Vonones II
| Vonones II | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings | |
 Coin of Vonones II | |
| King ofMedia Atropatene | |
| Reign | 11 – 51 |
| Predecessor | Artabanus II |
| Successor | Pacorus |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 51 |
| Predecessor | Gotarzes II |
| Successor | Vologases I |
| Died | 51 AD |
| Spouse | “Greek concubine” (paelex Graeca), mother of king Vologeses I[1] |
| Issue | Vologases I Pacorus Tiridates I of Armenia |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | unnamedDahaeprince |
| Mother | unnamed daughter ofPhraates IV |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Vonones II(died 51 AD) was aParthianprince who ruled as king ofMedia Atropateneand briefly as king of theParthian Empire.
Vonones was not from the ruling branch of the Arsacid royal family. His father was aDahaeprince, who was most likely descended from the former Arsacid monarchMithridates II(r. 124–88 BC),[2][3]whilst his mother was a daughter of the ArsacidKing of KingsPhraates IV(r. 37–2 BC).[3]Vonones II's brother was the Parthian KingArtabanus II.[2]
From about 11 AD until 51 AD, Vonones II ruled as king ofMedia Atropatene,[4][5]a period about which little is known.
After the death of his nephew Gotarzes II, Vonones II became king of the Parthian Empire in 51 AD. However, he died a few months into his reign and was succeeded by his son,Vologases I.Tacitus wrote that Vonones II “knew neither success nor failure which have deserved to be remembered to him. It was a short and inglorious reign”.[4]
Vonones II had 3 sons who, respectively, held the thrones of Parthia, Media Atropatene and Armenia:Pacorus,[6]Vologases I,[4]andTiridates I.[7]
References[edit]
- ^Tacitus (Ann. 12.44.2)
- ^abOlbrycht 2016,p. 24.
- ^abOlbrycht 2014,pp. 94–96.
- ^abcTacitus,Annals,12.14
- ^Bunson,A Dictionary of the Roman Empire,p.454
- ^Schippmann 1987,p. 221–224.
- ^Tacitus,Annals,13.7
Sources[edit]
- Josephus,Antiquities of the Jews,xx, 3, 4.
- Tacitus,Annals
- Meyer, Eduard(1911)..InChisholm, Hugh(ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 211.
- M. Bunson,A Dictionary of the Roman Empire,Oxford University Press, 1995
- W. Woodthorpe Tarn,The Greeks in Bactria and India,Cambridge University Press, 2010
- Olbrycht, Marek Jan (2014)."The Genealogy of Artabanos II (AD 8/9–39/40), King of Parthia".Miscellanea Anthropologica et Sociologica.15(3): 92–97.doi:10.5604/20842937.1134333(inactive 2024-05-08).
{{cite journal}}:CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of May 2024 (link) - 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.
- Schippmann, K. (1987). "Azerbaijan iii. Pre-Islamic History".Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III, Fasc. 2.pp. 221–224.