Thalassia (queen)
Encyclopedia
Thalassia was the wife of Hyspaosines
, king of Characene
(a small kingdom at the Persian gulf
in nowadays Iraq
). Thalassia is a rare Greek name.
Thalassia is known from cuneiform texts found in Babylon
, where she appears as Talasi'asu. In these texts it is reported that after the death of her husband in 124 BC, she tried to install their son on the throne of the kingdom. The son is not named and therefore it remains open whether she was successful. The king following Hyspaosines was Apodakos
, he might be this son. Thalassia is also known from a building inscription found on Bahrain
, where she is mentioned together with her husband. Here, the Greek version of her name is attested.
Hyspaosines
Hyspaosines or Aspasine was a satrap installed by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and later the first king of Characene or Mesene . Hyspaosines is mainly known from coins, but also appears in texts of cuneiform script...
, king of Characene
Characene
Characene, also known as Mesene , was a kingdom within the Parthian Empire at the head of the Persian Gulf. Its capital was Charax Spasinou, "The Fort of Hyspaosines"...
(a small kingdom at the Persian gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
in nowadays Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
). Thalassia is a rare Greek name.
Thalassia is known from cuneiform texts found in Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
, where she appears as Talasi'asu. In these texts it is reported that after the death of her husband in 124 BC, she tried to install their son on the throne of the kingdom. The son is not named and therefore it remains open whether she was successful. The king following Hyspaosines was Apodakos
Apodakos
Apodakos was a king of Characene, a vassal kingdom of the Parthian Empire.Apodakos is known from his silver and bronze coins, only some of which are dated. The dated coins belong to the years 110/09 to 104/3 BC....
, he might be this son. Thalassia is also known from a building inscription found on Bahrain
Bahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, where she is mentioned together with her husband. Here, the Greek version of her name is attested.
Literature
- P.L. Galier, P. Lombard, K.M. al-Sindi: Greek Inscriptions from Bahrain, In: Arabian archaeology and epigraphy, 13 (2002), S. 223-26 the Inscription from Bahrain (pdf)