| Artabanus II 𐭍𐭐𐭕𐭓 | |
|---|---|
| King of Kings | |
 Coin of Artabanus II, minted atSeleucia in 27 AD | |
| King ofMedia Atropatene | |
| Reign | ???–12 AD |
| Predecessor | Artavasdes II |
| Successor | Vonones II |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 12–38/41 AD[note 1] |
| Predecessor | Vonones I (predecessor) Tiridates III(rival king) |
| Successor | Vardanes I |
| Born | 30–25 BC Dahistan |
| Died | 38/41 AD |
| Issue | Arsaces I Orodes Vardanes I Artabanus Gotarzes II(adopted) |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Dahae orAtropatid prince |
| Mother | unnamed daughter ofPhraates IV |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Artabanus II (also spelledArtabanos II orArdawan II;Parthian:𐭍𐭐𐭕𐭓Ardawān), incorrectly known in older scholarship asArtabanus III,[1] wasKing of Kings of theParthian Empire from 12 to 38/41 AD, with a one-year interruption. He was the nephew and successor ofVonones I (r. 8–12). His father has been variously identified as aDahae orAtropatid prince, whilst his mother was a daughter of the Parthian King of KingsPhraates IV (r. 37–2 BC).
Before his ascension to the Parthian throne, Artabanus had ruled as king ofMedia Atropatene, which later served as his base of attacks against theRoman-supported Parthian king Vonones I. Artabanus eventually defeated Vonones I, who fled to Armenia and became its king. Artabanus' efforts to replace Vonones I with his son were blocked by the Romans, who eventually reached an agreement with the Parthians to appointArtaxias III the new king of Armenia and renounce their support of Vonones I.
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]
Artabanus was not from the ruling branch of the Arsacid royal family.Tacitus in hisAnnals records that supporters of the rival rulerTiridates III (r. 36–35 AD)viewed Artabanus as an "Arsacid on his mother's side, but in all else a degenerate". However, historian Marek Olbrycht notes that Tacitus, as well asJosephus andCassius Dio, refer to Artabanus and his sons as Arsacids. Olbrycht concludes, therefore, that Artabanus was a male-line Arsacid, likely descended fromMithridates II of Parthia (r. 124–88 BC), through a branch of the family living among theDahae people (with whom Artabanus had been reared). Olbrycht suggests that Artabanus' mother was a daughter of the ParthianKing of KingsPhraates IV (r. 37–2 BC).[3][4][note 2] As a result of this connection, the family of Tiridates III, the male-line grandson of Phraates IV, would have acknowledged Artabanus' maternal Arsacid ancestry, though not his paternal, having viewed all other branches of the family as illegitimate.[5]
However, historiansJosef Markwart and Martin Schottky assign to Artabanus a descent from the Atropatid dynasty,[6][7] the erstwhile rulers ofMedia-Atropatene. This was a region controlled afterwards by Artabanus, prior to his ascension to the Parthian throne. Historian Richard D. Sullivan notes thatStrabo, writing during this latter period, recorded that the line of succession from the dynasty's founderAtropates "is preserved until now", possibly implying that Artabanus' occupation of Media-Atropatene was considered a continuation of Atropatid rule. Strabo also mentioned that intermarriage had occurred between the Arsacids and the Atropatids. Sullivan suggests, therefore, that Artabanus was the result of the union between an Atropatid prince and an Arsacid princess inc. 31 BC, therefore accounting for Tacitus' statement of his ancestry. Sullivan further states that this would explain the acceptability of Artabanus' (and later his brotherVonones II's) rule over both Parthia and Media-Atropatene.[8] Schottky identifies this royal couple as having been a son ofDarius I of Media Atropatene (r. 66–65 BC) (whom Schottky deduces to have also been named Darius) and a daughter of Phraates IV.[9][note 3] Alternatively, historianChristian Settipani proposes that the Atropatid prince was a son ofArtavasdes I of Media Atropatene (r. 56–31 BC).[10]
