Phraates IV
Phraates IV 𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕 | |
---|---|
Great King,King of Kings,Arsaces | |
King of theParthian Empire | |
Reign | 37–2 BC |
Predecessor | Orodes II |
Successor | Phraates VandMusa |
Died | 2 BC |
Spouse | Olennieire, Cleopatra, Baseirta, Bistheibanaps, Musa |
Issue | Vonones I, Phraates, Seraspandes, Rhodaspes, Karen, Phraates V |
Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
Father | Orodes II |
Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Phraates IV(also spelledFrahad IV;Parthian:𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕Frahāt) wasKing of Kingsof theParthian Empirefrom 37 to 2 BC. He was the son and successor ofOrodes II(r. 57–37 BC), and was given the throne after the death of his brotherPacorus I.Phraates IV soon murdered all his brothers, and also possibly his father. His actions alienated the Armenians and also some of his nobles, including the distinguishedMonaeses,who fled to theRomantriumvirMark Antony,but shortly returned and reconciled with Phraates IV.
Phraates IVwas attackedin 36 BC by Mark Antony, who marched throughArmeniaintoMedia Atropatene,and was defeated and lost the greater part of his army. Antony, believing himself betrayed byArtavasdes II,king of Armenia, invaded his kingdom in 34 BC, took him prisoner, and concluded a treaty withArtavasdes I,king of Media Atropatene. But when the war withOctavianbroke out, Antony could not maintain his conquests; Phraates IV recovered Media Atropatene and madeArtaxias,the son of Artavasdes II, king of Armenia.
Around the same time, Phraates IV's throne was usurped byTiridates II,but he quickly managed to reestablish his rule with the aid ofScythiannomads. Tiridates fled to the Romans, taking one of Phraates IV's sons with him. In negotiations conducted in 20 BC, Phraates IV arranged for the release of his kidnapped son. In return, the Romans received the lostlegionary standardstaken atCarrhaein 53 BC, as well as any surviving prisoners of war. The Parthians viewed this exchange as a small price to pay to regain the prince.
Along with the prince, Octavian (now known as Augustus) gave Phraates IV an Italian slave-girl namedMusa,who quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (Phraates V). Seeking to secure the throne for her son, Musa convinced Phraates IV to send his four first-born sons (Vonones,Phraates,Seraspandes and Rhodaspes) toRomein order to prevent conflict over his succession. In 2 BC, Musa had Phraates IV poisoned and made herself along with Phraates V the co-rulers of the empire.
Name
[edit]Phraátēs(Φραάτης) is theGreekform of theParthianFrahāt(𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕), itself from theOld Iranian*Frahāta-( "gained, earned" ).[1]TheModern Persianversion isFarhād(فرهاد).[2]
Consolidation of power
[edit]In 38 BC, the heir to the Parthian throne,Pacorus Iwas defeated and killed at theBattle of Mount Gindarusby aRomanforce. His death spurred a succession crisis in whichOrodes II(r. 57–37 BC), deeply afflicted by the death of his favourite son, relinquished the throne to his other son Phraates IV.[3]Orodes II died soon afterwards. His cause of death is uncertain. According toCassius Dio,he had either died of grief due to Pacorus' death, or of old age.[4]Plutarch,however, states that Orodes was murdered by Phraates IV.[4]Fearing that his position might become endangered, Phraates IV executed all his half-brothers–the sons of Orodes and hisCommagenianwifeLaodice,partially due to their maternal descent being greater than that of his own.[5]Laodice was probably killed as well.[6]
