Parthamaspates of Parthia

Parthamaspates was a Parthian prince who ruled as a Roman client king in Mesopotamia, and later of Osroene during the early second century AD. He was the son of the Parthian emperor Osroes I.

Biography

After spending much of his life in Roman exile, he accompanied the emperor Trajan on the latter's campaign to conquer Parthia. Trajan originally planned to annex Ctesiphon as part of the Roman Empire, but ultimately decided instead to place Parthamaspates on his father's throne as a Roman client, doing so in 116. Trajan effectively crowned Parthamaspates as a king of Parthia.

Following Roman withdrawal from the area, Osroes easily defeated Parthamaspates and reclaimed the Parthian throne. From his territory of Osroene, he is known to have traded with the Kushan Empire, goods being sent by sea and through the Indus River.

Long after the failure of Parthamaspates, Rome still claimed to have control of Parthian land, as shown in a coin of Antoninus Pius (138–161 AD) with the image of a subdued "Parthia" offering the crown to him.