Arsaces of Pontus (flourished 1st century BC) was a prince from the

Kingdom of Pontus Pontus ( grc-gre, Πόντος ) was a Hellenistic period, Hellenistic kingdom centered in the historical region of Pontus (region), Pontus and ruled by the Mithridatic dynasty (of Persian people, Persian origin), which possibly may have been di ...

. He was a monarch of

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

and Greek Macedonian ancestry. Arsaces was the second son and youngest child born to King

Pharnaces II of Pontus Pharnaces II of Pontus ( grc-gre, Φαρνάκης; about 97–47 BC) was the king of the Bosporan Kingdom and Kingdom of Pontus until his death. He was a monarch of Persian and Greek ancestry. He was the youngest child born to King Mithrida ...

and his

Sarmatian The Sarmatians (; grc, Σαρμαται, Sarmatai; Latin: ) were a large confederation of ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic peoples of classical antiquity who dominated the Pontic steppe from about the 3rd century BC to the 4th cen ...

wife. He had two older siblings: a brother called Darius and a sister called

Dynamis Dunamis (Ancient Greek: δύναμις) is a Greek philosophical concept meaning "power", "potential" or "ability", and is central to the Aristotelian idea of ''potentiality and actuality''. Dunamis or Dynamis may also refer to: * Dynamis (Bo ...

. His paternal grandparents were the Pontian Monarchs

Mithridates VI Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator ( grc-gre, Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. He was an e ...

and his first wife, his sister Laodice. Arsaces was born and raised in the Kingdom of Pontus and the

Bosporan Kingdom The Bosporan Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Cimmerian Bosporus (, ''Vasíleio toú Kimmerikoú Vospórou''), was an ancient Greco-Scythian state located in eastern Crimea and the Taman Peninsula on the shores of the Cimmerian Bosporus ...

. According to

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...

,Strabo, Geographia xii p. 560 Arsaces and Darius were guarded by a chief rebel called Arsaces for a time when he held a fortress that was besieged by Polemon I and

Lycomedes of Comana Lycomedes of Comana ( gr, Λυκομήδης; fl. 1st century BC) was a Bithynian nobleman of Cappadocian Greek descent who ruled Comana, Cappadocia in the second half of the 1st century BC. Biography In 47 BC, Lycomedes was probably about 50 ye ...

. In 37 BC, Darius had died and Arsaces succeeded his brother as king of Pontus. He was made king by Roman Triumvir

Mark Antony Marcus Antonius (14 January 1 August 30 BC), commonly known in English as Mark Antony, was a Roman politician and general who played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic from a constitutional republic into the au ...

. According to Strabo, in Arsaces’ reign “he played the role of the sovereign and excited rebellion without the permission of a Roman prefect”. His reign as king was short, as Arsaces died later in 37 BC or even perhaps in 36 BC. Mark Antony put on the Pontian throne as Arsaces’ successor, Polemon I.

References

Sources

The Dynastic History of the Hellenistic Monarchies of Asia Minor According to Chronography of George Synkellos by Oleg L. Gabelko
{{Hellenistic rulers 30s BC deaths Mithridatic kings of Pontus Roman client rulers 1st-century BC rulers in Asia Ancient Persian people 1st-century BC Iranian people Iranian people of Greek descent