[Erato] served as Roman client queen of Armenia from 10 BC until 2 BC with her brother-husband King Tigranes IV. After living in political exile for a number of years, she co-ruled as Roman client queen of Armenia from 6 until 12 with the Herodian Prince Tigranes V, her distant paternal relative. As a queen of Armenia, she may be viewed as one of the last hereditary rulers of her nation.
Erato was the second child and the known daughter born to Tigranes III by an unnamed mother. Her known sibling was her older paternal half-brother Tigranes IV, born to a previous unnamed wife of Tigranes III. Erato was born and raised either in Rome, where her father lived in political exile for 10 years from 30 BC until 20 BC, or during her father's kingship of Armenia from 20 BC until 10 BC.
Her father, Tigranes III, died before 6 BC. In 10 BC, the Armenians installed Tigranes IV as successor of Tigranes III. In accordance with Oriental or Hellenistic custom, Tigranes IV married Erato in order to preserve the purity of the Artaxiad Royal blood line. Erato became queen through marriage to her half-brother and his queen consort.
Erato was the second Seleucid Greek descendant to have ruled as an Armenian queen and an Armenian queen consort. The previous one was her paternal great-grandmother Cleopatra of Pontus, daughter of King Mithridates VI of Pontus from his first wife, his sister Laodice. The first Seleucid Greek princess to have married a king of Armenia, thus becoming an Armenian queen and an Armenian queen consort, was her ancestor Antiochis, one of the sisters of King Antiochus III the Great.
At an unknown date between 10 BC and 2 BC, Erato bore Tigranes IV an unnamed daughter. Their daughter went later on to marry King Pharasmanes I of Iberia (1 AD-58), with whom she had three sons, Mithridates I of Iberia, Rhadamistus, and Amazaspus (Amazasp), who is known from a Greek inscription found in Rome.
Although Tigranes IV and Erato were Roman client monarchs governing Armenia, they were both anti-Roman and not the choices of Roman emperor Augustus for the Armenian throne, as their dual rule lacked Roman approval and they leaned towards Parthia for support.
Rome and Parthia competed with one another for their protégés to have influence and govern Armenia. Sextus Rufus, Roman historian of the 4th century, informs us that anti-Roman sentiment was building in Armenia during the reign of Tigranes IV and Erato. Rufus also emphasizes that the kingdom of Armenia was very strong during this period.
The discontent of the ruling Artaxiad monarchs and their subjects towards Rome had instigated war with the help of King Phraates V of Parthia. To avoid a full-scale war with Rome, Phraates V soon ceased his support to the Armenian ruling monarchs. This led Tigranes IV and Erato to acknowledge Roman suzerainty and send their good wishes and submission to Rome. Augustus received their submission to Rome and good wishes, allowing them to remain in power.
Sometime about 2 BC Tigranes IV was killed in battle... Erato abdicated her throne and ended her rule over Armenia....
After abdicating her throne, leaving behind the war and chaos in Armenia, Erato had lived in political exile at an unknown location. Little is known of her during this period. Between 2 BC until 6, Armenia saw two Roman Client Kings Ariobarzanes who ruled from 2 BC until 4 and his son, Artavasdes III who ruled from 4 until 6.
In the year 6, Artavasdes III who served as King of Armenia was murdered by his subjects, as he was an unpopular ruler with the Armenians. As the Armenians grew weary of foreign Kings, Augustus revised his foreign policy and appointed the Herodian Prince Tigranes V as King of Armenia....
Little is known on Erato and Tigranes V co-ruling Armenia together. Erato and Tigranes V were overthrown under unknown circumstances in 12. Augustus kept Armenia as a client kingdom and appointed Vonones I of Parthia as King of Armenia. The fate of Erato afterwards is unknown and Tigranes V may have remained living in Armenia.
The Roman Historian that mention, discuss and inform us about Erato are Tacitus of the 1st and 2nd centuries, Cassius Dio of the 2nd and 3rd centuries and Sextus Rufus of the 4th century.... 2
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