Phraates IV.

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Coin of Phraates IV .; on the back the ruler sits and Tyche stands in front of him, the date Seleucid era 278 = 35/4 BC can be found. Chr.

Phraates IV. Was a Parthian king who ruled from 38 BC. Until 2 BC Ruled.

Life

Phraates was the eldest son of Orodes II , who designated his son as his successor. To strengthen his position, Phraates IV murdered his father, brothers and son. Apparently he also raged against the Parthian nobles (at least that is the version of the anti-Parthian, Roman historiography), of whom a certain Monaeses fled to the Roman Empire and there persuaded the triumvir Marcus Antonius to undertake a campaign against the Parthians. Mark Antony actually prepared for a campaign and forced the Armenian king Artavasdes to an alliance with the Romans. 36 BC The campaign began with about 100,000 men, but ended in disaster. 32,000 soldiers are said to have been killed or taken into captivity. The Armenian ruler renounced the Romans.

Soon after, Phraates IV had to contend with domestic political difficulties. Tiridates II revolted against Phraates IV, who first had to retreat to the north of his empire, but was then able to drive Tiridates II into Syria in a counterattack . Tiridates II, however, managed to take a son of Phraates IV hostage, whom he handed over to the Romans.

In 26 BC Tiridates II returned and briefly conquered parts of Mesopotamia , but became 25 BC. Finally expelled from Parthia.

The Romans finally exchanged in 20 BC. The son of Phraates IV, held by them in captivity, against the standards that Phraates IV and his father Orodes II (see: Marcus Licinius Crassus ) had captured. In addition to the standards, in the course of this trade many Roman prisoners of war were handed over from the Parthians to the Romans and the Euphrates was established as the border between the two empires. During this exchange, Emperor Augustus also gave the ruler a slave named Musa , who Phraates IV later married. Musa persuaded Phraates IV to send four of his sons to Rome for training. In the year 2 BC In BC Musa poisoned her husband Phraates IV and made her son Phraates V king.

literature

Web links

Commons : Phraates IV.  - Collection of images

Remarks

  1. ↑ Marcus Junianus Iustinus , Epitoma historiarum Philippicarum 42.4.16-42.5.2.
  2. ↑ Plutarch , Antonius 37-52; Cassius Dio 49: 24-31.
predecessor Office successor
Orodes II King of the Parthian Empire
38–2 BC Chr. 		Phraates V.
personal data
SURNAME Phraates IV.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION King of the Parthian Empire
DATE OF BIRTH 1st century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 2 v. Chr.