Characene

Characene, also called Mesene or Meshan, was an ancient kingdom started by an Iranian leader named Hyspaosines. It was located near the Persian Gulf, mostly in what is now Iraq. The main city, Charax Spasinou, was a busy port where goods were traded between Mesopotamia and India. It also helped ships reaching the city of Susa up the Karun River.

This kingdom often followed the rules of the Parthian Empire. Most people living there were Arabs, and they used Aramaic for their culture. Even though the rulers had Iranian names, they were part of the Arsacid dynasty. Characene was an important place for trade and culture a long time ago.

Name

The name "Characene" came from its capital city, Charax Spasinu. The kingdom was also called "Mesene," an older name that likely means "land of buffalos" or "land of sheep."

History

The capital of Characene, Alexandria, was first built by the Macedonian ruler Alexander the Great. He wanted it to be a big port for trade near his eastern capital of Babylon. But the city did not become as important as planned and was destroyed by floods in the mid 3rd-century BC. Later, the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes rebuilt it and renamed it Antiochia. He made Hyspaosines the governor of the area.

As the power of the Seleucids weakened, Hyspaosines declared independence but still tried to stay friendly with them. Later, the nearby Parthian Empire became strong, and Hyspaosines agreed to be a vassal to them. Characene stayed mostly independent but under Parthian control. The kingdom included places like the islands Failaka and Bahrain.

The kings of Characene are mostly known from their coins, which had Greek and later Aramaic writing. Trade remained very important, with many merchants from places like Palmyra visiting Characene. Other important cities in the kingdom included Forat, Apologos, and Teredon.

In AD 115, the Roman emperor Trajan reached Characene and saw ships heading to India. Later, the area became part of the Sasanian Empire under a new ruler, Ardashir V. The region continued to be known as Maysān.

Kings

Here is a list of the kings of Characene:

• Hyspaosines around 127–124 BC
• Apodakos around 110/09–104/03 BC
• Tiraios I 95/94–90/89 BC
• Bellaios around 85/4 BC
  • Possible usurper: Hippokrates Autokrator Nikephoros 81/80 BC
• Tiraios II 79/78–49/48 BC
• Artabazas I 49/48–48/47 BC
• Attambelos I 47/46–25/24 BC
• Theonesios I around 19/18
• Attambelos II around 17/16 BC – AD 8/9
• Abinergaos I 10/11; 22/23
• Orabazes I around 19
• Attambelos III around 37/38–44/45
• Theonesios II around 46/47
• Theonesios III around 52/53
• Attambelos IV 54/55–64/65
• Attambelos V 64/65–73/74
• Orabazes II around 73–80
• Pakoras 80–101/02
• Attambelos VI around 101/02–105/06
• Theonesios IV around 110/11–112/113
• Attambelos VII 113/14–117
• Meredates around 131–150/51
• Orabazes II around 150/51–165
• Abinergaos II (?) around 165–180
• Attambelos VIII around 180–195
• Maga (?) around 195–210
• Abinergaos III around 210–222