Arsaces II of Parthia

Arsaces II 𐭀𐭓𐭔𐭊
Coin of Arsaces II.
King of the Arsacid dynasty
Reign	217 – 185 BC
Predecessor	Arsaces I of Parthia
Successor	Phriapatius of Parthia
Born	Unknown
Died	185 BC
Dynasty	Arsacid dynasty
Father	Arsaces I
Religion	Zoroastrianism

Arsaces I (/ˈɑːrsəsiːz/; from Template:Lang-grc-gre; in Template:Lang-xpr Aršak, Template:Lang-fa Ašk), was the Arsacid king of Parthia from 217 BC to 185 BC.

Biography

Arsaces I was succeeded by his father Arsaces I in 217 BC. In 209 BC, the Seleucid King Antiochus III recaptured Parthia, which had been previously seized from the Seleucids by Arsaces I and the Parni around 247 BC. Arsaces II sued for peace following his defeat on the battlefield at Mount Labus. Prior to this, Antiochus had already occupied the Parthian capital at Hecatompylos, pushing forward to Tagae near Damghan. Following the defeat of Arsaces II at Mount Labus, Antiochus turned westwards into Hyrcania where he occupied Tambrax. Syrinx was then taken by siege.

In the terms of the peace, Arsaces accepted feudatory status and from then onwards ruled Parthia and Hyrcani as a vassal state of the Seleucids. Antiochus in turn withdrew his troops westwards, where he would subsequently be embroiled in wars with Rome and so would leave the fledgling Parthian kingdom to its own devices.

Arsaces II was succeeded by his son (or cousin) Phriapatius in 185 BC.

Sources

• Shahbazi, A. Sh. (1986). "Arsacids i. Origins". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 5. Cyril Toumanoff. p. 525. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Schippmann, K. (1986). "Arsacids ii. The Arsacid dynasty". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 5. Cyril Toumanoff. pp. 525–536. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Kia, Mehrdad (2016). The Persian Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1610693912. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Bickerman, Elias J. (1983), "The Seleucid Period", in Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.), Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 3.1, London: Cambridge UP, pp. 3–20 {{citation}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Bivar, A.D.H. (1983), "The Political History of Iran under the Arsacids", in Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.), Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 3.1, London: Cambridge UP, pp. 21–99 {{citation}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Curtis, Vesta Sarkhosh; Stewart, Sarah, eds. (2007), The Age of the Parthians, Ideas of Iran, vol. 2, London: I. B. Tauris {{citation}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Daryaee, Touraj (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History. Oxford University Press. pp. 1–432. ISBN 0-19-987575-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)