Abdissares

Abdissares (also spelled Abdissar) was the first king of Adiabene, ruling sometime in the first half of the 2nd-century BC. He was initially considered to be the ruler of Sophene in scholarship, due to stylistic similarities between his coins and the ones in Commagene and Sophene. However, this has now been debunked. It has now been established that Abdissares' name—contrary to the Sophenian kings—was not of Iranian origin, but of Semitic, meaning "servant of Ishtar," a name primarily used by Semitic inhabitants. The goddess Ishtar enjoyed great popularity in heartland of ancient Assyria, where Adiabene was located.

Abdissares

Abdissares (also spelled Abdissar) was the first king of Adiabene, ruling sometime in the first half of the 2nd-century BC. He was initially considered to be the ruler of Sophene in scholarship, due to stylistic similarities between his coins and the ones in Commagene and Sophene. However, this has now been debunked. It has now been established that Abdissares' name—contrary to the Sophenian kings—was not of Iranian origin, but of Semitic, meaning "servant of Ishtar," a name primarily used by Semitic inhabitants. The goddess Ishtar enjoyed great popularity in heartland of ancient Assyria, where Adiabene was located.