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Prusias II of Bithynia

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Prusias II "The Hunter"
Prusias II, depicted on ancient Greek coins in the Altes Museum Berlin
KingofBithynia
Reign182 – 149 BC
PredecessorPrusias I
SuccessorNicomedes II
Bornc. 220 BC
Bithynia
(modern-dayTurkey)
Died149 BC (aged 71)
Nicomedia
(modern-dayİzmit,Kocaeli,Turkey)
ConsortApame IV
Issue
GreekΠρουσίας
FatherPrusias I
MotherApama III
ReligionGreek Polytheism
Prusias II, King of Bithynia, Reduced to Begging

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]

  1. ^Memnon.History of Heraclea Pontica.
  2. ^Oxford Reference.
  3. ^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.
  4. ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.to whom Perseus, king of Macedonia, gave his sister in marriage
  5. ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.his son-in-law, Diegylis the Thracian
  6. ^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.
  7. ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
  8. ^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.
  9. ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.
  10. ^Appian.The Mithridatic Wars.Prusias fled to the temple of Zeus, where he was stabbed by some of the emissaries of Nicomedes.
Preceded by King of Bithynia
182 BC – 149 BC
Succeeded by