Artaxes of Armenia, whom they had aided to recover his kingdom, were defeated by the Median Artavasdes with the help of his Roman allies.[1] Later, when Antony recalled his troops, Artavasdes was in turn overcome and forced to seek refuge with the Romans. Armenia and Media were thus lost to Rome, the first to Artaxes, the second to Phraates. Such Romans as were left behind were killed.[2]
As a result of Phraates' victory over Antony, the brewing internal strife in Parthia broke forth, and even before 31 b.c. a certain Tiridates (II) was in open revolt against the king.[3] Both parties sought aid from Octavian, who was too deeply engaged in his war with Antony to take up the matter. Cleopatra and Antony were defeated in the Battle of Actium in 31 b.c., and both chose to take their own lives rather than appear in the triumph of Octavian. Tiridates was victorious, and the deposed Phraates sought aid from the "Scythians." Among the Greek inscriptions from Susa is a much mutilated metric one which Cumont has dated to Phraates IV.[4] As he suggests, this rebel Tiridates might be the general men-
- ↑ Horace Od. iii. 8. 19 suggests internal strife among the Parthians; cf. also Plut. Antony 53. 6.
- ↑ Dio Cass. li. 16. 2. Note the Zeus Nikephoros types struck by Phraates in 32/31; see McDowell, Coins from Seleucia, pp. 184 f.
- ↑ Justin xlii. 5. 4; Dio Cass. li. 18; cf. also Horace Epist. i. 12. 27–28 and Od. i. 26. 5, and Vergil Georg. i. 509. See also PW, art. "Tiridates," No. 4.
- ↑ "Nouvelles inscriptions grecques de Suse," CR, 1930, pp. 211–20.
