Ariarathes was king of Cappadocia in Asia Minor from 163 to 130 BC. Educated in Rome, Ariarathes used Roman ideas and became a close ally of the Romans. Because of his Roman ties, he declined a proposal to marry the sister of the Syrian king, Demetrius Soter. Syria then declared war on him and drove him from his throne.
After fleeing to Rome in 158 BC, Ariarathes was restored to the throne of Cappadocia. In response to Simon Maccabeus, the Romans wrote to Ariarathes and several other rulers in 139 BC to guide these rulers' treatment of the Jews. The Roman letter entreats rulers to be kind to the Jews and "do them no harm, nor fight against them" (1 Maccabees 15:16–19, 22).