Mithridates III ( xpr, 𐭌𐭄𐭓𐭃𐭕 ''Mihrdāt'') was king of the
Parthian Empire
The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conque ...
from 87 to 80 BC. His existence is disputed in scholarship.
Biography
Mithridates' year of birth is not specified by ancient historians, but his coin mints illustrate him as a middle-aged man. He was probably a son of
Mithridates II. In July/August 87 BC, Mithridates III usurped the Parthian throne from
Orodes I
Orodes I (also spelled Urud I; xpr, 𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃 ''Wērōd/Urūd''), was king of the Parthian Empire from 80 to 75 BC. He was the son and heir of Gotarzes I (). His reign is relatively obscure. His throne may have been usurped in 87–80 BC ...
. Around the same period, the
Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
ruler
Demetrius III Eucaerus
Demetrius III Theos Philopator Soter Philometor Euergetes Callinicus ( grc, Δημήτριος θεός Φιλοπάτωρ σωτήρ Φιλομήτωρ Εὐεργέτης Καλλίνικος, surnamed Eucaerus; between 124 and 109 BCafter 8 ...
besieged his brother
Philip I Philadelphus
Philip I Epiphanes Philadelphus ( grc, Φίλιππος Ἐπιφανής Φιλάδελφος; between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) was a Hellenistic Seleucid monarch who reigned as the king of Syria from 94 to either 83 or 75 BC. The son of ...
in
Bereoa in
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. The governor of the city, however, called on Aziz, an Arab
phylarch
A phylarch ( el, φύλαρχος, la, phylarchus) is a Greek title meaning "ruler of a tribe", from '' phyle'', "tribe" + ''archein'' "to rule".
In Classical Athens, a phylarch was the elected commander of the cavalry provided by each of the ...
(tribal leader), and the Parthian governor Mithridates Sinaces for help; with their aid, Demetrius III was defeated and taken hostage to Mithridates III, who treated him with "honour" until he died of illness. In August/September 80 BC, Mithridates III was dethroned in
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
, and was shortly afterwards expelled from
Susa
Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
by Orodes I. Mithridates III may have survived this event and managed to flee to the north, where he continued fighting until he died the following year. Other scholars, however, do not support the existence of a Mithridates III ruling in the 80s BC.
[; ; ] According to Rahim M. Shayegan (2011), the existence of rival kings during Orodes I's reign "repose primarily upon numismatic evidence, may find scant support in the literary and documentary sources, and can be contradicted by a diverging interpretation of the period's coinage." Shayegan deduces that Gotarzes I reigned till his death in , and was succeeded by Orodes I.
References
Sources
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Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mithridates 03 of Parthia
1st-century BC deaths
1st-century BC Parthian monarchs
Year of birth unknown
Parthian Dark Age