Name Prusias of Died 149 BC Grandparents Ziaelas of Bithynia | Parents Prusias I of Bithynia Great grandchildren Pilemenes | |
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Children Nicomedes II of Bithynia | ||
Prusias II Cynegus (Greek: Προυσίας ὁ Κυνηγός; "the Hunter", lived c. 220 BC – 149 BC, reigned c. 182 BC – 149 BC) was the Greek king of Bithynia. He was the son and successor of Prusias I and Apama III.
Life
Prusias was born to Prusias I and Apama III in 220 BC. His father died in 189 BC, at which point became the king of Bithynia. Prusias joined with the king of Pergamon, Eumenes II in a war against King Pharnaces I of Pontus (181–179 BC). He later invaded the territories of Pergamon (156–154 BC), only to be defeated, and the Pergamenes insisted on heavy reparations, which included 500 talents and "twenty decked ships". Prusias married his maternal cousin Apame IV, a sister of Perseus of Macedon and a princess from the Antigonid dynasty, by whom he had a son called Nicomedes II and a daughter, also called Apama, who married Dyegilos, son of Cotys IV, King of Thrace, and wife Semestra.
Prusias was praised by the Aetolians on account of his behavior and benefactions towards them.
Towards the end of his life, Prusias II had children by a later wife, and wanted to make them his heirs in place of Nicomedes. He sent Nicomedes to Rome to ask its help in reducing the amount of these reparations, and directed the co-ambassador, Menas, to kill Nicomedes if the mission was unsuccessful. Despite the failure of the mission, Nicomedes persuaded Menas to betray Prusias, and Nicomedes declared himself king. Prusias had to renounce the kingship in favor of his son and ended up being murdered himself instead in 149 BC.