coins of this period are dated in May, 26 b.c. Soon thereafter, if we may accept Justin,[1] he again fled with many of his adherents to Octavian, who was then in Spain. An inscription found in Spolato seems to refer to a son of Tiridates who eventually became a Roman citizen under the name Caius Julius Tiridates and who fell while in command of some Parthian auxiliaries serving in the Roman army.[2]
But Tiridates was not thus easily disposed of; in March, 25 b.c., he was again striking coins in the mint city of Seleucia. By May of the same year, however, Phraates had resumed control sufficiently to coin money at the same place, and Tiridates had vanished from our knowledge, this time permanently.
Meanwhile Roman losses at the hands of the Parthians had not been forgotten. War in the East was
- ↑ Cf. p. 136, n. 44. See the discussion of this period in David Magie, "The Mission of Agrippa to the Orient in 23 b.c.," Class. Philol., III (1908), 145 ff. Trogus sheds no light on the question. Tiridates had a maximum of ten months to make the trip, but perhaps like Herod he did not fear to travel in winter. Tiridates is mentioned by Horace Od. i. 26. 5 and in Mon. Ancyr. vi (32). I cannot agree with the suggestion of Tarn, "Tiridates II and the Young Phraates," Mélanges Glotz II, 834, that "Phraates, son of Phraates," mentioned by Augustus was set up as a joint king by Tiridates in his second attempt on the throne. Tarn feels that Dio Cass. li. 18. 3 is impossible and Justin xlii. 5. 6 untrue, but it seems equally impossible that the Romans ever supported dual candidates for the throne. The junior Phraates in question is perhaps Phraataces, son of Phraates IV.
- ↑ CIL, III, No. 8746; V. E. Gardthausen, "Die Parther in griechisch-römischen Inschriften," Orientalische Studien Theodor Nöldeke zum siebzigsten Geburtstag gewidmet (Gieszen, 1906), pp. 847 f.
