10 Facts About Gotarzes II

Gotarzes II was king of the Parthian Empire from 40 to 51.

Gotarzes II eventually was able to gain control of most of Parthia forcing Vardanes to flee to Bactria.

From this inscription, it has been surmised that Gotarzes II was the son of a Hyrcanian nobleman called Gev who served as satrap in that region.

When Gotarzes II later took the throne, he referred to himself as a son of Artabanus II, as evidenced by a surviving coin bearing the legend: Arsaces, king of kings, called Gotarzes, son of Artabanos.

Gotarzes II had another of his brothers, Artabanus, along with his wife and child, executed shortly after.

However, the long siege of Seleucia resulted in Gotarzes II gaining the upper hand in the conflict, allowing him to raise a new force and drive off Vardanes, who fled to Bactria in Central Asia.

Simultaneously, just before Vardanes and Gotarzes II clashed in battle, they reached an accord after Gotarzes II informed Vardanes of a conspiracy being planned against them by a prominent group.

The accord was that Vardanes was to keep his crown, while Gotarzes II withdrew to Hyrcania.

Gotarzes II then proceeded to conquer the remaining Parthian provinces, reaching as far as Aria.

Gotarzes II is unfavourably portrayed in Robert Graves' novel Claudius the God.