Gotarzes II of Parthia
Encyclopedia
Gotarzes II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire
intermittently between about 40 and 51. He was the son of Artabanus II
and when his father died in about 38 and his brother Vardanes I
succeeded to the throne, Gotarzes rebelled.
He soon made himself detested by his cruelty — among many other murders he even slew his brother Artabanus and his whole family — and Vardanes regained the throne; Gotarzes fled to Hyrcania
and gathered an army from the Dahae
nomads. The war between the two kings was at last ended by a treaty, as both were afraid of the conspiracies of their nobles. Gotarzes returned to Hyrcania. But when Vardanes was assassinated in about 47, Gotarzes was acknowledged in the whole empire.
Gotarzes then added to his coins the usual Parthian titles, "king of kings Arsaces the benefactor, the just, the illustrious (Epiphanes), the friend of the Greeks (Philhellen)", without mentioning his proper name.
The discontent excited by his cruelty and luxury induced the hostile party to apply to the Roman emperor
Claudius
to fetch from Rome
an Arsacid prince Meherdates, who lived there as hostage. Meherdates crossed the Euphrates
in 49, but was beaten and taken prisoner by Gotarzes, who cut off his ears.
Soon afterwards Gotarzes died, according to Tacitus
, of an illness; Josephus
says that he was murdered. His last coin is dated from June 51. He was succeeded briefly by Vonones II
(probably his brother) and then by Vonones' son Vologases I
.
Parthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
intermittently between about 40 and 51. He was the son of Artabanus II
Artabanus II of Parthia
Artabanus II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from about AD 10 to 38. He was the son of a princess of the Arsacid Dynasty, who lived in the East among the Dahan nomads...
and when his father died in about 38 and his brother Vardanes I
Vardanes I of Parthia
Vardanes I of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire from about 40–45. He succeeded his father Artabanus II, but had to continually fight against Gotarzes II, a rival claimant to the throne....
succeeded to the throne, Gotarzes rebelled.
Hyrcania
Hyrcania was the name of a satrapy located in the territories of present day Gilan, Golestan, Mazandaran and part of Turkmenistan, lands south of the Caspian Sea. To the Greeks, the Caspian Sea was the "Hyrcanian Sea".-Etymology:...
and gathered an army from the Dahae
Dahae
The Dahae , or Dahaeans were a confederacy of three Ancient Iranian tribes who lived in the region to the immediate east of the Caspian Sea. They spoke an Eastern Iranian language.-Records:...
nomads. The war between the two kings was at last ended by a treaty, as both were afraid of the conspiracies of their nobles. Gotarzes returned to Hyrcania. But when Vardanes was assassinated in about 47, Gotarzes was acknowledged in the whole empire.
Gotarzes then added to his coins the usual Parthian titles, "king of kings Arsaces the benefactor, the just, the illustrious (Epiphanes), the friend of the Greeks (Philhellen)", without mentioning his proper name.
The discontent excited by his cruelty and luxury induced the hostile party to apply to the Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
Claudius
Claudius
Claudius , was Roman Emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul and was the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy...
to fetch from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
an Arsacid prince Meherdates, who lived there as hostage. Meherdates crossed the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
in 49, but was beaten and taken prisoner by Gotarzes, who cut off his ears.
Soon afterwards Gotarzes died, according to Tacitus
Tacitus
Publius Cornelius Tacitus was a senator and a historian of the Roman Empire. The surviving portions of his two major works—the Annals and the Histories—examine the reigns of the Roman Emperors Tiberius, Claudius, Nero and those who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors...
, of an illness; Josephus
Josephus
Titus Flavius Josephus , also called Joseph ben Matityahu , was a 1st-century Romano-Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the 1st century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, which resulted in the Destruction of...
says that he was murdered. His last coin is dated from June 51. He was succeeded briefly by Vonones II
Vonones II of Parthia
Vonones II of Parthia ruled the Parthian Empire briefly in 51. During the reign of his brother Gotarzes II he was governor of Media, and was raised to the throne on Gotarzes' death. However, he died after a few months and was succeeded by his son Vologases I....
(probably his brother) and then by Vonones' son Vologases I
Vologases I of Parthia
Vologases I of Parthia, sometimes called Vologaeses or Vologeses or, following Zoroastrian usage, Valakhsh ruled the Parthian Empire from about 51 to 78. Son of Vonones II by a Thracian concubine, he succeeded his father in 51 AD. He gave the kingdom of Media Atropatene to his brother Pacorus II,...
.
