Abgar VII.

Abgar VII was king of Osrhoene from about 109 to 116 AD with the capital Edessa, today's Şanlıurfa . It could be identical to Abgar bar Izât ("Abgar, son of Izates") mentioned in the Edessa chronicle .

Life

According to the ancient historian Arrian, Abgar VII is said to have bought back his empire from the Parthian king Pakoros II for a large sum of money around 109 AD . When the Roman emperor Trajan intended to undertake a campaign against the Parthians , Abgar sent him gifts to Antioch in the winter of 113/114 . With this gesture Abgar wanted to demonstrate his friendly relationship with Rome. But he avoided a personal meeting with Trajan for fear of the Parthians and tried to remain neutral. In 114 he sent his teenage son Arbandes to live with Trajan, and Arbandes soon gained the emperor's affection , according to Cassius Dio because of his extraordinary beauty. When Trajan, who evidently did not trust Abgar's loyalty insurances, advanced towards Edessa at the end of 114, Abgar met him personally with rich gifts and knew how to justify his ambiguous behavior in such a way that the emperor treated him on friendly terms. Thereupon he took care of Trajan's physical well-being in Edessa.

When Trajan was on his way back to the west after the conquest of Ctesiphon , the inhabitants of Edessa joined a general uprising of the Mesopotamians in AD 116, in the course of which the Roman garrisons were destroyed or driven out. But the Roman general Lusius Quietus conquered Edessa and had the city plundered and burned down. Nothing is known about Abgar's behavior in this revolt, including whether he was killed in it.

literature

Paul von Rohden : Abgar 7 . In: Paulys Realencyclopadie der classischen Antiquity Science (RE). Volume I, 1, Stuttgart 1893, column 94 f.
JB Segal: Abgar. In: Encyclopædia Iranica , Vol. 1 (1982), pp. 210-213 ( online )

Remarks

↑ Arrian, Parthika , Fragment 45 ed. Roos.
↑ Cassius Dio 68, 18, 1; Suda , s. Αὔγαρος, Φυλάρχης, Ὠνητή.
↑ Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 68, 21, 2; Suda, s. Ἄκρα, Ἐλλόβια.
↑ Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 68, 21; Suda, s. Ἔδεσα, Ἀπὸ θυμοῦ, Ὑφηγήσονται (= Ἀνθεμοῦς).
^ Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 68, 29, 4 and 68, 30, 2.

personal data
SURNAME	Abgar VII.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	King of Osrhoene
DATE OF BIRTH	1st century
DATE OF DEATH	2nd century

[1] Arrian, Parthika , Fragment 45 ed. Roos.

[2] Cassius Dio 68, 18, 1; Suda , s. Αὔγαρος, Φυλάρχης, Ὠνητή.

[3] Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 68, 21, 2; Suda, s. Ἄκρα, Ἐλλόβια.

[4] Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 68, 21; Suda, s. Ἔδεσα, Ἀπὸ θυμοῦ, Ὑφηγήσονται (= Ἀνθεμοῦς).

[5] Cassius Dio, Römische Geschichte 68, 29, 4 and 68, 30, 2.