Mithridates III of Parthia

Mithridates III (Parthian: 𐭌𐭄𐭓𐭃𐭕 Mihrdāt) was king of the Parthian Empire from 87 to 80 BC.

Mithridates' year of birth is not specified by ancient historians, but his coin mints illustrate him as a middle-aged man. He was probably a son of Mithridates II. In July/August 87 BC, Mithridates usurped the Parthian throne from Orodes I. Around the same period, the Seleucid ruler Demetrius III Eucaerus besieged his brother Philip I Philadelphus in Bereoa in Syria. The governor of the city, however, called on Aziz, an Arab phylarch (tribal leader), and the Parthian governor Mithridates Sinaces for help; with their aid, Demetrius III was defeated and taken hostage to Mithridates, who treated him with "honour" until he died of illness. In August/September 80 BC, Mithridates was dethroned in Babylon, and was shortly afterwards expelled from Susa by Orodes I. Mithridates may have survived this event and managed to flee to the north, where he continued fighting until he died the following year.

• Assar, Gholamreza F. (2006). A Revised Parthian Chronology of the Period 91-55 BC. Parthica. Incontri di Culture Nel Mondo Antico. 8: Papers Presented to David Sellwood. Istituti Editoriali e Poligrafici Internazionali. ISBN 978-8-881-47453-0. ISSN 1128-6342.