Phraates IV also had supporters of his brothers and his own opponents sent into exile; one of them,Monaeses,a Parthian nobleman who had distinguished himself as a military leader under Orodes II, fled to Syria, where he took refuge with the RomantriumvirMark Antony.[7]There Monaeses urged him to attack Parthia, and promised him to spearhead the troops and conquer the empire without any difficulties.[8][4]Antony granted Monaeses three cities—Larissa,HierapolisandArethusa,and promised him the Parthian throne.[8][9]Around the same time, Antony had restored Roman rule inJerusalem,and executed the Parthian puppet kingAntigonus II Mattathias,who was succeeded byHerod the Great.[4]The relations between Parthia andArmeniahad also been damaged, due to the death of Pacorus I (who was married into the Armenian royal house) and Phraates IV's treatment of his brothers and some of the nobility, which upset the Armenians.[10]The Parthians took the defection of Monaeses very serious, and as a result Phraates IV invited Monaeses back to the country and reconciled with him.[8]
War with Mark Antony
[edit]The following year, when Antony marched toTheodosiopolis,Artavasdes II of Armeniadefected to the Roman side by sending Antony additional troops. AntonyinvadedMedia Atropatene,then ruled by Parthia's allyArtavasdes I,with the intention of seizing the capital Praaspa, the location of which is now unknown. However, Phraates IV ambushed Antony's rear detachment, destroying a giantbattering rammeant forthe siegeof Praaspa; after this, Artavasdes II abandoned Antony's forces.[11]The Parthians pursued and harassed Antony's army as it fled to Armenia. Eventually, the greatly weakened force reached Syria.[12]
The defeat of Antony, along with that of Crassus atCarrhaein 53 BC, would be remembered by Romans for a long period, and often incited them to invade Parthia in later events.[13]After this, Antony lured Artavasdes II into a trap with the promise of a marriage alliance. He was taken captive in 34 BC, paraded in Antony's mockRoman triumphinAlexandria,Egypt,[14]and eventually executed byCleopatra VIIof thePtolemaic Kingdom.[15]Antony attempted to strike an alliance with Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene, whose relations with Phraates IV had recently soured. This was abandoned when Antony and his forces withdrew from Armenia in 33 BC; they escaped a Parthian invasion while Antony's rival Octavian attacked his forces to the west.[16]According to Cassius Dio, Phraates IV murdered the Commagenian KingAntiochus Iinc. 31 BC.[17]Following Antony's suicide in Egypt followed by that ofhis wife Cleopatrain 30 BC,[18]the Parthian allyArtaxias IIreassumed the throne of Armenia.
Brief overthrow, diplomatic correspondence with Augustus and death
[edit]Following the defeat of Antony andCleopatraofPtolemaic Egyptat theBattle of Actiumin 31 BC, Octavian consolidated his political power and in 27 BC was namedAugustusby theRoman Senate,becoming the firstRoman emperor.[19]Around this time,Tiridates II of Parthiabriefly overthrew Phraates IV, who was able to quickly reestablish his rule with the aid of Scythian nomads.[20]Tiridates fled to the Romans, taking one of Phraates IV's sons with him. In negotiations conducted in 20 BC, Phraates IV arranged for the release of his kidnapped son. In return, the Romans received the lostlegionary standardstaken atCarrhaein 53 BC, as well as any surviving prisoners of war.[21]The Parthians viewed this exchange as a small price to pay to regain the prince.[22]Augustus hailed the return of the standards as a political victory over Parthia; this propaganda was celebrated in the minting of new coins, thebuilding of a new templeto house the standards, and even in fine art such as thebreastplatescene on his statueAugustus of Prima Porta.[23]
Along with the prince, Augustus gave Phraates IV an Italian slave-girl namedMusa,who quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (Phraates V).[24]Emma Strugnell (2008) has suggested that Augustus' choice to send Musa may have been an attempt to obtain information or influence the Parthian king to the advantage of the Romans.[25]She further adds that "Augustus could potentially launch a punitive invasion against Parthia, with the probable aim of converting it into a Roman province."[26]According to theParchments of Avroman,Phraates IV had already at least four other queens at that time: Olennieire, Cleopatra, Baseirta and Bistheibanaps.[27]
