Osroene
Osroene | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 132 BC–AD 638 | |||||||||
Map includes Osroene as a tributary kingdom of the Armenian Empire under Tigranes the Great | |||||||||
| Status | Kingdom, vassal state, province | ||||||||
| Capital | Edessa (modern-day Şanlıurfa, Turkey) | ||||||||
| Common languages | Aramaic (official) Koine Greek Arabic Persian Parthian Armenian | ||||||||
| Religion | Christianity c. 200 AD (State religion) (contested) | ||||||||
| Demonym(s) | Osroenian | ||||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||||
| King | |||||||||
| Historical era | Hellenistic Age | ||||||||
• Established | 132 BC | ||||||||
• Disestablished | AD 638 | ||||||||
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Osroene or Osrhoene (/ɒzˈriːniː/; Ancient Greek: Ὀσροηνή) was an ancient kingdom and region in Upper Mesopotamia. The Kingdom of Osroene, also known as the "Kingdom of Edessa" (Classical Syriac: ܡܠܟܘܬܐ ܕܒܝܬ ܐܘܪܗܝ / "Kingdom of Urhay"), according to the name of its capital city (now Şanlıurfa, Turkey), existed from the 2nd century BC, up to the 3rd century AD, and was ruled by the Arab Abgarid dynasty. Generally allied with the Parthians, the Kingdom of Osroene enjoyed semi-autonomy to complete independence from the years of 132 BC to AD 214. The kingdom's population was of mixed culture, being Syriac-speaking from the earliest times. The city's cultural setting was fundamentally Syriac, alongside strong Greek and Parthian influences, though some Arab cults were also attested at Edessa.
The ruling Arab Abgarid dynasty was deposed by the Romans during the reign of Roman Emperor Caracalla (r. 211–217), probably in 214 or 216, and Osroene was incorporated as a province, but it was briefly reestablished during the reign of Roman emperor Gordianus III (238–244). Christianity came early to Osroene. From 318, Osroene was a part of the Diocese of the East. By the 5th century, Edessa had become a main center of Syriac literature and learning. In 608, the Sasanian emperor, Khosrow II (r. 590–628), took Osroene. It was briefly reconquered by the Byzantines, but in 638 it fell to the Arab Muslims as part of the Muslim conquests.