Quick Facts
Died:
ad 19,, Antioch, Syria
Title / Office:
king (7-11), Parthia
House / Dynasty:
Arsacid dynasty
Britannica AI Icon
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
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Vonones I (died ad 19, Antioch, Syria) was the king of Parthia (reigned ad 7/8–11).

Vonones was the eldest son of Phraates IV (q.v.) and was in Rome as a hostage when the Parthian king Orodes III died in about ad 7. The Parthians requested the return of one of the sons of Phraates IV, and the Roman emperor Tiberius sent Vonones. But Vonones’ foreign manners and dependence on Rome alienated the Parthians. Artabanus III, king of Media Atropatene, revolted and entered the Parthian capital at Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia about ad 12. Vonones fled to Armenia, where he secured the Armenian throne, but because of pressure from Artabanus he was forced to abdicate about ad 15. Vonones then went to Antioch in Syria, where the Roman governor kept him in custody until he was killed in an attempt to escape.

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.