ps ic er am us ▁II ▁Sam ps ic er am us ▁I ▁was ▁the ▁found ing ▁Pri est - K ing ▁of ▁the ▁Em es ene ▁dynast y ▁who ▁lived ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 st ▁century ▁BC ▁and ▁was ▁a ▁trib al ▁ch ie ft ain ▁or ▁Ph yl arch . ▁The ▁ancest ors ▁of ▁Sam ps ic er am us ▁I ▁were ▁Bed ou ins ▁who ▁had ▁travel led ▁the ▁Sy rian ▁terrain , ▁before ▁dec iding ▁to ▁sett le ▁in ▁the ▁Or ont es ▁Valley ▁and ▁South ▁of ▁the ▁Ap ame a ▁region . ▁Sam ps ic er am us ▁I , ▁his ▁family ▁and ▁his ▁ancest ors ▁in ▁Sy ria ▁had ▁lived ▁under ▁the ▁Greek ▁rule ▁of ▁the ▁Sele uc id ▁Empire . ▁Sam ps ic er am us ▁I ▁was ▁a ▁son ▁of ▁Az iz ▁( Az iz us , ▁c . ▁ 9 4   BC ); ▁pat ernal ▁grand son ▁of ▁I amb lich us ▁( c . ▁ 1 5 1   BC ) ▁and ▁there ▁was ▁a ▁possibility ▁he ▁may ▁have ▁had ▁a ▁brother ▁called ▁P to le ma eus ▁( c . ▁ 4 1   BC ) ▁who ▁may ▁have ▁had ▁descend ants ▁through ▁his ▁son . ▁ ▁In ▁Em esa , ▁Ar ama ic ▁and ▁Greek ▁were ▁commonly ▁spoken ▁languages ▁and ▁later ▁Latin ▁was ▁probably ▁commonly ▁spoken ▁in ▁the ▁city . ▁Through ▁the ▁rule ▁and ▁influence ▁of ▁the ▁Sele uc id ▁dynast y ▁and ▁Greek ▁settlement ▁in ▁the ▁Sele uc id