Seeking to secure the throne for her son, Musa convinced Phraates IV in 10/9 BC to send his four first-born sons (Vonones,Phraates,Seraspandes and Rhodaspes) toRomein order to prevent conflict over his succession.[28]Again, Augustus used this as propaganda depicting the submission of Parthia to Rome, listing it as a great accomplishment in hisRes Gestae Divi Augusti.[29]In 2 BC, Musa had the aged Phraates IV poisoned and made herself along with Phraates V the co-rulers of the empire.[30]
Coinage
[edit]Under Phraates IV and his father, the production of coins reached its zenith, with the only Parthian ruler having similar numbers beingMithridates II(r. 124–88 BC).[31]Phraates IV mostly kept the same style of Parthian coinage that was used under his father.[32]The obverse of his coins portrays him with short hair and beard, along with a visible moustache.[32]According to the modern historian Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, the portrait greatly resembles theShami statue,discovered in the Bakhtiari mountains in southwestern Iran, and currently stored in theNational Museum of IraninTehran.[33]Abird of preyis present behind his head, which is associated with thekhvarenah,i.e. kingly glory.[34]The bird, possibly a symbol of the bird of the deityVerethragna,is holding adiadem,awreathor a ring.[34]
The reverse depicts a seated archer wearing a soft cap (bashlyk) and sitting on a throne. Curtis notes its close resemblance to the thrones of theAchaemenidmonarchs portrayed on the rock reliefs atPersepolis.[35]Other reverse of his coins, however depicts an investiture scene, where Orodes is receiving a scepter by the Greek goddessTyche.[32][33]In the Parthian era, Iranians used Hellenistic iconography to portray their divine figures,[36][37]thus the investiture scene can be associated with thekhvarenah,with Tyche being either a representation ofAnahitaorAshi.[38]The titling of Phraates IV on his coinage was: "[coin] of the King of Kings,Arsakes,Just, Benefactor, Illustrious,Philhellene."[39]
Family
[edit]Marriages
[edit]Phraates IV had the following wives:[40]
- Olennieire
- Cleopatra
- Baseirta
- Bistheibanaps
- Musa
Issue
[edit]- Vonones I,eldest son and Parthian King from 8 to 12. Subsequently King ofArmeniafrom 12 to 18.
- Phraates,one of his first-born sons, attempted to take the Parthian throne fromArtabanus IIin 35.[41]
- Seraspandes, one of his first-born sons, sent toRome,where he remained till his death.[42]
- Rhodaspes, one of his first-born sons, sent to Rome, where he remained till his death.[42]
- Karen,the eponymous founder of theHouse of Karen,one of theSeven Great Houses of Iran.[43]
- Unnamed daughter, who was the wife of aDahaeprince and mother of Artabanus II.[44]
- Phraataces (Phraates V), Parthian King from 2 BC to 4 AD.[45]
References
[edit]- ^Schmitt 2005.
- ^Kia 2016,p. 160.
- ^Bivar 1983,p. 58;Brosius 2006,p. 96;Kennedy 1996,pp. 80–81; see alsoStrugnell 2006,pp. 239, 245–246
- ^abcdBivar 1983,p. 58.
- ^Dąbrowa 2018,pp. 80–81.
- ^Boyce & Grenet 1991,p. 313.
- ^Russell 1987,p. 125;Bivar 1983,p. 58
- ^abcCassius Dio,Book 49, 24.1.
- ^Plutarch,vol IX. 37.1.
- ^Russell 1987,p. 125.
- ^Bivar 1983,pp. 58–59.
- ^Bivar 1983,pp. 60–63;Garthwaite 2005,p. 80;Curtis 2007,p. 13; see alsoKennedy 1996,p. 81 for analysis on Rome's shift of attention away from Syria to the Upper Euphrates, starting with Antony.
- ^Bivar 1983,p. 66.
- ^Roller 2010,p. 99
- ^Burstein 2004,p. 31;Bivar 1983,pp. 64–65;Bivar 1983,pp. 64–65
- ^Bivar 1983,pp. 64–65.
- ^Widengren 1986,pp. 135–136.
- ^Roller 2010,pp. 145–151.
- ^Roller 2010,pp. 138–151;Bringmann 2007,pp. 304–307
- ^Bivar 1983,pp. 65–66
- ^Garthwaite 2005,p. 80; see alsoStrugnell 2006,pp. 251–252
- ^Bivar 1983,pp. 66–67
- ^Brosius 2006,pp. 96–97, 136–137;Bivar 1983,pp. 66–67;Curtis 2007,pp. 12–13
- ^Kia 2016,p. 198;Schippmann 1986,pp. 525–536
- ^Strugnell 2008,p. 283.
