4. PHRAATES IV., son of Orodes I., by whom he was appointed successor in 37 B.C., after the death of Pacorus. He soon murdered his father and all his thirty brothers (Justin xlii. 5; Plut. Crass. 33 ; Dio Cass. xlix. 23). He was attacked in 36 by Antonius (Mark Antony), who marched through Armenia into Media Atropatene, and was defeated and lost the greater part of his army. Believing himself betrayed by Artavasdes, king of Armenia, he invaded his kingdom in 34, took him prisoner, and concluded a treaty with another Artavasdes, king of Atropatene. But when the war with Octavianus Augustus broke out, he could not maintain his con quests; Phraates recovered Atropatene and drove Artaxes, the son of Artavasdes, back into Armenia (Dio. Cass. xlix. 24 seq., 39 seq., 44; cf. li. 16; Plut. Antonius, 37 seq.). But by his many cruelties Phraates had roused the indignation of his subjects, who raised Tiridates II. to the throne in 32. Phraates was restored by
the Scythians, and Tiridates fled into Syria.
The Romans hoped that Augustus would avenge the defeat of Crassus on the Parthians, but he contented himself with a treaty, by which Phraates gave back the prisoners and the conquered eagles (20 B.C., Mon. Anc. 5, 4o seq.; Justin xlii. 5) ; the king dom of Armenia also was recognized as a Roman dependency. Soon afterwards Phraates, whose greatest enemies were his own family, sent five of his sons as hostages to Augustus, thus acknowl edging his dependence on Rome This plan he adopted on the advice of an Italian concubine whom he made his legitimate wife under the name of "the goddess Musa"; her son Phraates, com monly called Phraataces (a diminutive form), he appointed suc cessor. About 4 B.C. he was murdered by Musa and her son (Joseph. Ant. xviii. 2, 4)