page_title: Musa of Parthia
section_title: Alleged portraits
hierarchical_section_title: Musa of Parthia / Alleged portraits
caption_attribution_description: فارسی: سردیس سنگی بانوی اشکانی، موزا (ملکه)
context_page_description: Musa, also known as Thea Musa, was queen of the Parthian Empire from 2 BC to 4 AD. Originally an Italian slave-girl, she was given as a gift to the Parthian monarch Phraates IV by the Roman Emperor Augustus. She quickly became queen and a favourite of Phraates IV, giving birth to Phraataces. In 2 BC, she had Phraates IV poisoned and made herself, along with Phraates V, the co-rulers of the empire. Their reign was shortlived; they were forced to flee to Rome after being deposed by the Parthian nobility, who crowned Orodes III as king.
  Musa is the first of only three women to rule in Iranian history, the others being the two 7th-century Sasanian sisters Boran and Azarmidokht.
context_section_description: Some portraits have been attributed to Musa, including a gold ring and a gem. However, these links with Musa have subsequently been questioned. A bust of a female figure from Susa—uncovered in 1939 by the archeologist Roland de Mecquenem—made by a Greek artist named Antiochus, was first attributed to Musa by the Belgian archeologist Franz Cumont. This attribution was agreed by several other scholars. The facial characteristics of the bust, however, has little in common with that of the coins of Musa. The bust is wearing a crown with crenellations, resembling those worn in the Achaemenid era, while the coins of Musa portrayed her wearing a diadem along with a jewelled crown with three layers. The crown with crenellations, albeit often worn by members of the royal family, was also worn by deities. The Greek goddess Tyche is sometimes portrayed with a similar crown on Parthian coins. As a result, some scholars have suggested the bust is a portrayal of Tyche.
caption: A Greek bust found in Susa, which was initially thought be that of Musa, now in the National Museum of Iran
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