Pharnacids

The Pharnacids were an ancient noble family in the Persian empire of the Achaemenids in the 5th and 4th centuries BC.

The family itself forms a side branch of the Achaemenids, descended from Pharnakes . He was a younger son of Arshama I , as well as the brother of Hystaspes and thus an uncle of the later Great King Darius I , whom he also served as court marshal.

As de facto hereditary provincial governors ( satraps ), the Pharnacids exercised the Persian rule in Phrygia (today Anatolia) and after its division in the Hellespontischen Phrygia / Kleinphrygien (today northwest Turkey). Their residence was Daskyleion . They lost their province in 353 BC. After several participations in revolts against the great king. The last Pharnacids were initially opponents, then supporters of Alexander the great .

Known male members of the family were:

• Pharnakes I.
• Artabazos I , son of Pharnakes I.
• Pharnabazos I. , son of Artabazos I.
• Pharnakes II , son of Pharnabazos I.
• Pharnabazos II. († after 373 BC), son of Pharnakes II.
• Ariobarzanes († 363/362 BC), son of Pharnabazos II.
• Ariobarzanes of Kios , son of Ariobarzanes , satrap of Phrygia (363–337 BC)
• Mithridates , brother of Ariobarzanes of Kios
• Artabazos II. († 325), brother of Ariobarzanes
• Pharnabazus III. († after 321 BC), son of Artabazos II.

Probable family members were:

• Mithridates , satrap of Phrygia, brother of Ariobarzanes von Kios and son of an Ariobarzanes
• Mithridates Ktistes , presumably son of Mithridates and founder of the kingdom of Pontus, probably also identical with Mithridates, son of Ariobarzanes (meaning the uncle Ariobarzanes of Kios , son of Ariobarzanes , satrap of Phrygia (363–337 BC))

• Pharnakes († 334 BC), brother-in-law of Darius III, died in the Battle of Granicus
• Ariobarzanes († 330 BC), satrap of Persis

Well-known female members of the family were:

• Barsine († 309 BC), daughter of Artabazos II , wife of the Rhodians Mentor and Memnon , as well as lover of Alexander and mother of the illegitimate son Heracles
• Artakama, daughter of Artabazos II and wife of Ptolemy I.
• Artonis, daughter of Artabazos II and wife of Eumenes von Kardia

Other family members mentioned were:

• Susamithres, uncle of Pharnabazos II.
• Magaios, brother of Pharnabazos II, murderer of Alcibiades

literature

• Heidemarie Koch : Dareios the King heralds ... On life in the Persian Empire , von Zabern, Mainz 1992 ( cultural history of the ancient world ; vol. 55) ISBN 3-8053-1347-0