| Pacorus II 𐭐𐭊𐭅𐭓 | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings | |
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| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 78 – 110 |
| Predecessor | Vologases I (predecessor) Vologases II(rival king) Artabanus III(rival king) |
| Successor | Vologases III(successor) Osroes I(rival king) |
| Born | c. 61/2 |
| Died | 110 (aged 48 or 49) |
| Issue | Vologases III Axidares Parthamasiris Meredates |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Vologases I |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Pacorus II (also spelledPakoros II;𐭐𐭊𐭅𐭓) was theKing of Kings of theParthian Empire from 78 to 110. He was the son and successor ofVologases I (r. 51–78).
During the latter part of his father's reign, Pacorus ruled the Parthian Empire along with him. After Vologases I's death in 78, Pacorus became the sole ruler, but was quickly met by a revolt by his brotherVologases II, which lasted until the latter's defeat in 80. In 79/80, Pacorus' rule was contended by another Parthian prince—Artabanus III—whom he had defeated by 81. A third Parthian contender,Osroes I, appeared in 109. The following year, Pacorus was succeeded by his sonVologases III, who continued his father's struggle with Osroes I over the Parthian crown.
Like his father, Pacorus continued the same policies of the prominent former Parthian kingArtabanus II (r. 12–38/41), which included increasing the economic sources of the Parthian Empire by establishing a new trade system and strengthening relations with other powers, such asHan China. Parthian interest also continued to grow in eastern lands ofKhwarazm,Bactria, and theHindu Kush. The influence of the Parthians is demonstrated by the existence of their aspects in the coinage of numerous political entities in those areas.
Under Pacorus, the usage of the image of the Greek goddessTyche on the reverse of Parthian coins became more regular than that of the seated king with abow, specifically on the coin minted atEcbatana. Tyche was either a representation of the Iranian goddessesAnahita orAshi.
The namePacorus is theLatin form of theGreekPakoros (Πακώρος), itself a variant of theMiddle IranianPakur, derived fromOld Iranianbag-puhr ('son of a god').[1][2] TheArmenian andGeorgian transliteration isBakur (respectively; Բակուր, ბაკური).[1]
Pacorus II's name is recorded in the bilingual inscription on the famous bronze statue ofHeracles inSeleucia asGreekPakhorou (Παχόρου,genitive) andParthianpkwr (𐭐𐭊𐭅𐭓 'Pakur').[3][4]
Pacorus was one of the younger sons of the Parthian kingVologases I (r. 51–78), being born inc. 61/2.[5] Under Vologases I, the empire experienced a resurgence.[6] During the last years of his reign, Pacorus ruled alongside him.[7] After Vologases I's death in 78, Pacorus became the sole ruler of the empire.[7][8]
Pacorus was soon met by a revolt by his brotherVologases II, which lasted until the latter's defeat in 80.[9][10] In 79/80, Pacorus' rule was contended by another Parthian prince—Artabanus III, who seemed to have little support in the empire, with the exception ofBabylonia.[11] Artabanus III's most notable action was to give refuge to aPseudo-Nero namedTerentius Maximus.[12][11] Artabanus III initially agreed to lend military aid to Terentius Maximus to captureRome, until he found about the real identity of the impostor.[12] Coin mints of Artabanus III disappear after 81, which suggests that by this year Pacorus had defeated him.[11]
Like his father, Pacorus sought to accomplish the goal ofArtabanus II (r. 12–38/41), by attempting to establish a long and structured trade-route that spanned throughEast Asia,India and the coast of theMediterranean Sea.[8] This planned long trade-route would greatly improve the economy of the Parthian Empire.[8] In order to accomplish this, Pacorus strengthened relations with other powers whom he was able to establish long distance trade with, most notablyHan China.[13] In 97, the Chinese generalBan Chao, theProtector-General of the Western Regions, sent his emissaryGan Ying on a diplomatic mission to reach theRoman Empire. Gan visited the court of Pacorus atHecatompylos before departing towards Rome.[14] He traveled as far west as thePersian Gulf, where the Parthian authorities convinced him that an arduous sea voyage around theArabian Peninsula was the only means to reach Rome.[15][16] Discouraged by this, Gan Ying returned to the Han court and providedEmperor He of Han (r. 88–105) with a detailed report on the Roman Empire based on oral accounts of his Parthian hosts.[17] The modern historianWilliam Watson speculated that the Parthians would have been relieved at the failed efforts by the Han Empire to open diplomatic relations with Rome, especially after Ban Chao'smilitary victories against theXiongnu ineastern Central Asia.[14]
Parthian interest also continued to grow in eastern lands ofKhwarazm,Bactria, and theHindu Kush.[18] The influence of the Parthian Empire is demonstrated by the existence of Parthian aspects in the coinage of numerous political entities in those areas.[18] During his last years of rule, Pacorus co-ruled with his sonVologases III.[7] In 109, a third Parthian contender namedOsroes I appeared.[19] In 110, Pacorus sold the Arsacid vassal kingdom ofOsroene toAbgar VII.[20] Pacorus died in the same year, and was succeeded by Vologases III, who continued his father's struggle with Osroes I over the Arsacid crown.[7]
On the obverse of his coins, Pacorus is portrayed simply wearing adiadem.[21] At first, he appeared beardless on his coins, a rare feature inParthian coinage that demonstrated his youth, having ascended the throne around the age of sixteen or seventeen.[22] From 82/3, he is depicted with a beard.[23] From 93–96, Pacorus is portrayed with his father'stiara.[21] The modern historian Marek Jan Olbrycht surmises that the wearing of the tiara in the latter part of his reign was reflected the power and status of his empire at this time.[21]
The reverse of his coins portrayed the Greek goddessTyche investing him as king.[24] Under Pacorus, the usage of the image of Tyche on the reverse of Parthian coins became more regular than that of the seated king with abow, specifically on the coin minted atEcbatana.[24] This lasted until the reign of his son and successor, Vologases III.[24] In the Parthian era, Iranians used Hellenistic iconography to portray their divine figures,[25][26] thus the investiture scene can be associated with theAvestankhvarenah, i.e., kingly glory, with Tyche representing one of the Iranian goddessesAnahita orAshi.[27]
Besides Vologases III, Pacorus had three other sons:Axidares, andParthamasiris, who successively served askings of Armenia,[28] andMeredates, who served as king ofCharacene in the mid-2nd century.[29]
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Pacorus II Died: 110 | ||
| Preceded by | King of the Parthian Empire 78–110 | Succeeded by |