Orodes was the son and heir of Parthian king Gotarzes I (r. 91 - 87/80 BC). Rahim M. Shayegan (2011) has suggested that Orodes was one of the figures depicted on the rock relief of Gotarzes I at Mount Behistun. Orodes' mother may have been the Armenian queen Ariazate, who was a daughter of Tigranes the Great (r. 95 - 55 BC).