Tiraios II was a king who ruled from about 79/78 to 49/48 BC the state of Characene, a vassal state of the Parthians.
Like most kings of Characene he is known only from numismatic sources, in his case his silver and bronze coins.
He was also mentioned by Lucian of Samosata, who says of him that he lived till 92.
His coinage indicates he was hellenised. He was the first king of Charakene to call himself Soter.
One of his coins overstrikes a coin of a king Hippokrates Autokrator Nikephoros. The latter might be an usurpator in the Charakene.
References
- Monika Schuol : The Characene. Ein mesopotamisches Königreich in hellenistisch-parthischer Zeit . A Mesopotamian kingdom in Hellenistic-Parthian period. Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-515-07709-X , ( Oriens et Occidens 1), (Zugleich: Kiel, Univ., Diss., 1998), S. 221–222, 303–306. Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-515-07709-X (Oriens et Occidens 1), (Also: Kiel University, Ph.D. thesis, 1998.), pp. 221-222, 303-306.
- E. Yarshater, The Cambridge History of Iran, Cambridge University Press page 487
- Richard Nelson Frye, The History of Ancient Iran, Volume 3, Part 7. C.H.Beck Publishers. page 277
- Lucian, Macrobii, 15
- Monika Schuol : Die Charakene. Monika Schuol : The Charakene, A Mesopotamian kingdom in Hellenistic-Parthian period. Steiner, Stuttgart 2000
- G.R.F. Assar: A New Hellenistic Ruler from Early 1st Century BC: King pokrates Autokrator Nikephoros, in: Portraits: 400 Years of Hellenistic Portraits/400 Jahre hellenistische Portraits. Staatliche Münzsammlung München. Editor/Herausgeber: Dr. Andreas Pangerl. Publisher: Verlag: Staatliche Münzsammlung Munich 2020. ISBN 978-3-922840-41-1, p. 340
| Preceded byTiraios I | King of Characene 79/78 to 49/48 BC |
Succeeded byArtabazos I |