Artabāzes
(
Ἀρταβάζης) or
Artavasdes. A king of
Armenia, the son and successor of Tigranes, who began to reign about B.C. 70. It was
principally through his treacherous advice, as to the mode of entering Parthia, that Crassus
failed in his expedition against that country. He was subsequently taken by Antony, to whom he
had also acted a treacherous part in his Parthian expedition, who led him in triumph at
Alexandria. He was put to death, after the battle of Actium, by Cleopatra , who wished to
obtain assistance from the king of Media, and therefore sent him the head of Artavasdes, his
enemy. The prince appears to have been a very well educated man. He wrote in Greek two
historical works, some tragedies, discourses, etc. (
Anton. 50, seqq.).