Characene was a kingdom within the Parthian empire at the Persian Gulf. Its capital was Charax Spasinou. The city was an important port in the trade from Mesopotamia to India. Parthian Empire at its greatest extent, c60 BC. The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BCE, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BCE and 224 CE. Parthia was the arch-enemy of the Roman Empire in the East and... Mesopotamia (Greek: Μεσοποταμία, translated from Old Persian Miyanrudan the Land between the Rivers; Aramaic name being Beth-Nahrain House of Two Rivers) is a region of Southwest Asia. ...

Characene was founded around 127 BC under Hsypaosines, and existed as an independent kingdom only for a short period before being conquered by the Parthians. Hyspaosines was originally a satrap installed by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. After the Parthian conquest it remained a semi-autonomous country with its own kings. It disappeared as own kingdom with the fall of the Parthian empire. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Coin of Antiochus IV. Reverse shows Apollo seated on an omphalos. ...

The kings of Characene are mainly known by their coins, consisting mainly of silver tetradrachms with Greek and later Aramaic inscriptions. Aramaic is a Semitic language with a four-thousand year history. ...

The kings of Characene:

• Hsypaosines c. 127-122/21 BC
• Apodakos c. 110/09-104/03 BC
• Tiraios I 95/94-90/89 BC
• Tiraios II 79/78-49/48 BC
• Artabazos 49/48-48/47 BC
• Attambelos I 47/46-25/24 BC
• Theonesios I c. 19/18
• Attambalos II c. 17/16 BC - AD 8/9
• Abinergaos I 10/11; 22/23
• Orabazes I c. 19
• Attambalos III c. 37/38-44/45
• Theonesios II c. 46/47
• Theonesios III c. 52/53
• Attambalos IV 54/55-64/65
• Attambalos V 64/65-73/74
• Orabazes II c. 73-80
• Pakoros (II) 80-101/02
• Attambalos VI c. 101/02-105/06
• Theonesios IV c. 110/11-112/113
• Attambalos VII 113/14-117
• Meredates c. 131-150/51
• Orabazes II c. 150/51-165
• Abinergaios II (?) c. 165-180
• Attambalos VIII c. 180-195
• Maga (?) c. 195-210
• Abinergaos III c. 210-222

Further reading

Schuol, Monika: Die Charakene. Ein mesopotamisches Königreich in hellenistisch-parthischer Zeit (= Oriens et occidens 1), Stuttgart 2000, ISBN: 3-515-07709-X

Sheldon A. Nodelman, A Preliminary History of Charakene, Berytus 13 (1959/60), 83-121, XXVII f.,