Born between 30–25 BC, Artabanus was raised amongst the Dahae inCentral Asia.[5] When he reached adulthood, he became the ruler ofMedia Atropatene, which occurred sometime during the late reign of Phraates IV or during the reign of the latter's son and successorPhraates V (r. 4 BC – 2 AD).[5] The factor behind Artabanus' rise to kingship of Media Atropatene is unclear.[5] The kingdom served as Artabanus' headquarters of his attacks against the Parthian kingVonones I (r. 8–12 AD), with whom he fought against over the crown.[5] Vonones I, who had originally resided inRome, had been placed on the Parthian throne by a faction led by theKarin andSuren clans.[11][12] His rule was supported by theRomans.[1] However, the Parthian nobility was quickly alienated by Vonones I, who had become Romanized during his stay in Rome.[12][1] This increased Artabanus' odds—after years of fighting—to finally defeat Vonones I, who fled toArmenia and became its king.[12]
Artabanus, now the monarch of the Parthian Empire, attempted to depose Vonones I from the Armenian throne and appoint his own son instead.[12] This attempt was instantly opposed by the Romans, who regarded this as posing a danger to their interests.[12] As a result, the Roman emperorTiberius (r. 14–37 AD) sent his stepsonGermanicus to prevent this from happening.[12] However, the Roman general met no resistance from the Parthians. Instead, Germanicus reached an agreement with Artabanus to appointArtaxias III the new king of Armenia and renounce their support of Vonones I.[12][13] The Romans thus acknowledged Artabanus as the legitimate Parthian ruler.[13] In order to ratify the friendly relationship between the two empires, Artabanus and Germanicus met on an island in theEuphrates in 18 AD.[12]
The Romans moved Vonones I toCilicia, where he was killed the following year after attempting to flee.[1] His death and the now unchallenged dominance of Artabanus split the Parthian nobility, since not all of them supported a new branch of the Arsacid family taking over the empire.[3] In 19/20 AD, the Parthiansatrap ofSakastan,Drangiana andArachosia, namedGondophares, declared independence from Artabanus and founded theIndo-Parthian Kingdom.[15][3] He assumed the titles of "Great King of Kings" and "Autokrator", demonstrating his new-found independence.[3] Nevertheless, Artabanus and Gondophares most likely reached an agreement that the Indo-Parthians would not intervene in the affairs of the Arsacids.[15]
Artabanus spent the following years increasing his authority.[1] To the north-east, he was victorious in his efforts to have a new dynasty established inKhwarazm, thus starting a new era in the history of the country.[16] Artabanus most likely operated in westernBactria as well, which had been part of the Parthian domains for centuries.[15]
In 35 AD, Artabanus tried again to conquer Armenia and to establish his son Arsaces I as Armenia's king. A war with Rome seemed inevitable. The faction among the Parthian magnates which was hostile to Artabanus II applied to Tiberius for a king who was a descendant of Phraates IV. Tiberius sent Phraates IV's grandson,Tiridates III, and orderedLucius Vitellius the Elder (the father of the Roman emperorVitellius) to restore Roman authority in the East. By very dexterous military and diplomatic operations Vitellius succeeded completely. Artabanus II was deserted by his followers and fled to the East.
Tiridates III, who was proclaimed King, could not keep control of the Parthian throne, because he appeared to his subjects to be a vassal of the Romans. In the meantime, Artabanus II returned fromHyrcania with a strong army ofScythian (Dahae) auxiliaries and was again acknowledged by the Parthians. Tiridates III left Seleucia and fled to Syria. Artabanus II wasn't strong enough for a war with Rome. He therefore concluded a treaty with Vitellius in 37 AD, in which he gave up all further pretensions towards Armenia. A short time afterwards Artabanus II was deposed again, and Cinnamus was proclaimed king. Artabanus II took refuge with his vassal, the KingIzates bar Monobaz. Izates, by negotiations and the promise of a complete pardon, persuaded the Parthians to restore Artabanus II once more to the throne. Shortly afterwards Artabanus II died and was succeeded by his son,Vardanes I, whose reign was still more turbulent than that of his father.
Artabanus II had four sons:Arsaces I,Orodes, Artabanus,Vardanes I and an adopted son namedGotarzes II.
Mandaeans credit a king named Artabanus (Mandaic:Ardban), most likely to be Artabanus II, with helping them escape persecution inJerusalem and settling inMedia during his reign. He is mentioned in theHaran Gawaita, a Mandaean text.[17]
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)Artabanus II of Parthia Died: 38/41 | ||
| Preceded by | King of the Parthian Empire 12–38/41 | Succeeded by |
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