| Phraates IV 𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕 | |
|---|---|
| Great King,King of Kings,Arsaces | |
 Coin of Phraates IV,Mithradatkert mint | |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 37–2 BC |
| Predecessor | Orodes II |
| Successor | Phraates V andMusa |
| Died | 2 BC |
| Spouse | Olennieire, Cleopatra, Baseirta, Bistheibanaps, Musa |
| Issue | Vonones I, Phraates, Seraspandes, Rhodaspes, Karen, Phraates V |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Orodes II |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Phraates IV (also spelledFrahad IV;Parthian:𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕Frahāt) wasKing of Kings of theParthian Empire from 37 to 2 BC. He was the son and successor ofOrodes II (r. 57–37 BC), and was given the throne after the death of his brotherPacorus I. Phraates IV soon murdered all his brothers, and also possibly his father. His actions alienated the Armenians and also some of his nobles, including the distinguishedMonaeses, who fled to theRomantriumvirMark Antony, but shortly returned and reconciled with Phraates IV.
Phraates IVwas attacked in 36 BC by Mark Antony, who marched throughArmenia intoMedia Atropatene, and was defeated and lost the greater part of his army. Antony, believing himself betrayed byArtavasdes II, king of Armenia, invaded his kingdom in 34 BC, took him prisoner, and concluded a treaty withArtavasdes I, king of Media Atropatene. But when the war withOctavian broke out, Antony could not maintain his conquests; Phraates IV recovered Media Atropatene and madeArtaxias, the son of Artavasdes II, king of Armenia.
Around the same time, Phraates IV's throne was usurped byTiridates II, but he quickly managed to reestablish his rule with the aid ofScythian nomads. Tiridates fled to the Romans, taking one of Phraates IV's sons with him. In negotiations conducted in 20 BC, Phraates IV arranged for the release of his kidnapped son. In return, the Romans received the lostlegionary standards taken atCarrhae in 53 BC, as well as any surviving prisoners of war. The Parthians viewed this exchange as a small price to pay to regain the prince.
Along with the prince, Octavian (now known as Augustus) gave Phraates IV a girl namedMusa, who quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (Phraates V). Seeking to secure the throne for her son, Musa convinced Phraates IV to send his four first-born sons (Vonones,Phraates, Seraspandes and Rhodaspes) toRome in order to prevent conflict over his succession. In 2 BC, Musa had Phraates IV poisoned and made herself along with Phraates V the co-rulers of the empire.
Phraátēs (Φραάτης) is theGreek form of theParthianFrahāt (𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕), itself from theOld Iranian*Frahāta- ("gained, earned").[1] TheModern Persian version isFarhād (فرهاد).[2]
In 38 BC, the heir to the Parthian throne,Pacorus I was defeated and killed at theBattle of Mount Gindarus by aRoman force. His death spurred a succession crisis in whichOrodes II (r. 57–37 BC), deeply afflicted by the death of his favourite son, relinquished the throne to his other son Phraates IV.[3] Orodes II died soon afterwards. His cause of death is uncertain. According toCassius Dio, he had either died of grief due to Pacorus' death, or of old age.[4]Plutarch, however, states that Orodes was murdered by Phraates IV.[4] Fearing that his position might become endangered, Phraates IV executed all his half-brothers–the sons of Orodes and hisCommagenian wifeLaodice, partially due to their maternal descent being greater than that of his own.[5] Laodice was probably killed as well.[6]
Phraates IV also had supporters of his brothers and his own opponents sent into exile; one of them,Monaeses, a Parthian nobleman who had distinguished himself as a military leader under Orodes II, fled to Syria, where he took refuge with the RomantriumvirMark Antony.[7] There Monaeses urged him to attack Parthia, and promised him to spearhead the troops and conquer the empire without any difficulties.[8][4] Antony granted Monaeses three cities—Larissa,Hierapolis andArethusa, and promised him the Parthian throne.[8][9] Around the same time, Antony had restored Roman rule inJerusalem, and executed the King of the JewsAntigonus II Mattathias, who was succeeded byHerod the Great.[4] The relations between Parthia andArmenia had also been damaged, due to the death of Pacorus I (who was married into the Armenian royal house) and Phraates IV's treatment of his brothers and some of the nobility, which upset the Armenians.[10] The Parthians took the defection of Monaeses very serious, and as a result Phraates IV invited Monaeses back to the country and reconciled with him.[8]
The following year, when Antony marched toTheodosiopolis,Artavasdes II of Armenia defected to the Roman side by sending Antony additional troops. AntonyinvadedMedia Atropatene, then ruled by Parthia's allyArtavasdes I, with the intention of seizing the capital Praaspa, the location of which is now unknown. However, Phraates IV ambushed Antony's rear detachment, destroying a giantbattering ram meant forthe siege of Praaspa; after this, Artavasdes II abandoned Antony's forces.[11] The Parthians pursued and harassed Antony's army as it fled to Armenia. Eventually, the greatly weakened force reached Syria.[12]
The defeat of Antony, along with that of Crassus atCarrhae in 53 BC, would be remembered by Romans for a long period, and often incited them to invade Parthia in later events.[13] After this, Antony lured Artavasdes II into a trap with the promise of a marriage alliance. He was taken captive in 34 BC, paraded in Antony's mockRoman triumph inAlexandria, Egypt,[14] and eventually executed byCleopatra VII of thePtolemaic Kingdom.[15] Antony attempted to strike an alliance with Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene, whose relations with Phraates IV had recently soured. This was abandoned when Antony and his forces withdrew from Armenia in 33 BC; they escaped a Parthian invasion while Antony's rival Octavian attacked his forces to the west.[16] According to Cassius Dio, Phraates IV murdered the Commagenian KingAntiochus I inc. 31 BC.[17] Following Antony's suicide in Egypt followed by that ofhis wife Cleopatra in 30 BC,[18] the Parthian allyArtaxias II reassumed the throne of Armenia.
