Phraates IV

Phraates IV ruled the Parthian Empire from about 37 to 2 BC. He recovered Roman standards through diplomacy and secured a settlement with Augustus.

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Orodes II: A Parthian king who ruled from about 57 to 37 BC and was Phraates IV’s father. His death amid dynastic conflict opened the throne to Phraates.
Treaty of Brundisium: A 40 BC agreement that divided Roman power between Mark Antony and Octavian. The settlement left Antony free to campaign against Parthia.
Musa of Parthia: An Italian woman sent to Phraates IV by Augustus who became his queen and influential court figure. Her elevation helped displace Phraates’s earlier heirs and alter the succession.
Battle of Carrhae: A 53 BC battle in which Parthian forces defeated a Roman army led by Marcus Licinius Crassus. The captured standards Phraates later returned dated from this defining Roman defeat.
Monaeses: A Parthian noble and general who rebelled against Phraates IV and sought Roman support. His revolt turned Phraates’s succession into an international crisis.
Roman standards recovered by Augustus: The military standards returned by Parthia to Rome in 20 BC after earlier Roman defeats. Phraates returned the standards through negotiation rather than another battle.
Phraates V: A Parthian king who briefly ruled jointly with his mother Musa after Phraates IV’s death. He inherited the throne through the court faction formed around Musa.
Augustus's Res Gestae: An autobiographical inscription in which Augustus recorded his achievements and political claims. Augustus presented the standards’ return as a triumph achieved without warfare.
Mark Antony's Parthian campaign: A Roman invasion of Parthia in 36 BC that ended in a costly retreat. Phraates defeated Antony’s campaign and preserved Parthian independence.
Tiberius: The Roman general and future emperor who received the standards from Parthia in 20 BC. Augustus sent him to formalize the highly visible diplomatic settlement.