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{{Short description|King of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom from c.19 to c.46 AD}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name = Gondophares
| title = [[King of Kings]]
| image = Gondophares.jpg
| caption = Silver coin of Gondophares, minted in [[Drangiana]]
| succession = [[Indo-Parthian]] king
| reign = {{Circa|19|46}}
| predecessor = [[Tanlis Mardates]]{{sfn|Rezakhani|2017|p=56}}
| successor = [[Gadana|Orthagnes]] ([[Drangiana]] and [[Arachosia]]) [[Abdagases I]] ([[Gandhara]])
| queen =
| issue =
| royal house =
| father =
| mother =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =
| death_date = 46
| death_place =
| religion = [[Zoroastrianism]]
}}
'''Gondophares I''' ([[Greek alphabet|Greek]]: ΓΟΝΔΟΦΑΡΗΣ ''Gondopharēs'', ΥΝΔΟΦΕΡΡΗΣ ''Hyndopherrēs''; [[Kharosthi]]: '''𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨥𐨪''' ''{{IAST|Gu-da-pha-ra}}'', ''{{IAST|Gudaphara}}'';<ref>[[Percy Gardner|Gardner, Percy]], ''The Coins of the Greek and Scythic Kings of Bactria and India in the British Museum'', p. 103-106</ref> '''𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨥𐨪𐨿𐨣''' ''{{IAST|Gu-da-pha-rna}}'', ''{{IAST|Gudapharna}}'';<ref>[[Alexander Cunningham]], ''Coins of the Sakas'', The Numismatic Chronicle and Journal of the Numismatic Society, Third Series, Vol. 10 (1890), pp. 103-172</ref><ref>Gardner, Percy, ''The Coins of the Greek and Scythic Kings of Bactria and India in the British Museum'', p. 105</ref> '''𐨒𐨂𐨡𐨂𐨵𐨪‎''' ''{{IAST|Gu-du-vha-ra}}'', ''{{IAST|Guduvhara}}''<ref>[[Sten Konow|Konow, Sten]], ''Kharoshṭhī Inscriptions with the Exception of Those of Aśoka'', Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum, Vol. II, Part I. Calcutta: Government of India Central Publication Branch, p. 58</ref>) was the founder of the [[Indo-Parthian Kingdom]] and its most prominent king, ruling from 19 to 46. He probably belonged to a line of local princes who had governed the [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] province of [[Drangiana]] since its disruption by the [[Indo-Scythians]] in c. 129 BC, and may have been a member of the [[House of Suren]]. During his reign, his kingdom became independent from Parthian authority and was transformed into an empire, which encompassed Drangiana, [[Arachosia]], and [[Gandhara]].{{sfn|Rezakhani|2017|p=35}} He is generally known from the [[Acts of Thomas]], the [[Takht-i-Bahi]] inscription, and silver and copper coins bearing his visage.

He was succeeded in Drangiana and Arachosia by [[Gadana|Orthagnes]], and in Gandhara by his nephew [[Abdagases I]].{{sfn|Rezakhani|2017|p=37}}{{sfn|Gazerani|2015|p=25}}

== Etymology ==
The name of Gondophares was not a personal name, but an epithet derived from the Middle Iranian name 𐭅𐭉𐭍𐭃𐭐𐭓𐭍, ''Windafarn'' (Parthian), and 𐭢𐭥𐭭𐭣𐭯𐭥, ''Gundapar'' (Middle Persian), in turn derived from the Old Iranian name 𐎻𐎡𐎭𐎳𐎼𐎴𐎠 (''Vindafarnâ'', "May he find glory" (cf. Greek [[wikt:Ἰνταφέρνης|Ἰνταφέρνης]], ''Intaphernes''))<ref>W. Skalmowski and A. Van Tongerloo, ''Middle Iranian Studies: Proceedings of the International Symposium Organized by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven from the 17th to the 20th of May 1982'', p. 19</ref>, which was also the name of one of the six nobles that helped the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] king of kings (''[[shah]]anshah'') [[Darius the Great]] ({{reign|522 BC|486 BC}}) to seize the throne.{{sfn|Bivar|2002|pp=135-136}}{{sfn|Gazerani|2015|p=23}} In old [[Armenian language|Armenian]], it is "Gastaphar". "Gundaparnah" was apparently the Eastern Iranian form of the name.<ref>Mary Boyce and Frantz Genet, ''A History of Zoroastrianism,'' Leiden, Brill, 1991, pp.447–456, n.431.</ref>

