| Orodes I 𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃 | |
|---|---|
| Great King,Arsaces | |
 Tetradrachm of Orodes I,Seleucia mint | |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 80–75 BC |
| Predecessor | Gotarzes I Mithridates III (?) (rival king) |
| Successor | Sinatruces |
| Died | 75 BC |
| Spouse | Ispubarza |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Gotarzes I |
| Mother | Ariazate (?) |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Orodes I (also spelledUrud I;Parthian:𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃Wērōd/Urūd), was king of theParthian Empire from 80 to 75 BC. He was the son and heir ofGotarzes I (r. 91–87/80 BC). His reign is relatively obscure. His throne may have been usurped in 87–80 BC by his supposed uncleMithridates III, however, this has found little support in scholarship. Of his military activities, it is known that Orodes I re-established Parthian rule inElymais in 78 BC, which had been independent since 81/80 BC. Orodes I later lost the throne to the aged Parthian princeSinatruces, who belonged to a different branch of the royal Arsacid family.
Orōdēs (Ὀρώδης) is theGreek attestation of theMiddle Iranian nameWērōd/Urūd (𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃).[1] The etymology of the name is disputed.[2] TheModern Persian version isViru (ویرو).[3]
Orodes was the son and heir ofParthian kingGotarzes I (r. 91–87/80 BC).[4] Rahim M. Shayegan (2011) has suggested that Orodes was one of the figures depicted on therock relief of Gotarzes I atMount Behistun.[5] Orodes' mother may have been theArmenian queenAriazate, who was a daughter ofTigranes the Great (r. 95–55 BC).[6]
According to Gholamreza F. Assar (2006), after the death of Gotarzes I in 87 BC, his brotherMithridates III usurped the throne from Orodes.[7] In August/September 80 BC, Mithridates III was dethroned inBabylon, and was shortly afterwards expelled fromSusa by Orodes.[8] Mithridates III may have survived this event and managed to flee to the north, where he continued fighting until he died the following year.[9] Other scholars, however, do not support the existence of a Mithridates III ruling in the 80s BC.[10] According to Shayegan, the existence of rival kings such as Mithridates III during this period "repose primarily upon numismatic evidence, may find scant support in the literary and documentary sources, and can be contradicted by a diverging interpretation of the period's coinage."[11] Shayegan deduced that Gotarzes I reigned till his death inc. 80 BC, and was succeeded by Orodes I.[12]
Orodes I reigned during a period coined in scholarship as the "Parthian Dark Age," which refers to a period of three decades in the history of Parthian Empire starting from the death (or last years) ofMithridates II (r. 124–91 BC). It is referred to as a "Dark Age" due to the lack of clear information on the events of this period in the empire, except a series of, apparently overlapping, reigns.[13] It is only with the beginning of the reign ofOrodes II inc. 57 BC, that the line of Parthian rulers can again be reliably traced.[14]
The majority of Orodes I's coins were minted inEcbatana andRhagae in central Iran.[9] He is mentioned as king of the Arsacid dynasty in aBabylonian report of thelunar eclipse of 11 April 80 BC.[15] Babylonian chronicles also made mention of his sister-queen, Ispubarza.[16] It is unknown if they were full siblings; marriage with half-siblings was not considered incestuous amongst the members of the IranianAchaemenid dynasty. It is uncertain if the Parthians continued the same practice of half-sibling marriage, due to lack of convincing documentation.[17] While Orodes I's grandfather, Mithridates II, used the title ofKing of Kings, it remains uncertain whether he himself used the title or not.[18] It is however certain that he used the titles ofGreat King andArsaces.[19] Under Gotarzes I and Orodes I, Babylonian scholars notably wrotecuneiform records in the same method that had been done in era of theAchaemenid Empire.[20] According to Shayegan, this was done to emphasize the association of the Parthians with their Achaemenid predecessors.[21][a]
The kingdom ofElymais in south-western Iran had since 124 BC been under complete Parthian control.[22] However, in 81/80 BC, coins of kingKamnaskires III and his wifeAnzaze appears, which indicates that the kingdom had been restored.[23] According to Babylonian sources, Orodes I launched an expedition into Elymais in 78 BC, where he defeated Kamnaskires III.[22] Kamnaskires III was not deposed, however, and continued ruling the kingdom, now as a Parthian vassal.[22]
.jpg)
Sinatruces, an aged Parthian prince named who originally resided amongst theSaka ofCentral Asia, enlisted the aid of his hosts, and captured the Parthian throne inc. 75 BC, thus succeeding Orodes I.[24] Unlike Orodes I, Sinatruces was not a descendant of Mithridates II. Sinatruces thus ousted the line of Mithridates II with his own; the name of the Arsacid branch established by Sinatruces on the Parthian throne has been coined by the modern historian Marek Jan Olbrycht as the "Sinatrucids", which ruled the Parthian Empire till 12 AD.[25] The Sinatrucid family was notably supported by theSuren clan ofSakastan.[26]
{{cite book}}:|journal= ignored (help){{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Orodes I of Parthia Died: 75 BC | ||
| Preceded by | King of the Parthian Empire 80–75 BC | Succeeded by |