- ^Bigwood 2008,p. 283.
- ^Strugnell 2008,p. 283 (see also note 36);Bigwood 2008,pp. 244–245
- ^Kia 2016,p. 198;Strugnell 2008,pp. 284–285;Dąbrowa 2012,p. 173;Schippmann 1986,pp. 525–536
- ^Bivar 1983,p. 67;Brosius 2006,pp. 96–99
- ^Kia 2016,p. 199;Richardson 2012,p. 161;Bivar 1983,p. 68
- ^Metcalf 2016,p. 284.
- ^abcRezakhani 2013,p. 771.
- ^abCurtis 2012,p. 71.
- ^abCurtis 2016,p. 184.
- ^Curtis 2007,p. 419.
- ^Curtis 2012,p. 76–77.
- ^Boyce 1984,p. 82.
- ^Curtis 2012,p. 71;Olbrycht 2016,p. 99;Curtis 2016,p. 183
- ^Bigwood 2004,p. 60.
- ^Brosius 2000.
- ^Dąbrowa 2017,pp. 175–176.
- ^abStrugnell 2008,pp. 284–285.
- ^Pourshariati 2017.
- ^Olbrycht 2014,pp. 94–96.
- ^Kia 2016,p. 199;Dąbrowa 2012,p. 174
Bibliography
[edit]Ancient works
[edit]- Cassius Dio,Roman History
- Plutarch,Parallel Lives
Modern works
[edit]- Bivar, A.D.H. (1983). "The Political History of Iran Under the Arsacids". InYarshater, Ehsan(ed.).The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 3(1): The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.pp. 21–99.ISBN0-521-20092-X.
- Bigwood, J. M. (2004). "Queen Mousa, Mother and Wife(?) of King Phraatakes of Parthia: A Re-evaluation of the Evidence".Journal of the Classical Association of Canada.4(1). Project Muse: 35–70.doi:10.1353/mou.2004.0027.S2CID164436127.
- Bigwood, Joan M. (2008). "Some Parthian Queens in Greek and Babylonian Documents".Iranica Antiqua.43:235–274.doi:10.2143/IA.43.0.2024050.
- Boyce, Mary(1984).Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices.Psychology Press. pp. 1–252.ISBN9780415239028.
- Boyce, Mary; Grenet, Frantz (1991). Beck, Roger (ed.).A History of Zoroastrianism, Zoroastrianism under Macedonian and Roman Rule.Leiden: Brill.ISBN978-9004293915.
- Brosius, Maria (2000). "Women i. In Pre-Islamic Persia".Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition.New York.
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:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Brosius, Maria (2006),The Persians: An Introduction,London & New York: Routledge,ISBN978-0-415-32089-4
- Bringmann, Klaus (2007) [2002].A History of the Roman Republic.Translated by W. J. Smyth. Cambridge: Polity Press.ISBN978-0-7456-3371-8.
- Burstein, Stanley M. (2004),The Reign of Cleopatra,Westport, CT: Greenwood Press,ISBN978-0-313-32527-4.
- Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh (2007)."Religious Iconography on Ancient Iranian coins".Journal of Late Antiquity.London: 413–434.
- Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh (2012)."Parthian Coins: Kingship and Divine Glory":67–83.
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(help) - Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh (2016). "Ancient Iranian Motifs and Zoroastrian Iconography". In Williams, Markus; Stewart, Sarah; Hintze, Almut (eds.).The Zoroastrian Flame Exploring Religion, History and Tradition.I.B. Tauris. pp. 179–203.ISBN9780857728159.
- Dąbrowa, Edward (2012). "The Arsacid Empire". InDaryaee, Touraj(ed.).The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History.Oxford University Press. pp. 1–432.ISBN978-0-19-987575-7.
- Dąbrowa, Edward (2017)."Tacitus on the Parthians":171–189.
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(help) - Dąbrowa, Edward (2018)."Arsacid Dynastic Marriages".Electrum.25:73–83.doi:10.4467/20800909EL.18.005.8925.
