Prusias II of Bithynia
Prusias II "The Hunter" | |
---|---|
Prusias II, depicted on ancient Greek coins in the Altes Museum Berlin | |
KingofBithynia | |
Reign | 182 – 149 BC |
Predecessor | Prusias I |
Successor | Nicomedes II |
Born | c. 220 BC Bithynia (modern-dayTurkey) |
Died | 149 BC (aged 71) Nicomedia (modern-dayİzmit,Kocaeli,Turkey) |
Consort | Apame IV |
Issue |
|
Greek | Προυσίας |
Father | Prusias I |
Mother | Apama III |
Religion | Greek Polytheism |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Prusias_II%2C_King_of_Bithynia%2C_Reduced_to_Begging_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg/220px-Prusias_II%2C_King_of_Bithynia%2C_Reduced_to_Begging_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg)
Prusias II Cynegus(Greek:Προυσίας ὁ Κυνηγός; "the Hunter", c. 220 BC – 149 BC, reigned c. 182 BC – 149 BC) was the Greek king ofBithynia.He was the son and successor ofPrusias IandApama III.
Life[edit]
Prusias was born toPrusias IandApama IIIin 220 BC. His father died in 189 BC,[1]at which point he became the king of Bithynia. Prusias II joined with the king ofPergamon,Eumenes IIin a war against KingPharnaces I of Pontus(181–179 BC).[2]He later invaded the territories ofPergamon(156–154 BC), only to be defeated, with Pergamon insisting on heavy reparations, including 500 talents and "twenty decked ships".[3]
Prusias II married his maternal cousinApame IV,a sister ofPerseus of Macedonand a princess from theAntigonid dynasty,[4]by whom he had a son, Nicomedes II, and a daughter, Apama, who would marry Dyegilos,[5]son ofCotys IV,King ofThrace,and his wife, Semestra.
Prusias II was honoured by theAetolian Leaguewith astele at Delphion account of his behavior and benefactions towards them.[6]
Towards the end of his life, Prusias II had children by a later wife, and wanted to make them his heirs in place of Nicomedes.[7]He sent Nicomedes to Rome to ask its help in reducing the amount of these reparations, and directed the co-ambassador, Menas, to kill Nicomedes if the mission was unsuccessful.[8]Despite the failure of the mission, Nicomedes persuaded Menas to betray Prusias, and Nicomedes declared himself king.[9]Prusias had to renounce the kingship in favour of his son and was himself murdered in 149 BC.[10]
References[edit]
- ^Memnon.History of Heraclea Pontica.
- ^Oxford Reference.
- ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
The ambassadors decided that as a penalty he must transfer to Attalus twenty decked ships at once, and pay him 500 talents of silver within a certain time.
- ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
to whom Perseus, king of Macedonia, gave his sister in marriage
- ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
his son-in-law, Diegylis the Thracian
- ^Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum: 632 Pontica.
The league of Aetolians honours king Prousias son of king Prousias on account of his virtue and his benefactions towards them.
- ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
- ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
He sent Menas as his fellow ambassador, and told him if he should secure a remission of the payments to spare Nicomedes, but if not, to kill him at Rome.
- ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
- ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
Prusias fled to the temple of Zeus, where he was stabbed by some of the emissaries of Nicomedes.