The Parthian Empire ruled over an area roughly corresponding to present-day Iran from the third century BC to the third century AD. It contained a varying number of subordinate semi-autonomous kingdoms each with its own ruler.
Lists of rulers
Arsacids of Media 144 BC â 232 AD
- Vologases (Bagasha) 144âÂÂ122 BC
- Arsaces 122âÂÂ111
- Artaxerxes 111âÂÂ97
- Artabanus 97âÂÂ88
- Mithridates 88âÂÂ67
- Darius 67âÂÂ65
- Mithridates 65âÂÂ55
- Orodes 55âÂÂ50
- Pacorus 50âÂÂ38
- ?Tiridates c. 30âÂÂ25
- ?Mithridates 12âÂÂ9 BC
- ?Orodes c. 4âÂÂ6 AD
- Artabanus 9âÂÂ12 AD
- ...
- Vonones c. 45âÂÂ51
- Pacorus 51âÂÂ75 son of Vonones
- ...
- Arsaces c. 136 AD
- ?Pacorus to 163 AD
- ...
- Vologases to 208
- ...
- Artabanus 213âÂÂ226
- Pacorus from 226 AD son of Artabanus
Arsacids of Hyrcania c. 170 BC â c. 230 AD
Indo-Parthian rulers of Sistan (Drangiana)
Source:
Indo-Parthian rulers of Arachosia (Kandahar)
Source:
Indo-Parthian rulers of Jammu
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Indo-Parthian rulers of Indus shore (Balochistan)
Source:
Indo-Parthian rulers of Gandhara
Source:
Indo-Parthian rulers of Taxila
Source:
Indo-Parthian rulers of North Arachosia (Bagram)
Source:
- Gondophares I Great king of kings, Autocrator, Soter (c. 20 BC â first years AD)
- Abdagases I Great king, Soter (first years AD â mid-1st century AD)
Kings of Merv & Abarshahr c. 10âÂÂc. 250 AD
Source:
- ? cont. with Phraates V
- ? cont. with Artabanus II
- ? cont. with Gotarzes II and Vardanes I
- D ... c. 50 AD
- Po ... cont. with Vologases I
- Sanabares c. 2nd half of the 1st century AD
- Pacores c. 100 AD
- ? cont. with Vologases III and Mithridates IV
- ? cont. with Vologases III and Mithridates IV
- Tiren cont. with Vologases IV
- ? cont. with Vologases IV
- Ardashir c. 200 AD
- ? 1st half of the 3rd century
- ? 1st half of the 3rd century
- ? c. 250 AD
Kings of Persis c. 230 BC â c. 210 AD
Source:
Rulers of Hatra (2nd century BCE â 2nd century CE)
In inscriptions found at Hatra, several rulers are mentioned, while other rulers are sporadically mentioned by classical authors.
They appear with two titles: the earlier rulers are called mry (translation uncertain, perhaps administrator), the later ones mlk -king â see Kingdom of Hatra.
Kings of Elymais c. 147 BC â c. 224 AD
- Kamnaskires I Soter (c. 147 BC?)
