Hyspaosines
Also known as Hyspaosines I
Hyspaosines (also spelled Aspasine) was the founder of Characene, a kingdom situated in southern Mesopotamia. He was originally a Seleucid satrap installed by king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (), 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 A
Key facts
- Monarch.name
- Hyspaosines
- Monarch.image
- Coin of Hyspaosines, minted at Charax Spasinu in 126-5 BC.jpg
- Monarch.image_size
- 300px
- Monarch.caption
- Coin of Hyspaosines as King, minted at Charax Spasinu in 126/5 BC
- Monarch.succession
- King of Characene
- Monarch.reign
- –124 BC
- Monarch.successor
- Apodakos
- Monarch.succession2
- King of Babylon
- Monarch.reign2
- 127 BC
- Monarch.predecessor2
- Artabanus I
- Monarch.successor2
- Artabanus I
- Monarch.father
- Sagdodonacus
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Name and background
- Governorship
- Reign
- References
- Bibliography
- Ancient works
- Modern works
- Further reading
Hyspaosines (also spelled Aspasine) was the founder of Characene, a kingdom situated in southern Mesopotamia. He was originally a Seleucid satrap installed by king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (), 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, Hyspaosines' name is a Hellenized name of Persian or Bactrian origin, possibly derived from the Old Iranian vispa-čanah ("who appreciates all [things]"). Hyspaosines' father, Sagdodonacus, seemingly had a Bactrian name and was presumably of Bactrian origin himself. 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. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes () eventually managed to re-establish Greek authority over Persis and Characene, and appointed his general Noumenios as the governor of Characene.