Sanatruk von Armenien

Abstract

Greek and Armenian authors tell about one Sanatruk, king of Armenia. He was very likely the son Tiridates I and his successor, who is last mentioned in the late seventies of the first century A.D. A report about his death could be preserved in two passages of John Malalas’ chronicle, which are evidently distorted. The story pictures a Persian (!) great-king Sanatrucius, who is involved in Roman-Parthian fightings in Trajan ́s time. The king is later betrayed by his own cousin and killed. In all likelihood, this account referred originally to the death of Sanatruk of Armenia, who may have reigned until 108/9 A.D. About this year the Parthian great-king Pacorus (often wrongly counted as „Pacorus II“) lost his long fight against the usurper Osroes (Khosroes). At the end of his reign, he tried to win at least the Armenian kingdom for one of his sons. Sanatruk’s assassin was apparently Pacorus’ son Parthamasiris, who in the sources could easily be confused with Osroes’ son Parthamaspates, reported as the murderer of Sanatrucius in Malalas’ story. But at long last, no-one of Pacorus’ sons won the Armenian crown. The kingdom fell to Sanatruk’s son Vologaeses, who was appointed by emperor Hadrian and ruled for more then twenty years.