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Following the defeat of Antony andCleopatra ofPtolemaic Egypt at theBattle of Actium in 31 BC, Octavian consolidated his political power and in 27 BC was namedAugustus by theRoman Senate, becoming the firstRoman emperor.[19] Around this time,Tiridates II of Parthia briefly overthrew Phraates IV, who was able to quickly reestablish his rule with the aid of Scythian nomads.[20] Tiridates fled to the Romans, taking one of Phraates IV's sons with him. In negotiations conducted in 20 BC, Phraates IV arranged for the release of his kidnapped son. In return, the Romans received the lostlegionary standards taken atCarrhae in 53 BC, as well as any surviving prisoners of war.[21] The Parthians viewed this exchange as a small price to pay to regain the prince.[22] Augustus hailed the return of the standards as a political victory over Parthia; this propaganda was celebrated in the minting of new coins, thebuilding of a new temple to house the standards, and even in fine art such as thebreastplate scene on his statueAugustus of Prima Porta.[23]
Along with the prince, Augustus gave Phraates IV a slave-girl namedMusa, who quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (Phraates V).[24] Emma Strugnell (2008) has suggested that Augustus' choice to send Musa may have been an attempt to obtain information or influence the Parthian king to the advantage of the Romans.[25] She further adds that "Augustus could potentially launch a punitive invasion against Parthia, with the probable aim of converting it into a Roman province."[26] According to theParchments of Avroman, Phraates IV had already at least four other queens at that time: Olennieire, Cleopatra, Baseirta and Bistheibanaps.[27]
Seeking to secure the throne for her son, Musa convinced Phraates IV in 10/9 BC to send his four first-born sons (Vonones,Phraates, Seraspandes and Rhodaspes) toRome in order to prevent conflict over his succession.[28] Again, Augustus used this as propaganda depicting the submission of Parthia to Rome, listing it as a great accomplishment in hisRes Gestae Divi Augusti.[29] In 2 BC, Musa had the aged Phraates IV poisoned and made herself along with Phraates V the co-rulers of the empire.[30]
Under Phraates IV and his father, the production of coins reached its zenith, with the only Parthian ruler having similar numbers beingMithridates II (r. 124–88 BC).[31] Phraates IV mostly kept the same style of Parthian coinage that was used under his father.[32] The obverse of his coins portrays him with short hair and beard, along with a visible moustache.[32] According to the modern historian Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, the portrait greatly resembles theShami statue, discovered in the Bakhtiari mountains in southwestern Iran, and currently stored in theNational Museum of Iran inTehran.[33] Abird of prey is present behind his head, which is associated with thekhvarenah, i.e. kingly glory.[34] The bird, possibly a symbol of the bird of the deityVerethragna, is holding adiadem, awreath or a ring.[34]
The reverse depicts a seated archer wearing a soft cap (bashlyk) and sitting on a throne. Curtis notes its close resemblance to the thrones of theAchaemenid monarchs portrayed on the rock reliefs atPersepolis.[35] Other reverse of his coins, however depicts an investiture scene, where Orodes is receiving a scepter by the Greek goddessTyche.[32][33] In the Parthian era, Iranians used Hellenistic iconography to portray their divine figures,[36][37] thus the investiture scene can be associated with thekhvarenah, with Tyche being either a representation ofAnahita orAshi.[38] The titling of Phraates IV on his coinage was: "[coin] of the King of Kings,Arsakes, Just, Benefactor, Illustrious,Philhellene."[39]
Phraates IV had the following wives:[40]
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)Phraates IV Died: 2 BC | ||
| Preceded by | King of the Parthian Empire 37–2 BC | Succeeded by |
