science

Pharasmanes II

Pharasmanes II is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Pharasmanes II rather than just read about it. In short: Pharasmanes II the Valiant or the Brave (Georgian: ფარსმან II ქველი) was a king (mepe) of Iberia (Kartli) from the Pharnavazid dynasty, and a contemporary of the Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138). Professor Cyril Toumanoff suggests AD 116–132 as the period of Pharasmanes' reign.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Pharasmanes II the Valiant or the Brave (Georgian: ფარსმან II ქველი) was a king (mepe) of Iberia (Kartli) from the Pharnavazid dynasty, and a contemporary of the Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138). Professor Cyril Toumanoff suggests AD 116–132 as the period of Pharasmanes' reign. He is mentioned in several Classical accounts.

Life The medieval Georgian annals report Pharasmanes' joint rule with Pharasmanes Avaz, diarchs (one source has the extra pair: Rok and Mihrdat), but several modern scholars consider the Iberian diarchy unlikely as it is not corroborated by the contemporary evidence. Pharasmanes is reported to have been the son of his predecessor, King Amazasp I. He is said to have married Ghadana, daughter of King Vologases I of Armenia. According to the medieval Life of Kings, the traditional friendship of the two dyarchy soured at the instigation of the Iranian wife of Mihrdat. Toumanoff regards this information a back-projection of the historically recorded enmity of Pharasmanes I of Iberia and his brother Mithridates of Armenia. The chronicle then continues a story of an Armenian-Roman alliance and their invasion of the Iranian-backed Iberia in which Pharasmanes finds his death.

Reign The Georgian royal annals describe Pharasmanes in the following way:

ფარსმან ქუელი იყო კაცი კეთილი და უხუად მომნიჭებელი და შემნდობელი, ასაკითა შუენიერი, ტანითა დიდი და ძლიერი, მჴნე მჴედარი და შემმართებელი ბრძოლისა, უშიში ვითარცა უჴორცო და ყოვლითავე უმჯობესი ყოველთა მეფეთა ქართლისათა, რომელნი გარდაცვალებულ იყვნეს უწინარეს მისსა.Pharasmanes the Valiant was a man of kindness and abundance and compassion, beautiful of his age, of big and strong body, courageous horseman and inspirational warrior, fearless as fleshless and all the greater with everything of all the kings of Kartli, who were dead before him. The contemporary Classical authors, with more solid historical background, focus on Pharasmanes’ uneasy relations with Rome. He refused in 129 to come and pay homage to the emperor Hadrian. According to the Aelius Spartianus, one of the authors of Augustan History:

And when some of the kings came to him, he treated them in such a way that those who had refused to come regretted it. He took this course especially on account of Pharasmanes, who had haughtily scorned his invitation.

Pharasmanes then went touring the East, and prompted the Alans to attack the neighboring Roman provinces by giving them a passage through his realm, even though the emperor had sent him greater gifts including a war elephant, than to any other king of the East. In his pique, Hadrian dressed some 300 criminals in the gold-embroidered cloaks which were part of the return gift of Pharasmanes, and sent them into the arena. According to Spartianus:

He showed a multitude of favours to many kings, but from a number he even purchased peace, and by some he was treated with scorn; to many he gave huge gifts, but none greater than to the king of the Iberians, for to him he gave an elephant and a band of fifty men, in addition to magnificent presents. And having himself received huge gifts from Pharasmanes, including some cloaks embroidered with gold, he sent into the arena three hundred condemned criminals dressed in gold-embroidered cloaks as an insult to the king. Following this, attacks by the nomadic Alans became more frequent; they raided the border regions of Armenia and Atropatene and penetrated as far as Cappadocia. Pharasmanes took advantage of the situation, expanding Iberian influence toward the Black Sea coast. With his assistance, the Alans launched further incursions through Caucasian Albania and Atropatene, crossing Armenia and reaching Roman territories. Vologases I of Armenia sent envoys to Rome to complain about Pharasmanes' aggressive actions, but his complaint was unsuccessful. Eventually, the ancient sources report a highly honored visit paid by Pharasmanes to Hadrian's successor Antoninus Pius. According to Cassius Dio, he came to Rome as guest of Antoninus Pius, together with his wife, son, and noble retinue where he was especially honored, being allowed to sacrifice in the Capitol and to have his equestrian statue in the temple of Bellona, and also the emperor increased the territory of his kingdom. This Pharasmanes, however, might have been Pharasmanes III, Pharasmanes II's possible grandson. This visit was recorded on a fragment of the Fasti Ostienses. According to the Georgian royal annals King Pharasmanes was poisoned by the chef sent by the Parthians.

მაშინ სპარსთა გება-ყვეს სიმარჯუე ესე, რამეთუ მოიყვანეს მზარეული ერთი, და აღუთქუეს მას კეთილი დიდი, და რქუეს ესრეთ, ვითარმედ: "წარვედ და შემწყნარე ფარსმან ქუელსა, და წარიტანე შენ თანა წამალი სასიკუდინე, და შეუზავე საჭმელსა თანა მისსა და შეაჭამე". ხოლო წარვიდა მზარეული იგი და ყო ეგრეთ, ვითარცა უთხრეს სპარსთა მათ. და ესრეთ მოკლა ფარსმან მეფე ქუელი.And then the Persians tried to have some adroitness, and they brought one chef, and promised him great bestowal, and they told him: "Go and serve Pharasmanes the Valiant, and carry with yourself a medicine of death, and mix it with his meal and make him eat it". And a chef went and did so, as the Persians told him to. And that's how he killed Pharasmanes, the valiant king.

References

Sources Toumanoff, Cyril (1969). "Chronology of the Early Kings of Iberia". Traditio. 25. Cambridge University Press: 1–33. doi:10.1017/S0362152900010898. S2CID 151472930.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pharasmanes II

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pharasmanes II claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pharasmanes II before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pharasmanes II ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pharasmanes II

In research: Pharasmanes II appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pharasmanes II in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pharasmanes II is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2nd-century monarchs in Asia, 2nd-century murdered monarchs, Assassinated heads of state in Europe, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pharasmanes II outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Pharasmanes II in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pharasmanes II means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Pharasmanes II in simple terms?

Why does Pharasmanes II matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pharasmanes II?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pharasmanes II.