Hyspaosines
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Hyspaosines (also: Aspasine born c. 209 BC - 124BC) is the first king (before 127 - 124 BC) of Characene. He is mainly known from coins, but also appears in texts of cuneiform script (in the 'astronomical diaries'). Pliny the Elder mentions that he was the son of a certain Sagdodonacos.
Hyspaosines seems to have been installed by a Seleucid King as satrap of the Characene, but declared independence shortly after his region was conquered or attacked by the Parthian Empire. Hyspaosines conquered parts of south Mesopotamia and of Persia. On the 24th June 127 BC he is for the first time called 'king'. An inscription found on Bahrein demonstrates that he also ruled this island. The inscription also mentions his wife, queen Thalassia. She is also appears in the 'astronomical diaries'. After the death of her husband she tried to install her son as king of Characene.
In 124BC Hyspaosines became ill and died shortly after. Coins with his name were struck till 121BC.
[edit] References
- D. T. Potts, The Archaeology of Elam, Cambridge 1999, 390-91
