{ "id": "epqsghjcxx", "slug": "phraates-v", "title": "Phraates V", "updated": "2026-10-21", "topic_path": [ { "id": "society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society" }, { "id": "society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history" }, { "id": "society.history.other", "label": "Other history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.other" }, { "id": "society.history.other.middle-east", "label": "Middle East and North Africa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.other.middle-east" }, { "id": "society.history.other.middle-east.parthian", "label": "Parthian period (247 BC to AD 224)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/society.history.other.middle-east.parthian" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.history.other.middle-east.parthian", "label": "Middle East and North Africa · 500 BC to AD 999: Parthian period (247 BC to AD 224)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.history.other.middle-east.parthian", "path": [ { "id": "geo.mena", "label": "Middle East and North Africa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500", "label": "Middle East and North Africa · 500 BC to AD 999", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society", "label": "Society and history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.history", "label": "History and archaeology", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.history" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.history.other", "label": "Other history", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.history.other" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.history.other.middle-east", "label": "Middle East and North Africa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.history.other.middle-east" }, { "id": "geo.mena.t500.society.history.other.middle-east.parthian", "label": "Parthian period (247 BC to AD 224)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.mena.t500.society.history.other.middle-east.parthian" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Phraates V (فرهاد پنجم), also called Phraataces, was a king of the Parthian Empire from 3/2 BCE to 4 CE, deposed by the Parthian nobles.", "snippet": "Phraates V (فرهاد پنجم), also called Phraataces, was a king of the Parthian Empire from 3/2 BCE to 4 CE, deposed by the Parthian nobles.", "node": "society.history.other.middle-east.parthian", "markdown": "# Phraates V\n\nPhraates V (فرهاد پنجم), also called Phraataces, was a king of the [Parthian Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/parthian-empire) who reigned from 3/2 BCE to 4 CE as the son and successor of Phraates IV.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) He took the throne through a coup carried out with his mother Musa, in which his father was killed, and the Parthian nobles deposed him in 4 CE.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [3](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-iv/) • [4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Reign | 3/2 BCE to 4 CE; the Metropolitan Museum dates him ca. 2 BC–AD 4[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) • [5](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/paru/hd%5Fparu.htm) |\n| Father and predecessor | Phraates IV, killed in a coup by Musa and Phraataces in 3/2 BCE[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [3](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-iv/) |\n| Principal war | Conflict over Armenia, settled by agreement with Gaius Caesar on the Euphrates in 1 CE[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) • [2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) |\n| End of reign | Deposed in 4 CE; he fled to Roman Syria, where he died[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) |\n| Successor | Orodes III, chosen by the nobles[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7) |\n\n## Accession and family\n\nPhraates V was the son of King Phraates IV by Musa, an Italian slave-woman whom Josephus names Thermusa.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [6](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D18%3Asection%3D39) In 3/2 BCE mother and son ended Phraates IV's reign in a coup d'etat in which the king was killed, and Phraataces succeeded him.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [3](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-iv/) Josephus records that Phraates died \"by the treachery of Phraataces his son,\" and that Thermusa had borne Phraataces and engineered the succession.[6](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D18%3Asection%3D39) \n\nJosephus reports that Phraataces had sexual relations with his mother, an act said to have horrified the Parthians.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) The Oxford entry dates the marriage to 2 CE.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) The exact start of the reign rests on coin dating: the first firmly dated coins come from the Macedonian month Oloios (July) 2 BCE, though some coins appear to bear dates of December 3 BCE and April 2 BCE.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/)\n\n## Reign: Armenia and the agreement with Rome\n\nConflict over Armenia marked the reign.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) • [2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) The Oxford entry states that he drove Augustus's nominee Artavasdes out of Armenia.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) \n\nAccording to *Encyclopaedia Iranica*, in 1 CE Augustus demanded in correspondence that the Parthians withdraw from Armenia; Phraataces replied calling himself \"King of Kings\" while addressing Augustus simply as \"Caesar,\" and demanded the surrender of his half-brothers living in Rome, including Vonones.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) Augustus sent his grandson [Gaius Caesar](https://www.edgepedia.org/gaius-caesar) to Armenia, and under the pressure of the Roman expedition Phraates gave in.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) The two met in an unprecedented ceremony on an island in the [Euphrates](https://www.edgepedia.org/euphrates) that emphasized the equality of the two sides, and an agreement was concluded, termed a *foedus* (formal treaty between Rome and another state), *amicitia*, and *societas* by Tacitus, in which Rome recognized Phraataces as king and he promised not to interfere in Armenia again.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) • [2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) The Encyclopaedia Iranica presents the settlement as a recognition of Tigranes IV and Erato, in fact allies of Phraataces, as rulers of Armenia.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/)\n\n## Political influence\n\nThe Oxford entry judges that neither Phraates V nor Vonones, one of the four sons of Phraates IV kept at Rome, who ruled after the brief reign of Orodes III, could secure the support of the Parthian nobles.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [7](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/arsacids-ii/) The marriage with Musa, an act his subjects did not approve, is the immediate cause the sources give for the loss of that support.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) • [4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7)\n\n## End of the reign and succession\n\nIn 4 CE Phraates was deposed by the Parthian nobles, who chose Orodes III as king.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) • [4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7) His last coins were minted in that year.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) The Encyclopaedia Iranica, citing Josephus and the *Res Gestae Divi Augusti*, states that he was overthrown as a result of civil war and fled to Roman Syria, where he died.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) According to *A Political History of Parthia*, he was in AD 4 either killed or driven into Syria, where he died shortly afterward.[4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7) The manner of his death is reported differently.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/) • [4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7) Orodes III's violent temper and cruelty soon made him intolerable, and another insurrection followed.[4](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7)\n\n## Historians' assessment\n\nHistorians treat the reign as one that began with a palace coup and ended with noble revolt. The Oxford entry's verdict is that neither Phraataces nor Vonones could secure the support of the Parthian nobles.[2](https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055) Against that stands the Euphrates settlement, which the Encyclopaedia Iranica describes as an unprecedented ceremony of equality with Rome and a recognition of Phraataces as king.[1](https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/)\n\n## References\n\n1. PHRAATES V, Encyclopaedia Iranica. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-v/\n2. Phraates (2) V, \"Phraataces\", Oxford Research Encyclopedia / Oxford Classical Dictionary. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.5055\n3. PHRAATES IV, Encyclopaedia Iranica. https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/phraates-iv/\n4. A Political History of Parthia, Chapter 7. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/A_Political_History_of_Parthia/Chapter_7\n5. List of Rulers of the Parthian Empire, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/paru/hd%5Fparu.htm\n6. Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book 18, section 39 (Perseus Digital Library). http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0146%3Abook%3D18%3Asection%3D39\n7. iranicaonline.org, https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/arsacids-ii/\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Other history › Middle East and North Africa › Parthian period (247 BC to AD 224)*\n\n*Initially written Sep 23, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/phraates-v", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/phraates-v.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Phraates V\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/phraates-v. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Phraates V](https://www.edgepedia.org/phraates-v)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/phraates-v](https://www.edgepedia.org/phraates-v). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Phraates V\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/phraates-v. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Phraates V, also called Phraataces, was a king of the Parthian Empire from 3/2 BCE to 4 CE, deposed by the Parthian nobles." }