List of rulers of the Parthian Empire
This list of rulers of the Parthian Empire contains all the rulers of the ancient Parthian Empire . It must be noted and taken into account that in older research (and also in some more recent representations) Arsakes II is listed as Artabanos I (see the article Artabanus in the Encyclopædia Iranica ). The following chronology is based on Josef Wiesehöfer , Das Früh Persien , Munich 1999. The common names of kings in German are the traditional Greek and Latin forms of names. Their actual names are listed under the Parthian Name column .
Ruler of the Parthian Empire
| Surname | parthian name | Term of office | Remarks | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsakes I. | Aršaka | 247-211 BC Chr. | Founder of the Parthian Empire in wars against the Seleucids and Greco-Bactrian Empire | |
| ( Tiridates I. ) | Tiridāta | Brother Arsakes' I, existence uncertain | ||
| Arsakes II. | Aršaka | 211-185 BC Chr. | War with many losses against Antiochus III. |
|
| Phriapatios | P'riapāta (Friapāta) | 185-170 BC Chr. | possibly a vassal of the Seleucids | |
| Phraates I. | P'rahāta (Frahāta) | 170-165 BC Chr. | Son of Phriapatios, conquest of further Seleucid territories, expansion of the empire to the Caspian Sea | |
| Mithridates I. | With'radāta | 165-132 BC Chr. | Conquest of western Iran , Media and parts of the Greco-Bactrian Empire, made Ctesiphon the capital |
|
| Phraates II. | P'rahāta (Frahāta) | 132-127 BC Chr. | Wars against Seleucids and in the east against nomads , fallen in the east |
|
| Bagasis | Bagāyāš | 127-126 BC Chr. | perhaps son of Phriapatios | |
| Artabanos I. | Artabān | 126-122 BC Chr. | perhaps Uncle Phraates II, fallen in the east, defection of the western provinces |
|
| Arsakes (X.) | Aršaka | 122-121 BC Chr. | Son of Artabanos I. | |
| Mithridates II | With'radāta | 121-91 BC Chr. | Son of Artabanos I, extended the western frontier of the empire to the Euphrates , wars in the east, war against Armenia , possibly extensive reforms in the administration |
|
| Gotarzes I. | Gotarz | 91-87 BC Chr. | Opposite king , ruled (proven) in Babylonia | |
| Mithridates III. | With'radāta | 87-80 BC Chr. | perhaps the son of Mithridates I. | |
| Orodes I. | Urūd | 80-76 BC Chr. | Son of Mithridates II, the circumstances of the rule unclear |
|
| Arsakes (XVI.) | Aršaka | 77-66 BC Chr. | Opposite king, perhaps son of Mithridates II. | |
| Sinatrukes | Sanatrūk | (93/92) 76-70 BC Chr. | possibly brother Phraates' II. will, of Scythians have been used |
|
| Phraates III. | P'rahāta (Frahāta) | 70-58 BC Chr. | Sinatrukes' son, arguments with Rome , murdered by his sons | |
| Mithridates IV. | With'radāta | (62) 58-54 BC Chr. | Son of Phraates III, ruler in Media and perhaps Babylonia , conflict with his brother Orodes II, is murdered by him | |
| Orodes II | Urūd | (58) 54-38 BC Chr. | Son of Phraates III, conflict with Mithridates IV ( see above ), Armenia becomes a vassal, battle of Carrhae , murdered by Phraates IV. |
|
| Pakoros I. | Pakūr | approx. 42–39 BC Chr. | Son of Orodes II. | |
| Phraates IV. | P'rahāta (Frahāta) | 38–2 BC Chr. | Son of Orodes II, murdered his brothers, war with Marcus Antonius , civil war with Tiridates II, agreement with Rome, murdered by Musa |
|
| Tiridates II | Tiridāta | 29-26 BC Chr. | Against king | |
| Phraates V. (Phraatakes) | P'rahāta (Frahāta) | 2 v. Chr. – 4 AD | Conflict with Rome over Armenia, further fate unclear | |
