Orabazes II was a king of

Characene Characene (Ancient Greek: Χαρακηνή), also known as Mesene (Μεσσήνη) or Meshan, was a kingdom founded by the Iranian Hyspaosines located at the head of the Persian Gulf mostly within modern day Iraq. Its capital, Charax Spasinou (Χ� ...

a kingdom located at the head of the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...

. His reign was from 150/51 to 165. He was most likely a relative of the

Parthian Parthian may be: Historical * A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran * Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD) * Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language * Parthian shot, an archery skill famously employed by ...

king

Vologases IV Vologases IV ( xpr, 𐭅𐭋𐭂𐭔 ''Walagash'') was King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 147 to 191. He was the son of Mithridates V (). Vologases spent the early years of his reign re-asserting Parthian control over the Kingdom of Char ...

. Like most Characene rulers he is primarily known from his

coin A coin is a small, flat (usually depending on the country or value), round piece of metal or plastic used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order t ...

s. As his rule was in the latter part of Characene history, at a time when the state was increasingly weak, we find that the spelling of his name varies between coins and that legends on his coins are consistently partially corrupt. Furthermore, so far only two coins are known that carry a readable date (151 and 156/7 AD). He is also the first Characene ruler to use

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

text although the images on the coin are still

Hellenistic In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

.Monika Schuol, The Characene:A mesopotanian Kingdom in

times. Steiner, Stuttgart 2000 pages. 233-234, 356-360.

References

Sources

* {{s-end Kings of Characene 2nd-century monarchs in the Middle East Year of birth missing Year of death missing 2nd-century deaths 2nd-century Iranian people Arsacid dynasty of Characene Vassal rulers of the Parthian Empire