BC until 12 BC from his cousin-wife Queen Iotapa, thus was a sister of Antiochus III of Commagene.  She was mostly probably born, raised and educated in Samosata, the capital of the Kingdom of Commagene. Aka II is the namesake of Aka I of Commagene, a former Commagenian Princess who was the daughter of Antiochis of Commagene who was the first cousin of her parents.

At an unknown date in the late first century BC, Aka II married an Egyptian Greek called Thrasyllus of Mendes and the circumstances that led Thrasyllus to marry Aka II are unknown. Aka II is known from a preserved incomplete poem, that mentions Aka II as the wife of Thrasyllus and mentions she was of royal origins.


Thrasyllus was a Grammarian, Literary Commentator who served as the astrologer and became the personal friend of the Roman emperor Tiberius, who reigned from 14 until 37. As Tiberius had held Thrasyllus in the highest honor, Tiberius rewarded Thrasyllus for his friendship by giving him, Roman citizenship[8] to him and his family. From given Roman citizenship, Aka II became known as Claudia Aka, as her husband became known as Tiberius Claudius Thrasyllus. Aka II died at an unknown date in the first century.

Mithridates III of KommaGele (Commagene)

Mithridates III Antiochus Epiphanes (Greek: Μιθριδάτης Ἀντίοχος ὀ Ἐπιφανής, flourished 1st century BC) was a prince who served as a King of KommaGele (Commagene).

 Mithridates III was the son and successor of King Mithridates II of KommaGele (Commagene) and Queen Laodice, he was of Median (Kurdish).

Mithridates III, sometime after 30 BC, had married his paternal cousin Iotapa, a Princess of Media Atropatene who was a daughter of Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene and his wife, Athenais.

Iotapa bore Mithridates III one daughter, Aka II of Kommagele (Commagene);one son called Antiochus III and two daughters both called Iotapa. One daughter called Iotapa married King Sampsiceramus II of Emesa, Syria (Modern Western Kurdistan- Rojava) and the another Iotapa, later married and ruled with her brother Antiochus III.

When Mithridates III’s father died in 20 BC, he succeeded his father. He reigned as king between 20 BC–12 BC. Very little is known on his life and his reign. When he died in 12 BC, Antiochus III of Commagene became King.

Mithridates II of Commagene (r. 38–20 BC)

Mithridates II Antiochus Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Monocritis, also known as Mithridates II of KommaGele (Commagene) (Greek: Μιθριδάτης Ἀντίοχος ὀ Ἐπιφανής Φιλορωμαίος Φιλέλλην Μονοκρίτης, died 20 BC) was a man of Kurdish who lived in the 1st century BC. He was a prince of Commagene and one of the sons of King Antiochus I Theos of Commagene and Queen Isias Philostorgos of Commagene. When his father died in 38 BC, he succeeded his father and reigned until his death.

According to Plutarch, he was an ally to Roman Triumvir Mark Antony, and in 31 BC Mithridates personally led his forces to Actium in Greece in support of Antony in the war against Octavian, the future Roman Emperor Augustus. After the defeat of Antony however, Mithridates became a loyal ally to Augustus. Nevertheless, Augustus forced Mithridates to hand over to the Roman province of Syria, a village in Kurdish Commagene called Zeugma, which was a major crossing point of the Euphrates River. To show his support for Augustus, Mithridates dropped the title Philhellen ("friend of the Greeks") from his Aulic titulature and adopted the title Philorhomaios ("friend of the Romans") instead. Both titles were derived from the Royal Commagenean cult that Mithridates' late father had founded, and in which Mithridates played an important role. His other title Monocritis is an otherwise unattested title and was most likely a judicial function within the Royal Administration and a sign of his high social standing.

Mithridates also had a brother, Antiochus II of Commagene, who was also a prince of the kingdom. In 29 BC, his brother Antiochus II was summoned to Rome and executed by Roman Emperor Augustus, because Antiochus had caused the assassination of an ambassador whom Mithridates had sent to Rome.

According to an inscription on a funerary altar found in the Turkish village of Sofraz of a local wealthy leading family, which dates around the mid-1st century, the wife of Mithridates was a Greek woman called Laodice. The altar inscribes family members that stretch over 7 generations and includes the names of Mithridates, of his father and of his wife. When he died in 20 BC, his son with Laodice, Mithridates III of Commagene, succeeded him.