Stratonice was of
Greek Macedonian and
Persian ancestry. She was the first child born to King
Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia and Queen
Antiochis. Her younger brothers were
Ariarathes V and
Orophernes. Her paternal grandparents were King
Ariarathes III and Queen
Stratonice of Cappadocia, while her maternal grandparents were the
Seleucid monarchs,
Antiochus III the Great and
Laodice III. She was born and raised in Cappadocia. In 188 BC, Cappadocia was accepted as a
Roman ally. Later that year, Stratonice married King
Eumenes II of Pergamon, based on an arrangement between her father and Eumenes II. On his return to Pergamon, Eumenes II was attacked near Cirrha and was thought at the time to have been killed. Attalus II appointed his nephew/stepson as his successor. In 153 BC, the succession was confirmed by the
Roman Senate. Stratonice and Attalus III had a very close relationship. During her reign with her second husband, her brother
Ariarathes V of Cappadocia was brought to their kingdom, because her other brother
Orophernes became King, and Orophernes was supported by their first cousin, the Seleucid King
Demetrius I Soter. During her reign as Queen of Pergamon, two statues were dedicated to Stratonice. One was set up at Pergamon and the other on the Greek island of
Delos. The Pergamene statue was dedicated by Attalus III. Most probably due to her family's connections in
Athens, the
Demos of Athens honoured Stratonice with a marble statue of her on Delos. The Greek sculptor
Damophon sculpted her statue free of charge. Both statues' inscriptions only state that Stratonice was the daughter of Ariarathes IV. Her Delian statue states on a bronze plaque "her virtue and goodwill toward it". Both statues of Stratonice identify her as the Queen of Pergamon and a queen of the
Attalid Dynasty. These two statues represented her political role in Pergamon. ==References==