[[Ernst Herzfeld]] claims his name is perpetuated in the name of the Afghan city [[Kandahar]], which he founded under the name Gundopharron.<ref>Ernst Herzfeld, ''Archaeological History of Iran,'' London, Oxford University Press for the British Academy, 1935, p.63.</ref>

== Background ==
[[File:SakastanMap.jpg|thumb|Map of [[Drangiana]] ([[Sakastan]]) in c. 100 BC.]]
Gondophares may have been a member of the [[House of Suren]], one of the most esteemed families in Arsacid Iran, that not only had the hereditary right to lead the royal military, but also to place the crown on the Parthian king at the coronation.{{sfn|Bivar|2002|pp=135-136}} In c. 129 BC, the eastern portions of the Parthian Empire, primarily [[Drangiana]], was invaded by nomadic peoples, mainly by the Eastern Iranian [[Saka]] ([[Indo-Scythians]]) and the Indo-European [[Yuezhi]], thus giving the rise to the name of the province of [[Sistan|Sakastan]] ("land of the Saka").{{sfn|Frye|1984|p=193}}{{sfn|Bosworth|1997|pp=681-685}}

As a result of these invasions, the Suren family was probably given control of Sakastan in order to defend the empire from further nomad incursions; the Surenids not only may have managed to repel the Indo-Scythians, but also to invade and seize their lands in [[Arachosia]] and [[Punjab]], thus resulting in the establishment of the [[Indo-Parthian Kingdom]].{{sfn|Bivar|2002|pp=135-136}}

==Rule==
[[File:IndoParthianMap.jpg|thumb|Map of the [[Indo-Parthian Kingdom|Indo-Parthian Empire]] under Gondophares.]]
Gondophares ascended the throne in c. 19, and quickly declared independence from the Parthian Empire, minting coins in Drangiana where he assumed the [[Greek language|Greek]] title of ''[[autokrator]]'' ("one who rules by himself").{{sfn|Gazerani|2015|pp=24-25}}

Gondophares I has traditionally been given a later date; the reign of one king calling himself Gondophares has been established at 20 AD by the rock inscription he set up at [[Takht-i-Bahi]] near [[Mardan]], [[Pakistan]], in 46 AD.,<ref>A. D. H. Bivar, "The History of Eastern Iran", in Ehsan Yarshater (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Iran,'' Vol.3 (1), ''The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods,'' London, Cambridge University Press, 1983, p.197.</ref> and he has also been connected with the third-century ''[[Acts of Thomas]]''.

Gondophares I took over the [[Kabul]] valley and the [[Punjab region|Punjab]] and [[Sindh]] region area from the [[Indo-Scythian|Scythian]] king [[Azes]]. In reality, a number of vassal rulers seem to have switched allegiance from the Indo-Scythians to Gondophares I. His empire was vast, but was only a loose framework, which fragmented soon after his death. His capital was the Gandharan city of [[Taxila]].<ref>B. N. Puri, "The Sakas and Indo-Parthians", in A.H. Dani, V. M. Masson, Janos Harmatta, C. E. Boaworth, ''History of Civilizations of Central Asia,'' Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2003, Chapter 8, p.196</ref> Taxila is located in Punjab to the west of the present Islamabad.

==Chronology==
On the coins of Gondophares, the royal names are Iranian, but the other legends of the coins are in Greek and [[Kharoṣṭhī]].{{fact|date=April 2022}}

Ernst Herzfeld maintained that the dynasty of Gondophares represented the [[House of Suren]].<ref>Ernst Herzfeld, ''Archaeological History of Iran,'' London, Oxford University Press for the British Academy, 1935, p.63; name="Bivar_2003"/> ''cf.'' name="Bivar_1983_51">{{citation |title=Cambridge History of Iran |volume=3 |year=1983 |publisher=Cambridge UP |location=London |editor-last=Yarshater |editor-first=Ehsan |chapter=The Political History of Iran under the Arsacids |last=Bivar |first=A. D. H. |issue=1 |pages=51}}</ref>

==The Biblical Magus "Gaspar"==
The name of Gondophares was translated in Armenian in "Gastaphar", and then in Western languages into "Gasbar[d], Gaspas, Caspus, Kaspar, גִזבָּר ". He may be the "Gasbar[d], Treasurer and King of Persia", who, according to apocryphal texts and eastern Christian tradition, was one of the three [[Biblical Magi]] who attended the birth of Christ.<ref>Alfred von Gutschmid, Die Königsnamen in den apokryphen Apostelgeschichten, in the ''Rheinisches Museum für Philologie'' (1864), XIX, 161-183, nb p.162; Mario Bussagli, "L'art du Gandhara", p.207</ref> Through this interaction and association, Gaspar[d] was adopted by the Europeans (and in Western tradition) as a male first name.