- Garthwaite, Gene Ralph (2005),The Persians,Oxford & Carlton: Blackwell Publishing, Ltd.,ISBN978-1-55786-860-2.
- Kia, Mehrdad (2016).The Persian Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes].ABC-CLIO.ISBN978-1610693912.
- Kennedy, David(1996), "Parthia and Rome: Eastern Perspectives", in Kennedy, David L.; Braund, David (eds.),The Roman Army in the East,Ann Arbor: Cushing Malloy Inc., Journal of Roman Archaeology: Supplementary Series Number Eighteen, pp. 67–90,ISBN978-1-887829-18-2
- Metcalf, William E. (2016).The Oxford Handbook of Greek and Roman Coinage.Oxford: Oxford University Press.ISBN9780199372188.
- Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2014)."The Genealogy of Artabanos II (AD 8/9–39/40), King of Parthia":92–97.
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(help) - Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2016). "Dynastic Connections in the Arsacid Empire and the Origins of the House of Sāsān". In Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh; Pendleton, Elizabeth J.; Alram, Michael; Daryaee, Touraj (eds.).The Parthian and Early Sasanian Empires: Adaptation and Expansion.Oxbow Books.ISBN9781785702082.
- Pourshariati, Parvaneh (2017). "Kārin".Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition.New York.
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:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Rezakhani, Khodadad(2013). "Arsacid, Elymaean, and Persid Coinage". In Potts, Daniel T. (ed.).The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0199733309.
- Richardson, J.S. (2012).Augustan Rome 44 BC to AD 14: The Restoration of the Republic and the Establishment of the Empire.Edinburgh University Press.ISBN978-0-7486-1954-2.
- Roller, Duane W. (2010),Cleopatra: A Biography,Oxford: Oxford University Press,ISBN978-0-19-536553-5.
- Russell, James R.(1987).Zoroastrianism in Armenia.Harvard University Press.ISBN978-0674968509.
- Schippmann, K. (1986)."Arsacids ii. The Arsacid Dynasty".Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, Vol. II, Fasc. 5.pp. 525–536.
- Schmitt, Rüdiger (2005)."Personal Names, Iranian iv. Parthian Period".Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition.New York.
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:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Strugnell, Emma (2006), "Ventidius' Parthian War: Rome's Forgotten Eastern Triumph",Acta Antiqua,46(3): 239–252,doi:10.1556/AAnt.46.2006.3.3
- Strugnell, Emma (2008). "Thea Musa, Roman Queen of Parthia".Iranica Antiqua.43:275–298.doi:10.2143/IA.43.0.2024051.
- Widengren, G. (1986)."Antiochus of Commagene".Encyclopædia Iranica, online edition, Vol. II, Fasc. 2.pp. 135–136.
Further reading
[edit]- Dąbrowa, Edward (2007)."The Parthian Kingship":123–134.
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(help) - Dąbrowa, Edward (2010)."Arsakes Epiphanes. Were the Arsacids Deities" Revealed "?":223–231.
{{cite journal}}
:Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Dąbrowa, Edward (2013)."The Parthian Aristocracy: Its Social Position and Political Activity":53–62.
{{cite journal}}
:Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Marciak, Michał (2017).Sophene, Gordyene, and Adiabene: Three Regna Minora of Northern Mesopotamia Between East and West.BRILL.ISBN9789004350724.
- Olbrycht, Marek Jan (1997)."Parthian King's tiara - Numismatic evidence and some aspects of Arsacid political ideology".2:27–61.
{{cite journal}}
:Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2015)."Arsacid Iran and the nomads of Central Asia – Ways of cultural transfer".Complexity of Interaction Along the Eurasian Steppe Zone in the First Millenium Ce, Edited by Jan Bemmann, Michael Schmauder (Bonn Contributions to Asian Archaeology, Volume 7) Bonn 2015 [Vor- und Fruhgeschichtliche Archäologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn]:333–390.
- Shayegan, M. Rahim (2011).Arsacids and Sasanians: Political Ideology in Post-Hellenistic and Late Antique Persia.Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–539.ISBN9780521766418.