- Kamnaskires II Nikephoros (c 145âÂÂc. 139 BC)
- Okkonapses (c. 139/138âÂÂc. 137 BC), rebel
- Tigraios (c. 137âÂÂc. 132 bc), rebel
- Darius Soter (c. 129 BC), rebel
- Pittit (125âÂÂ124 BC), rebel
- Kamnaskires III (c. 82âÂÂ62/61 BC), co-ruler with Anzaze
- Anzaze (c. 82âÂÂ62/61 BC), co-ruler with Kamnaskires III
- Kamnaskires IV (1st century BC)
- Kamnaskires V (1st century BC)
- Kamnaskires VI (1st century AD)
- Orodes I (1st century)
- Orodes II, also known as Kamnaskires-Orodes (1st/2nd century)
- Phraates (1st/2nd century)
- Osroes (2nd century)
- Orodes III (2nd century), co-ruler with Ulfan
- Ulfan (2nd century), co-ruler with Orodes III
- Abar-Basi (2nd century)
- Orodes IV (2nd/3rd century)
- Khwasak (3rd century)
- Orodes V (3rd century)
Kings of Characene c. 170 BCâÂÂc. 222 AD
Source:
Kings of Osrhoene 132 BCâÂÂc. 293 AD
- Aryu (132âÂÂ127 BC)
- Abdu bar Maz'ur (127âÂÂ120 BC)
- Fradhasht bar Gebar'u (120âÂÂ115 BC)
- Bakru I bar Fradhasht (115âÂÂ112 BC)
- Bakru II bar Bakru (112âÂÂ94 BC)
- Ma'nu I (94 BC)
- Abgar I Piqa (94âÂÂ68 BC)
- Abgar II bar Abgar (68âÂÂ52 BC)
- Ma'nu II (52âÂÂ34 BC)
- Paqor (34âÂÂ29 BC)
- Abgar III (29âÂÂ26 BC)
- Abgar IV Sumaqa (26âÂÂ23 BC)
- Ma'nu III Saphul (23âÂÂ4 BC)
- Abgar V Ukkama bar Ma'nu (Abgarus of Edessa) (4 BCâÂÂ7 AD)
- Ma'nu IV bar Ma'nu (7âÂÂ13 AD)
- Abgar V Ukkama bar Ma'nu (13âÂÂ50)
- Ma'nu V bar Abgar (50âÂÂ57)
- Ma'nu VI bar Abgar (57âÂÂ71)
- Abgar VI bar Ma'nu (71âÂÂ91)
- Sanatruk (91âÂÂ109)
- Abgar VII bar Ezad (109âÂÂ116)
- Roman interregnum 116âÂÂ118
- Yalur (118âÂÂ122, co-ruler with Parthamaspates)
- Parthamaspates (118âÂÂ123)
- Ma'nu VII bar Ezad (123âÂÂ139)
- Ma'nu VIII bar Ma'nu (139âÂÂ163)
- Wa'il bar Sahru (163âÂÂ165)
- Ma'nu VIII bar Ma'nu (165âÂÂ167)
- Abgar VIII (167âÂÂ177)
- Abgar IX (the great) (177âÂÂ212)
- Abgar X Severus bar Ma'nu (212âÂÂ214)
- Abgar (X) Severus Bar Abgar (IX) Rabo (214âÂÂ216)
- MaâÂÂnu (IX) Bar Abgar (X) Severus (216âÂÂ242)
- Abgar (XI) Farhat Bar MaâÂÂnu (IX) (242âÂÂ244)
Kings of Adiabene c. 69 BC â c. 310 AD
Kings of Korduene c. 140 BC â c. 359 AD
- Zarbienus; early mid-1st century BC until c. 69 BC. Killed by Tigranes II.
- Manisarus; ~ 115 AD: He took control over parts of Armenia and Mesopotamia, in the time of Trajan.
- Ardashir; ~ 340s AD: He was against the Christianization of Corduene.
- Jovinian ~ 359 AD
Notes and references
Bibliography
- Baratin, Charlotte, "Les provinces orientales de lâÂÂempire parthe", Thèse de doctorat en Langues, histoire et civilisations des mondes anciens, Université Lumière Lyon2, 2009, V. Entre Parthes et Kushans.
- Fröhlich, C. Indo-Parthian Dynasty. Encyclopædia Iranica, Vol. Xiii, Fasc. 1: 100âÂÂ103, 2004.
- Josephus Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews.
- Pakzadian, Hasan. "The Coins of Elymais", Tehran, 2007. (in Persian)
- Qashqai, Hamidreza, "The successors of Mithridates II", Bulletin of Ancient Iranian History (UCLA), vol. 5, March 2009.(in Persian)
- Qashqai, Hamidreza. "Indo-Parthian descendants in the Sasanian era", 2017.
- The Cambridge History of Iran (CHI), vol. 3(I), THE SELEUCID, PARTHIAN AND SASANIAN PERIODS, Cambridge University Press, 1983.
- The Cambridge History of Iran (CHI), vol. 3(II), THE SELEUCID, PARTHIAN AND SASANIAN PERIODS, Cambridge University Press, 1983.
- Wiesehöfer, Josef, "ANCIENT PERSIA from 550 BC to 650 AD", tr. by Azizeh Azodi, I.B.Tauris Publishers, London, 1996.
- www.parthia.com