| Prusias II "The Hunter" | |
| Succession: | King of Bithynia |
| Reign: | 182 – 149 BC |
| Native Lang1: | Greek |
| Native Lang1 Name1: | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Προυσίας |
| Birth Date: | c. 220 BC |
| Birth Place: | Bithynia (modern-day Turkey) |
| Death Date: | 149 BC (aged 71) |
| Death Place: | Nicomedia (modern-day İzmit, Kocaeli, Turkey) |
| Predecessor: | Prusias I |
| Successor: | Nicomedes II |
| Queen: | Apame IV |
| Father: | Prusias I |
| Mother: | Apama III |
| Religion: | Greek Polytheism |
Prusias II Cynegus (Greek: Προυσίας ὁ Κυνηγός; "the Hunter", 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.
Prusias was born to Prusias I and Apama III in 220 BC. His father died in 189 BC,[1] at which point he became the king of Bithynia. Prusias II joined with the king of Pergamon, Eumenes II in a war against King Pharnaces I of Pontus (181–179 BC).[2] He later invaded the territories of Pergamon (156–154 BC), only to be defeated, with Pergamon insisting on heavy reparations, including 500 talents and "twenty decked ships".[3]
Prusias II married his maternal cousin Apame IV, a sister of Perseus of Macedon and a princess from the Antigonid dynasty,[4] by whom he had a son, Nicomedes II, and a daughter, Apama, who would marry Dyegilos,[5] son of Cotys IV, King of Thrace, and his wife, Semestra.
Prusias II was honoured by the Aetolian League with a stele at Delphi on account of his behavior and benefactions towards them.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8] Despite the failure of the mission, Nicomedes persuaded Menas to betray Prusias, and Nicomedes declared himself king.[9] Prusias had to renounce the kingship in favour of his son and was himself murdered in 149 BC.[10]