==Connection with Saint Thomas and Apollonius of Tyana==
[[File:Gondophares receives a letter from St, Thomas.jpg|thumb|Gondophares receives a letter from St. Thomas]]
The apocryphical ''[[Acts of Thomas]]'' mentions one king ''Gudnaphar''. This king has been associated with Gondophares I by scholars such as M. Reinaud, as it was not yet established that there were several kings with the same name. Since St. Thomas is said to have lived there in a specific time frame, this is often used to provide more specific chronology to an otherwise historiographically lacking time frame.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3aeQqmcXBhoC|title=India: A History|last=Keay|first=John|date=2000|publisher=Grove Press|isbn=9780802137975|language=en}}</ref> Richard N. Frye, Emeritus Professor of Iranian Studies at Harvard University, has noted that this ruler has been identified with a king called Caspar in the Christian tradition of the Apostle St Thomas and his visit to India.<ref>Richard N. Frye, "The Fall of the Graeco-Bactrians: Sakas and Indo-Parthians", in Sigfried J. de Laet, ''History of Humanity,'' London, New York and Paris, Routledge and Unesco, Volume III, 1996, Joachim Herrmann and Erik Zürcher (eds.), ''From the Seventh Century BC to the Seventh Century AD,'' p.455.</ref> Recent numismatic research by R.C. Senior supports the notion that the king who best fits these references was Gondophares-[[Sases]], the fourth king using the title Gondophares.<ref>Robert C. Senior, ''Indo-Scythian Coins and History,'' Volume 4: Supplement, London, Chameleon Press, (2006).</ref>

