Quick Facts
- Died:
- 37/36 bce
- House / Dynasty:
- Arsacid dynasty
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Orodes II
Orodes II, portrait on a coin.
Orodes II
king of Parthia
Orodes II (died 37/36 bce) was the king of Parthia (reigned c. 55/54–37/36 bce) who helped his brother Mithradates III murder their father, Phraates III, about 57 bce and in turn supplanted Mithradates.
When Mithradates occupied Seleucia and Babylon, Orodes stormed those towns and immediately executed his brother. No less ruthless to his attendants, he put to death Surenas, the general who in 53 bce had crushed the Romans under the triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus at Carrhae in northern Mesopotamia (now Altınbaşak, Turkey). Parthian raids into Roman Syria were checked by the death of Pacorus, Orodes’ favourite son and perhaps joint king. Orodes, stunned by the loss, was murdered in turn by another son, who became Phraates IV.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.