Erato of Armenia

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Erato was queen of Armenia and the last member on the throne of the Artaxiad Dynasty. Daughter of Tigranes III and half-sister and wife of Tigranes IV. In the centuries before Christianity, incestuous marriages were common at Hellenistic courts in order to preserve the purity of the royal blood. She was the only Armenian sovereign to ascend to the throne three times. Erato reigned along with her brother Tigranes IV from 8 to 5 BC, 2 BC to 2 AD and from 6 to 11 AD. Augustus sent Tiberius to appoint Artavasdes III as King of Armenia, who was a cousin of Tigranes and Erato. Tigranes and Erato instigated a civil war with the aid of Phraates, King of Parthia.

The Parthian king soon ceased his support in order to avoid a full scale war with Rome. Gaius Caesar was sent to Armenia to stop the civil war, prior to his arrival Tigranes IV was murdered during one of the disturbances and the Armenian throne was bestowed upon Ariobarzan, a Mede by origin. Ariobarzan was killed in an accident and Augustus nominated Ariobarzan's son, Artavasdes IV, as the new King. The Armenian population grew weary of foreign Kings and Augustus revised his policy by giving the throne to Tigranes V, an Artaxiad of unknown affiliation. The Armenian nobles, unsatisfied with Tigranes V, rebelled and restored Erato and Tigranes to the throne. She was overthrown under unknown circumstances in 11, after which the Artaxiad Dynasty became extinct. Augustus decided to keep Armenia as a vassal kingdom instead of annexing it to the Empire. In 12 Vonones I of Parthia was appointed as King of Armenia by Augustus.