| Orodes II 𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃 | |
|---|---|
| Great King, King of Kings, Arsaces | |
_mint.jpg) Orodes II's portrait on the obverse of a tetradrachm, showing him wearing a beard and a diadem on his head, Mithradatkert mint | |
| King of the Parthian Empire | |
| Reign | 57 – 37 BC |
| Predecessor | Mithridates IV |
| Successor | Phraates IV |
| Died | 37 BC |
| Spouse | Unnamed Indo-Scythian princess (?) Laodice |
| Issue | Pacorus I Phraates IV |
| Dynasty | Arsacid dynasty |
| Father | Phraates III |
| Religion | Zoroastrianism |
Orodes II (also spelled Urud II; Parthian: 𐭅𐭓𐭅𐭃 Wērōd), was King of Kings of the Parthian Empire from 57 BC to 37 BC. He was a son of Phraates III, whom he murdered in 57 BC, assisted by his elder brother Mithridates IV. The two brothers quickly fell out and entered into a dynastic struggle, in which Orodes was triumphant.
Meanwhile, the Roman general and triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus had made an attempt to extend his share of Roman territory by eastward conquest. This attempt proved disastrous, with Crassus meeting his end in 53 BC, in the Battle of Carrhae, by Orodes' general Surena. Orodes himself had invaded Armenia and forced king Artavasdes II (r. 55–34 BC) to submit and abandon his alliance with the Romans. The victory at Carrhae secured for the Parthians the countries east of the Euphrates. Then, the next year they invaded Syria, but with little success. Surena, whose achievements had made him too dangerous, was killed by Orodes, and Pacorus I, the son and heir of the king was defeated by Cassius in 51 BC.
During the Roman Republican civil wars, the Parthians sided first with Pompey and then with Brutus and Cassius, but took no action until 40 BC, when Pacorus, assisted by the Roman deserter Quintus Labienus, conquered a great part of Syria and Asia Minor, but was defeated and killed by Ventidius in 38 BC. Orodes, who was deeply afflicted by the death of his favourite son, relinquished the throne to his son Phraates IV, and died soon afterward.