Vonones II
| Vonones II | |
|---|---|
 Coin of Vonones II | |
| "King of Media Atropatene" "King of kings of Iran" | |
| Reign |
11– 51 AD (as King of Media Atropatene) 51 AD (As ruler of Parthian Empire) |
| Predecessor | Gotarzes II |
| Successor | Vologases I |
| Died | 51 AD |
| Issue |
Vologases I Pacorus II Osroes I Tiridates I of Armenia Mithridates IV |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Darius II of Media Atropatene |
| Mother | Unnamed Parthian princess |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Vonones II of Parthia (Persian: ونن دوم, Greek: Ονωνης,10 BC – 51 AD[1]) was a Parthian prince who served as a King of Media Atropatene and briefly as King of the Parthian Empire.
Vonones II was the second born son of an unnamed Arsacid Parthian princess,[2] related to Vonones I of Parthia, and her husband, Darius II of Media Atropatene.[3][4][5] His known grandparents, on his father's side, were Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene and his wife, Athenais.[6][7] Vonones II's elder brother was the Parthian King Artabanus III.[8] Vonones II was the namesake of his maternal relative Vonones I, as he was born and raised in the Parthian Empire.
From about 11 until 51, Vonones II served as a King of Media Atropatene,[9][10] a period about which little is known.
After the death of his nephew Gotarzes II,[11] Vonones II was raised to the Parthian Kingship in 51. However, he died a few months into his reign, and was succeeded by his son, Vologases I. Tacitus wrote that Vonones II “knew neither success nor failure which have deserved to be remembered to him. It was a short and inglorious reign”.[12]
From a Greek concubine,[13] Vonones II had 5 sons who held the thrones of Parthia and Armenia: Pacorus II, Vologases I, Osroes I, Tiridates I and Mithridates IV. His sons were born and raised during his Kingship of Media Atropatene.
References
- ↑ Ptolemaic Genealogy: Affiliated Lines, Descendant Lines
- ↑ Tacitus, Annals, 6.42
- ↑ Baldwin, Comments on "Iberian route"
- ↑ Ptolemaic Genealogy: Affiliated Lines, Descendant Lines
- ↑ Ptolemaic Genealogy: Tryphaena, Footnote 13
- ↑ Ptolemaic Genealogy: Affiliated Lines, Descendant Lines
- ↑ Ptolemaic Genealogy: Tryphaena, Footnote 13
- ↑ Ptolemaic Genealogy: Tryphaena, Footnote 13
- ↑ Tacitus, Annals, 12.14
- ↑ Bunson, A Dictionary of the Roman Empire, p.454
- ↑ Ptolemaic Genealogy: Tryphaena, Footnote 13
- ↑ Annals, 12.14
- ↑ Woodthorpe Tarn, The Greeks in Bactria and India, pp. 51-52
Sources
- Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, xx, 3, 4.
- Tacitus, Annals
- M. Bunson, A Dictionary of the Roman Empire, Oxford University Press, 1995
- S. Baldwin, Comments on "Iberian route" DFA line, web, 1996
- W. Woodthorpe Tarn, The Greeks in Bactria and India, Cambridge University Press, 2010
External links
Vonones II | ||
| Preceded by Gotarzes II |
Great King (Shah) of Parthia 51 |
Succeeded by Vologases I |