Английская Википедия:Hyspaosines

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Good article Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Infobox monarch Hyspaosines (also spelled Aspasine) was an Iranian prince, and the founder of Characene, a kingdom situated in southern Mesopotamia. He was originally a Seleucid satrap installed by king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Шаблон:Reign), but declared independence in 141 BC after the collapse and subsequent transfer of Seleucid authority in Iran and Babylonia to the Parthians. Hyspaosines briefly occupied the Parthian city of Babylon in 127 BC, where he is recorded in records as king (šarru). In 124 BC, however, he was forced to acknowledge Parthian suzerainty. He died in the same year, and was succeeded by his juvenile son Apodakos.

Name and background

Of Iranian descent,[1] Hyspaosines' name is a HellenizedШаблон:Sfn name of PersianШаблон:Sfn or Bactrian origin,Шаблон:Sfn possibly derived from the Old Iranian vispa-čanah ("who appreciates all [things]").Шаблон:Sfn Hyspaosines' father, Sagdodonacus, seemingly had a Bactrian name and was presumably of Bactrian origin himself.Шаблон:Sfn He had served the local dynasts (frataraka) of Persis, who had been able to reign independently for three decades from Greek Seleucid authority, and even briefly seize the region of Characene.Шаблон:Sfn The Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes (Шаблон:Reign) eventually managed to re-establish Greek authority over Persis and Characene,Шаблон:Sfn and appointed his general Noumenios as the governor of Characene.Шаблон:Sfn

Governorship

Файл:Karte Charakene.png
Map of Characene

The capital of Characene, Alexandria, was originally founded by the Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great, with the intention of using the town as a leading commercial port for his eastern capital of Babylon.Шаблон:Sfn However, the city never lived up to its expectations, and was destroyed in the mid 3rd-century BC by floods.Шаблон:Sfn It was not until the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes that the city was rebuilt and renamed Antiochia.Шаблон:Sfn After the city was fully restored in 166/5 BC, Antiochus IV appointed Hyspaosines as governor (eparch) of Antiochia and its surroundings.Шаблон:Sfn

During this period Antiochia briefly flourished, until Antiochus IV's premature death by disease in 163 BC, which weakened Seleucid authority throughout the empire.Шаблон:Sfn With the weakening of the Seleucids, many political entities within the empire declared independence, such as the neighbouring region of Characene, Elymais, which was situated in most of the present-day province of Khuzestan in southern Iran.Шаблон:Sfn Hyspaosines, although now a more or less independent ruler, remained a loyal subject of the Seleucids.Шаблон:Sfn Hyspaosines' keenness to remain as a Seleucid governor was possibly due to avoid interruption in the profitable trade between Antiochia and Seleucia.Шаблон:Sfn

Reign

The Seleucids had suffered heavy defeats by the Iranian Parthian Empire; in 148/7 BC, the Parthian king Mithridates I (Шаблон:Reign) conquered Media and Atropatene, and by 141 BC, was in the possession of Babylonia.[2] The events are recorded in the Babylonian astronomical Diaries.Шаблон:Sfn The menace and proximity of the Parthians caused Hyspaosines to declare independence.Шаблон:Sfn In 127 BC, Mithridates I's son and successor Phraates II met an abrupt death during his war with the nomads in the east.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn Hyspaosines took advantage of the situation by seizing Babylon, which is attested in Babylonian records, where he is recorded as king (šarru).Шаблон:Sfn His rule over the city lasted briefly; at the start of November 127 BC, the Parthian general Timarchus recaptured it.Шаблон:Sfn

Regardless, Hyspaosines' troops continued to plunder the Babylonian region as late as 126 BC.Шаблон:Sfn In 124 BC, however, Hyspaosines accepted Parthian suzerainty, and continued to rule Characene as a vassal.Шаблон:Sfn He corresponded with the Parthian general of Babylonia, informing him of the defeat of Elymais by the Parthian monarch Mithridates II (Шаблон:Reign).Шаблон:Sfn He also returned the wooden throne of Arsaces to the Parthians as a gift to the god Bel.Шаблон:Sfn The astronomical diaries report that the king became ill on 3 June 124 BC and died on 11 June 124 BCШаблон:Sfn at the age of 85.Шаблон:Sfn His age is reported by 2nd century Roman historian Lucian, who provided a list of rulers who died in a very old age.[3]

He was succeeded by his and queen Thalassia's juvenile son Apodakos.Шаблон:Sfn The Parthian commander Sindates was placed as the governor of Characene.Шаблон:Sfn

References

Шаблон:Reflist

Bibliography

Ancient works

  • Pliny the Elder Natural History, VI 139
  • Lucian, Macrobii.
  • Astronomical Diaries (now in the British Museum and in a private collection. Following cuneiform texts refer to Hyspaosinesː British Museum nos 33461, 3386, 55070, 45699, 34274, 45708, 45693, 45853, 33024). They are published in Abraham Sachs, Hermann Hunger: Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts from Babylon, III, Diaries from 164 BC. to 61 B.C. Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1996, Шаблон:ISBN, pp. 216-282. The tablet in the private collection is published by T. G. Pinchesː Babylonian and Oriental Record, Vol. IV, London 1890, 131-141 online.

Modern works

Further reading

Шаблон:Hellenistic satraps