| Orodes III. | Urūd | 4-8 | supposedly elevated from the nobility, after Flavius Josephus murdered | |
| Vonones I. | Vonūn | 8-12 | Son of Phraates IV, expelled by Artabanos II, murdered | |
| Artabanos II. | Artabān | 12-38 | expelled Vonones I, probably stabilized the empire, civil war against Tiridates III. |
|
| Tiridates III. | Tiridāta | 35-36 | Grandson of Phraates IV., Civil war with Artabanos II. | |
| Vardanes | Vardān | 38-47 | Civil war with his brother Gotarzes II, murdered |
|
| Multiple dates | Counter-king, defeated by Gotarzes II. | |||
| Gotarzes II. | Gotarz | 40-51 | Civil war with his brother Vardanes, victory over Meherdates |
|
| Vonones II. | Vonūn | 51 |
|
|
| Sanabares | approx. 50-65 | Opposite king, possibly identical to an Indo-Parthian king of the same name | ||
| Vologaeses I. | Valgāš | 51-78 | Son of Vonones II, war with Rome over Armenia |
|
| Vardanes II. | Vardān | 54-58 | Against King, son of Vologaeses' I. |
|
| Pakoros II. | Pakūr | (78) 90-105 | Son of Vologaeses I, defeated opposing kings | |
| Vologaeses II. | Valgāš | 78-80 | Son of Vologaeses I, anti-king in Seleukeia on the Tigris , defeated by Pakoros | |
| Artabanos III. | Artabān | 80-90 | Son of Vologaeses I, anti-king in Seleukeia on the Tigris , defeated by Pakoros | |
| Vologaeses III. | Valgāš | 105-147 | Counter-king, then generally recognized king, war against Alans and perhaps against Kushan , further fate unclear | |
| Osroes I. | Xusraw | 109-128 | Brother Pakoros'II, war with Rome over Armenia, loss and recapture of large areas | |
| Parthamaspates | Pārt'āmāspāta | 116 | Son of Osroes I, anti-king | |
| Mithridates V. | With'radāta | 128-147 | ||
| Vologaeses IV. | Valgāš | 147-191 / 93 | Son of Mithridates V, war with Rome, spread of the Antonine plague | |
| Osroes II. | Xusraw | 190-208 | Against king |
|
| Vologaeses V. | Valgāš | 191 / 93-207 / 8 | War with Rome, temporary loss of Ctesiphons, civil unrest |
|
| Vologaeses VI. | Valgāš | 208-228 | Son of Vologaeses' V, war against Rome, civil war against his brother Artabanos IV. |
|
| Artabanos IV. | Artabān | 216-224 | Son of Vologaeses' V, civil war against his brother Vologaeses VI, who was probably defeated by him in 216, war with Rome, defeat against the Sassanids , end of the Parthian Empire |
|
literature
- Gholamreza F. Assar: Genealogy and Coinage of the Early Parthian Rulers II. A Revised Stemma. In: Parthica. Vol. 7, 2005, pp. 29-64, ( digital version (PDF; 3.13 MB) ).
- Gholamreza F. Assar: A Revised Parthian Chronology of the Period 165-91 BC. In: Electrum. Vol. 11, 2006, pp. 87–158, ( digital version (PDF; 6.31 MB) ).
- Gholamreza F. Assar: A Revised Parthian Chronology of the Period 91-55 BC. In: Parthica. Vol. 8, 2006, pp. 55-104, ( digital version (PDF; 1.13 MB) ).
- Gholamreza RF Assar: Arsaces IV (c. 170–168 BC) the 1st “Missing” Parthian King. In: Nāme-ye Irān-e Bāstan. Vol. 6, No. 1/2, 2006/2007, pp. 3–14, ( digital version (PDF; 1.6 MB) ).
- Adrian DH Bivar: The Political History of Iran under the Arsacids. In: The Cambridge History of Iran. Volume 3: Ehsan Yarshater (Ed.): The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian periods. Volume 1. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge et al. 1983, ISBN 0-521-20092-X , p. 21 ff.
Web links
Commons : Kings of the Parthian Empire - Collection of images, videos and audio files
