| Artabanus I 𐭍𐭐𐭕𐭓 | |
|---|---|
| Great King,Arsaces, Philhellene | |
%2c_Seleucia_mint.jpg) Coin of Artabanus I,Seleucia mint | |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 127 – 124/3 BC |
| Predecessor | Phraates II |
| Successor | Mithridates II |
| Died | 124/3 BC |
| Issue | Mithridates II |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Priapatius |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Artabanus I (Parthian:𐭍𐭐𐭕𐭓Ardawān), incorrectly known in older scholarship asArtabanus II,[1] was king of theParthian Empire, ruling briefly fromc. 127 to 124/3 BC.[note 1] His short reign ended abruptly when he died during a battle against theYuezhi in the east. He was succeeded by his sonMithridates II.
Artabanus is theLatin form of theGreekArtábanos (Ἁρτάβανος), itself from theOld Persian*Arta-bānu ("the glory ofArta.").[2] TheParthian andMiddle Persian variant wasArdawān (𐭍𐭐𐭕𐭓).[1][2]
The son ofPriapatius, Artabanus I succeeded his nephewPhraates II in 127 BC. Artabanus I must have been relatively old at his accession, due to his father having died in 176 BC.[1] Since the early 2nd century BC, the Arsacids had begun adding obvious signals in their dynastic ideology, which emphasized their association with the heritage of the ancient IranianAchaemenid Empire. Examples of these signs included a fictitious claim that the first Arsacid king,Arsaces I (r. 247–217 BC) was a descendant of the Achaemenidking of kings,Artaxerxes II (r. 404–358 BC).[3] Achaemenid titles were also assumed by the Arsacids; Artabanus I's brotherMithridates I (r. 171 – 132 BC) was the first Arsacid ruler to adopt the former Achaemenid title of "King of Kings".[3][4]
However, Artabanus I, like Phraates II, refrained from using the title of "King of Kings", and instead used the title of "Great King".[5] Like the rest of the Parthian kings, he used the title ofArsaces on hiscoinage, which was the name of the first Parthian rulerArsaces I (r. 247 – 217 BC), which had become a royal honorific among the Parthian monarchs out of admiration for his achievements.[6][7] Furthermore, he also used the title ofPhilhellene ("friend of theGreeks"),[8] which had been introduced during the reign of Mithridates I as part of a policy of maintaining friendly relations with their Greek subjects.[9] The earlier Parthian kings were depicted in Hellenistic clothing on the obverse of their coins; this changed under Artabanus I, who is depicted on his coins wearing theParthian trouser-suit, which is a testimony of the ongoing Iranian revival under the Parthians.[10] Like his two predecessors, Artabanus I is wearing a Hellenisticdiadem, whilst his long beard represents the traditional Iranian/Near Eastern custom.[11]
Artabanus I's reign was a period of decline for the Parthian Empire. His predecessor, Phraates II had died fighting invading nomads in the east of the empire. Artabanus I was also forced to fight the nomads—theSaka andYuezhi, and was reportedly compelled to pay them tribute.[1]Hyspaosines, who had recently created the principality ofCharacene in southernMesopotamia, took advantage of the Parthian difficulties in the east by proclaiming his independence from Parthian suzerainty. He then went on to briefly seizeBabylon (c. 127 B.C), and by 125/4 BC, he controlled parts of Mesopotamia as indicated by coin mints of him.[1][12] Artabanus I chose to remain in the east to deal with the nomads, whom he considered more of a danger. In 124/3 BC, just like Phraates II, Artabanus I died during a battle against the Yuezhi in the east,[1] reportedly from a wound in his arm.[13] He was succeeded by his sonMithridates II, who not only finally dealt with the nomads pressuring the eastern Parthian borders, but also expanded Parthian authority in the west, transforming the Parthian Empire into a superpower.[14][1]
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Artabanus I of Parthia Died: 124 BC | ||
| Preceded by | King of the Parthian Empire 127–124/3 BC | Succeeded by |