| Phraates V | |
|---|---|
| Great King,King of Kings,Arsaces | |
%2c_Seleucia_mint_(cropped).jpg) Coin of Phraates V minted atSeleucia | |
| King of theParthian Empire | |
| Reign | 2 BC – 4 AD |
| Predecessor | Phraates IV |
| Successor | Orodes III |
| Co-ruler | Musa (2 BC – 4 AD) |
| Born | c. 19 BC |
| Died | 1st-century AD |
| Father | Phraates IV |
| Mother | Musa |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Phraates V (Parthian:𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕Frahāt), also known by thediminutive version of his name,Phraataces (also spelledPhraatakes), was theKing of Kings of theParthian Empire from 2 BC to 4 AD. He was the younger son ofPhraates IV (r. 37 BC – 2 BC) andMusa, who ruled with him.
Under Phraates V, a war threatened to break out between the Parthian and Roman empires over the control ofArmenia andMesopotamia. AlthoughAugustus (r. 27 BC – 14 AD) had sent his adopted sonGaius Caesar to invade Iran, in 1 AD the two sides agreed a peace treaty, by which once again Armenia was recognized as being in the Roman sphere. Phraates V was in return acknowledged as the rightful Parthian king, which was of high importance to him, due to his insecure position in the country. In 4 AD, Phraates V and his mother fled toRome after being expelled by the Parthian nobility, who crownedOrodes III as king.
Phraátēs (Φραάτης) is theGreek form of theParthianFrahāt (𐭐𐭓𐭇𐭕), itself from theOld Iranian*Frahāta- ("gained, earned").[1] TheModern Persian version isFarhād (فرهاد).[2] Phraates V was regularly known by thediminutive version of his name, Phraataces (فرهادک), meaning "the small Phraates".[3]
Phraates V was the son of thePhraates IV (r. 37–2 BC) and his Roman wifeMusa, who was originally an Italian slave-girl given to him by the Roman emperorAugustus (r. 27 BC – 14 AD) after a treaty in 20 BC in which the Romans returned Phraates IV his kidnapped son in return for the lostlegionary standards taken atCarrhae in 53 BC, as well as any surviving prisoners of war.[4] The Parthians viewed this exchange as a small price to pay to regain the prince.[5] Musa quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces (Phraates V) inc. 19 BC.[6] It was reportedly under her influence, that Phraates IV in 10/9 BC sent his four first-born sons toRome in order to prevent conflict over his succession.[7] In 2 BC, Musa had Phraates IV poisoned and made herself, along with Phraates V, the co-rulers of the Parthian empire.[8] According to the 1st-century Roman historianJosephus, he heard a rumour that Musa enjoyed sexual relations with her son.[9] This and the coinage of Musa with Phraates V, led to some scholars believe that the two had married.[10] However, there is no evidence that supports this claim; neither under the Parthians, nor their Persian predecessors—theAchaemenids—is there reliable evidence that marriage was practised between parents and their children.[11]
At his accession, Phraates V inherited a long dispute between the Parthians and the Romans over Armenia andMesopotamia.[12] As a result, Augustus dispatched an army under his adopted sonGaius Caesar to capture both regions.[12] Before war broke out, they were met by an emissary of Phraates V, who demanded the king's brothers be returned to him.[12] Augustus wrote a mocking response in a letter to Phraates V, which simply addressed him as "Phraates".[12] He demanded that Phraates relinquish his crown and give up his claims to Armenia.[12] Not intimidated, Phraates V replied back—according to the classical Roman historianCassius Dio—"in a generally haughty tone, styling himselfKing of Kings and addressing Augustus simply asCaesar".[12]
Ultimately, the two powers agreed to come to terms through diplomacy: a peace-treaty was agreed in 1 AD, which made Armenia a Roman vassal state, whilst the Romans agreed to acknowledge the Parthian Empire as its equal, and Phraates V as its rightful ruler.[13] It was important to Phraates V that he was acknowledged by the Romans, due to his insecure domestic position in the country.[14] However, this strategy backfired. In 4 AD, the Parthian nobility, already discontented with the son of an Italian slave-girl occupying the throne, were further angered by his acknowledgement of Roman suzerainty in Armenia, expelling Phraates V and Musa from the Parthian throne. Both fled to Rome, where Augustus welcomed them.[15] The Parthian nobility then placedOrodes III on the throne.[16]
Phraates V's later reverse coins notably have an image of his mother, Musa, with a circular legend labelling her as "heavenly", contrary to the square legends which had been typical on Parthian coin mints.[17][18] Furthermore, the title ofbasilissa ("queen") is also given to her, which was not necessarily only used by the wife of the king in theHellenistic era, but also other royal women.[19] Like his father, Phraates V's obverse coins depicts a figure resembling the Greek goddessNike holding a ring anddiadem behind his head.[20] In the Parthian era, Iranians used Hellenistic iconography to portray their divine figures,[21][22] thus the figure can be associated with theAvestankhvarenah, i.e. kingly glory.[23] Rarely, afire temple is depicted on the reverse of his coins.[24] Likewise, the title of Phraates V on his coinage remained the same as that of his father: "[coin] of the King of Kings,Arsakes, Just, Benefactor, Illustrious,Philhellene."[25]
Phraates V | ||
| Preceded by | King of the Parthian Empire 2 BC–4 AD Joint ruler withMusa | Succeeded by |