Artavasdes I of Media Atropatene (59 BC-20 BC) was King of Media Atropatene from 56 BC to 20 BC, succeeding Ariobarzanes I and preceding Asinnalus.
Biography[]
Artavasdes was the son of King Ariobarzanes I of Media Atropatene and a daughter of King Tigranes the Great, and he was of Median, Armenian, and Greek descent. He succeeded his father as king at the age of three in 56 BC, and he was allied with King Phraates IV of Parthia when the Roman general Mark Antony invaded in 36 BC. Antony failed to take Artavasdes' capital of Phraaspa, and Artavasdes and a Parthian army destroyed two of Antony's legions. In 35 BC, worried that Phraates was depriving him of his dominion and spoils, Artavasdes allied with Antony against Phraates, but Antony withdrew his troops after the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, and Artavasdes was defeated and captured in 30 BC. During Artavasdes' imprisonment, a Parthian civil war broke out, and he managed to escape from prison. He took refuge with the friendly Roman emperor Augustus, who made him a client king of Lesser Armenia. He died in Rome in 20 BC.