A. D. H. Bivar, writing in ''The Cambridge History of Iran'', said that the reign dates of one Gondophares recorded in the Takht-i Bahi inscription (20–46 or later AD) are consistent with the dates given in the ''Apocryphal Acts of Thomas'' for the Apostle's voyage to India following the Crucifixion in c. 30 AD.<ref>W. Wright (transl.), ''The Apocryphal Acts of Thomas,'' Leiden, Brill, 1962, p.146; cited in A. D. H. Bivar, "The History of Eastern Iran", in Ehsan Yarshater (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Iran,'' Vol.3 (1), ''The Seleucid, Parthian and Sasanian Periods,'' London, Cambridge University Press, 1983, p.197.</ref><ref>India and the Apostle Thomas, A. E. Medlycott, fully reproduced with illustrations (including the coins of Gondaphares) in the Indian Church History Classics ed. George Menachery, Ollur, 1998</ref> B. N. Puri, of the Department of Ancient Indian History and Archaeology, University of Lucknow, India, also identified Gondophares with the ruler said to have been converted by Saint Thomas the Apostle.<ref>B. N. Puri, "The Sakas and Indo-Parthians", in János Harmatta, B. N. Puri and G.F. Etemadi (editors), ''History of civilizations of Central Asia,'' Paris, UNESCO, Vol.II, 1994, p.196.</ref> The same goes for the reference to an Indo-Parthian king in the accounts of the life of [[Apollonius of Tyana]]. Puri says that the dates given by Philostratus in his ''Life of Apollonius of Tyana'' for Apollonius' visit to Taxila, 43–44 AD, are within the period of the reign of Gondophares I, who also went by the Parthian name, Phraotes.<ref>Puri, "The Sakas and Indo-Parthians", p.197.</ref>
Saint Thomas was brought before King Gundaphar (Gondophares) at his capital, Taxila.<ref>A. E. Medlycott, India and the Apostle Thomas, London, David Nutt, 1905, Chapter 1, "The Apostle Thomas and Gondophares the Indian King"</ref> "Taxila" is the Greek form of the contemporary Pali name for the city, "Takkasila", from the Sanskrit "Taksha-sila". The name of the city was transformed in subsequent legends concerning Thomas, which were consolidated into the ''Historia Trium Regum (History of the Three Kings)'' by John of Hildesheim (1364–1375), into "Silla", "Egrisilla", "Grisculla", and so on,<ref>Frank Schaer, The ''Three Kings of Cologne,'' Heidelberg, Winter, 2000, Middle English Texts no.31, p.196.</ref> the name having undergone a process of metamorphosis similar to that which transformed "Vindapharnah" (Gondophares) to "Caspar".
Hildesheim's ''Historia Trium Regum'' says: "In the third India is the kingdom of Tharsis, which at that time was ruled over by King Caspar, who offered incense to our Lord. The famous island Eyrisoulla [or Egrocilla] lies in this land: it is there that the holy apostle St Thomas is buried".<ref>Joannes of Hildesheim, ''The Three Kings of Cologne: An Early English Translation of the "Historia Trium Regum" together with the Latin Text,'' London, Trubner, 1886; repr. Elibron Classics, 2001, cap.xi, pp.227–28; translation by F.H. Mountney, ''The Three Kings of Cologne,'' Gracewing Publishing, 2003, pp.31, 47.</ref> "Egrisilla" appears on the globe made in Nuremberg by [[Martin Behaim]] in 1492, where it appears on the southernmost part of the peninsula of Hoch India, "High India" or "India Superior", on the eastern side of the [[Sinus Magnus]] ("Great Gulf", the [[Gulf of Thailand]]): there Egrisilla is identified with the inscription, ''das lant wird genant egtisilla,'' ("the land called Egrisilla"). In his study of Behaim's globe, [[Ernst Georg Ravenstein|E. G. Ravenstein]] noted: "Egtisilla, or Eyrisculla [or Egrisilla: the letters "r" and "t" in the script on the globe look similar], is referred to in John of Hildesheim's version of the ‘Three Kings’ as an island where St. Thomas lies buried".<ref>E. G. Ravenstein, ''Martin Behaim: His Life and His Globe,'' London, George Philip, 1908, p.95.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Indo-Greek Kingdom]]
*[[Indo-Scythians]]
*[[Kushan Empire]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{EI2 | title = Sīstān | first = Clifford Edmund | last = Bosworth | authorlink = C. E. Bosworth | volume = 9| pages = 681–685 | url =http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-1/sistan-SIM_5452 }}
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = DRANGIANA | last = Schmitt | first = R. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/drangiana | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 5 | pages = 534–537 | year = 1995 }}
* {{cite book | title = The History of Ancient Iran | year = 1984 | publisher = C.H.Beck | last = Frye | first = Richard Nelson | author-link = Richard Nelson Frye | pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyofancient0000frye/page/n20 1]–411 | isbn = 9783406093975 | url = https://archive.org/details/historyofancient0000frye| url-access = registration | quote = The history of ancient iran. }}
* {{cite book | title = The Sistani Cycle of Epics and Iran's National History: On the Margins of Historiography | year = 2015 | publisher = BRILL | last = Gazerani| first = Saghi | pages = 1–250 | isbn = 9789004282964 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=92zsCgAAQBAJ&q=false}}
* {{cite encyclopedia | article = GONDOPHARES | last = Bivar | first = A. D. H. | url = http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gondophares | encyclopedia = Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XI, Fasc. 2 | pages = 135–136 | year = 2002 }}
* {{cite book | title = ReOrienting the Sasanians: East Iran in Late Antiquity | year = 2017 | publisher = Edinburgh University Press | last = Rezakhani| first = Khodadad | pages = 1–256 | isbn = 9781474400305 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=bjRWDwAAQBAJ&q=false}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category|Gondophares}}
*{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Gondophares |volume=11 |short=x}}
*[http://www.indianchristianity.com/html/chap4/chapter4a.htm A. E. Medlycott, ''India and the Apostle Thomas,'' London 1905]: Chapter i: "The Apostle Thomas and Gondophares the Indian king"
*[http://www.coinarchives.com/a/results.php?results=100&search=Gondophares&Thumb=1 Coins of Gondophares]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050206140303/http://www.grifterrec.com/coins/indoparthian/indoparthian.html Indo-Parthian coinage]

[[Category:Indo-Parthian Kingdom]]
[[Category:1st-century monarchs in Asia]]
[[Category:House of Suren]]
[[Category:1st-century Iranian people]]
[[Category:Zoroastrian rulers]]
[[Category:49 deaths]]
{{Indo-Parthian kings}}

Gondophares - Revision history

UpdateBot at 11:33, 5 June 2022