After bringing the Persian Empire to an end, Alexander the Great tries to rule the area through one of his military commanders.

But Ariarathes, a Persian aristocrat, somehow becomes king of the Cappadocians.

Ariarathes I (332—322 BCE) is a successful ruler, and he extends the borders of the Cappadocian Kingdom as far as to the Black Sea.

The kingdom of Cappadocia lives in peace until the death of Alexander.

The previous empire is then divided into many parts, and Cappadocia falls to Eumenes.

His claims are made good in 322 BCS by the regent Perdiccas, who crucifies Ariarathes; but in the dissensions which bring about Eumenes's death, the son of Ariarathes recovers his inheritance and leaves it to a line of successors, who mostly bear the name of the founder of the dynasty.Under Ariarathes IV, Cappadocia comes into relations with Rome, first as a foe espousing the cause of Antiochus the Great, then as an ally against Perseus of Macedon.

The kings henceforward throw in their lot with the Republic as against the Seleucids, to whom they have been from time to time tributary.

Ariarathes V marches with the Roman proconsul Publius Licinius Crassus Dives Mucianus against Aristonicus, a claimant to the throne of Pergamon, and their forces are annihilated (130 BCE).

The imbroglio which follows his death ultimately leads to interference by the rising power of Pontus and the intrigues and wars which end in the failure of the dynasty.

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