Vardanes I
| Vardanes I | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings | |
 Coin of Vardanes I,Seleuciamint | |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 40 – 46 |
| Predecessor | Artabanus II |
| Successor | Gotarzes II |
| Died | 46 |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Artabanus II |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Vardanes Iwas a king of theParthian Empirefrom 40 to 46 AD. He was the heir apparent of his fatherArtabanus II(r. 12–40), but had to continually fight against his brotherGotarzes II,a rival claimant to the throne. Vardanes' short reign ended when he was assassinated while hunting at the instigation of a party of Parthian nobles.
Name[edit]
"Vardanes" (also spelled Bardanes) is theLatinattestation of theMiddle IraniannameWardān,meaning "rose". The name is transliterated inGreekasOrdanesὈρδάνηςandOrdonesὈρδώνης,and inHatran Aramaicas wrdn.[1]
Biography[edit]
Inc. 40 AD,Vardanes' father and reigningParthiankingArtabanus II(r. 12–40) died, entrusting his realm to Vardanes.[2]However, the throne was seized byGotarzes II,an adopted son of Artabanus II.[2][3]Gotarzes had another of his brothers, Artabanus, along with his wife and child, executed shortly after.[2]An uproar against this execution shortly followed, with an appeal being sent to Vardanes, who took Gotarzes by surprise and defeated him, after travelling 375 miles in two days.[2][4]Vardanes was supported by the governors of the neighbouring Parthian provinces, and quickly gained control over most of the Parthian realm.[2][4]
TheMesopotamiancity ofSeleucia,which had been in rebellion since 35 AD, did not acknowledge Vardanes, who then besieged the city.[2][5]However, the long siege of Seleucia resulted in Gotarzes gaining the upper hand in the conflict, allowing him to raise a new force and drive off Vardanes, who fled toBactriainCentral Asia.[2][6]A contemporary bust of a Parthian king was discovered at the ancient court of theYuezhis(earlyKushans) inKhalchayan,Bactria, suggesting that this may represent Vardanes as he sought refuge, and possibly an alliance, at the Yuezhi court.[7]
At the same time,Armeniasuffered turmoil, when itsArsacidkingOrodes,the brother of Vardanes, was deposed by theRomanemperorClaudius(r. 41–54), who appointed thePharnavazidprinceMithridatesin his stead.[8]
Just before Vardanes and Gotarzes clashed in battle, they reached an accord after Gotarzes informed Vardanes of a conspiracy being planned against them by a prominent group. Under the accord Vardanes was to keep his crown, while Gotarzes became the ruler ofHyrcania.[8][9]In June 42, Vardanes forced Seleucia to submit to the Parthians again after a rebellion of seven years.[10]He significantly reduced the autonomy of the city and removed its privilege to mint its own coins.[5]Around the same time, the Greek philosopherApollonius of Tyanavisited the court of Vardanes, who provided him with the protection of a caravan as he travelled to the realm of theIndo-Parthians.When Apollonius reached Indo-Parthia's capitalTaxila,his caravan leader read Vardanes' official letter, perhaps written in Parthian, to an Indian official who treated Apollonius with great hospitality.[11]
Encouraged by his recent triumphs, Vardanes prepared to invade and reconquer Armenia, but ultimately abandoned his plans, due to threats of war from the Roman governor ofSyria,Gaius Vibius Marsus,and the renewed conflict with Gotarzes, who had terminated their accord.[6]Vardanes defeated Gotarzes on the Erindes, a river situated on theMedia-Hyrcania border. He then proceeded to conquer the remaining Parthian provinces, reaching as far asAria.[8]Inc. 46he was assassinated while hunting at the instigation of a party of Parthian nobles, who feared that their status might become endangered.[6][12]
References[edit]
- ^Marcato 2018,p. 55.
- ^abcdefgBivar 1983,p. 75.
- ^Olbrycht 2016,p. 32.
- ^abTacitus,11.8.
- ^abLukonin 1983,p. 720.
- ^abcDąbrowa 2017,p. 178.
- ^Grenet, Frantz (2022).Splendeurs des oasis d'Ouzbékistan.Paris: Louvre Editions. p. 58.ISBN978-8412527858.
- ^abcBivar 1983,p. 76.
- ^Ellerbrock 2021,p. 51.
- ^Gregoratti 2017,p. 130;Dąbrowa 2012,p. 183;Lukonin 1983,p. 720
- ^Bivar 2007,p. 26.
- ^Gregoratti 2017,p. 131.
Bibliography[edit]
Ancient works[edit]
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.
- Bivar, A.D.H. (2007), "Gondophares and the Indo-Parthians", in Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh and Sarah Stewart (ed.),The Age of the Parthians: The Ideas of Iran,vol. 2, London & New York: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd., in association with the London Middle East Institute at SOAS and the British Museum, pp. 26–36,ISBN978-1-84511-406-0
- 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.Archived fromthe originalon 1 January 2019.Retrieved13 January2019.
- Dąbrowa, Edward (2017)."Tacitus on the Parthians".Electrum:171–189.
- Ellerbrock, Uwe (2021).The Parthians: The Forgotten Empire.Oxford: Routledge.ISBN978-0367481902.
- Gregoratti, Leonardo (2017). "The Arsacid Empire". In Daryaee, Touraj (ed.).King of the Seven Climes: A History of the Ancient Iranian World (3000 BCE - 651 CE).UCI Jordan Center for Persian Studies. pp. 1–236.ISBN9780692864401.
- Lukonin, V.G. (1983). "Political, Social and Administrative Institutions: Taxes and Trade". InYarshater, Ehsan(ed.).The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 3(2): The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 681–746.ISBN0-521-24693-8.
- Marcato, Enrico (2018).Personal Names in the Aramaic Inscriptions of Hatra.Digital Publishing.ISBN9788869692314.
- 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.
Further reading[edit]
- Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2012)."The Political-Military Strategy of Artabanos/Ardawān II in AD 34–371".Anabasis. Studia Classica et Orientalia:215–237.
- Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2014)."The Genealogy of Artabanos II (AD 8/9–39/40), King of Parthia".Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica:92–97.doi:10.5604/20842937.1134333(inactive 14 March 2024).
{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of March 2024 (link) - Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2015)."Arsacid Iran and the nomads of Central Asia – Ways of cultural transfer".Bonn Contributions to Asian Archaeology:333–390.