The Romans having paffed the Euphrates, made themfelves maf- Mfopotaters of Arbela and Babylon; and not only reduced all Chaldæa mia, Chaland Affyria, the two richest provinces of the Parthian empire, dra, and but alfo the city of Ctesiphon, the metropolis of the Parthian mo- fyria, narchy. Cofroes, in the mean time, marched into Mefopotamia, reduced with a defign of cutting off all communication between the by Trajan, Roman army and Syria. As the inhabitants of many of the cities declared for him, and drove out the Roman garrifons, Trajan fent a detachment of his army thither, under Maximus and Lucius, to oppose the Parthians. Maximus having ventured a battle, was defeated and flain by Cofroes; but Lucius having received fome new reinforcements from the main army, gained feveral advantages over the Parthians, and recovered NiJibis and Seleucia. who con, Trajan being fenfible that it would be impoffible to form his fers the Parthian conquefts into a province, appointed Parthanafpates, a crown of prince who had fhewn a fteady attachment to the Romans, king Parthia of Parthia, making his dominions, however, tributary to on ParRome. The Parthians continued but a very fhort time in this thanafpa ftate of fubjection; for they no fooner heard of the death of tes. Trajan, than they drove out Parthanafpates, and recalled Cof- Adrian roes, who had taken refuge in Hyrcania. Adrian, the fucceffor makes the of Trajan, not thinking it for the advantage of the Roman ftate Euphrates to extend its conquefts beyond the Euphrates, made that river the bounthe eastern boundary of their empire, withdrew his garrifons dary of from Mefopotamia, and, to fhew his defire of living on terms of the emfriendship with the Parthians, difmiffed their prifoners without pire. ranfom. Cofroes in return, during the remainder of his reign, An. Chr. fhewed himself always ready to affift them, as his best friends and allies. 131. After a long reign, Cofroes was fucceeded by his eldest fon Vologefes Vologefes, in whofe reign the Alani broke into Media, which II. was then fubject to the Parthians. Vologefes, by rich prefents, prevailed upon them to retire, and foon after he invaded Armenia; and having put all the Roman foldiers in that kingdom to the fword, he entered Syria, defeated the Roman governor, and advanced to the neighbourhood of Antioch. The Parthians, not long after, were driven out of Syria by the emperor Verus, who ordered Statius Prifcus to invade Armenia, and Caffius, with The RoMartius Verus, to enter the Parthian territories. Tho' Volomans gain gefes had an army of 400,000 men under his command, Caffius nevertheless reduced, in the space of four years, all the pro- vantages vinces formerly conquered by Trajan, and plundered and burnt over him. the famous cities of Babylon and Ctesiphon, with the stately palaces of the Parthian monarchs. An epidemical fickness, however, prevailing among the Roman troops, and destroying great numbers of them, Caffius was obliged to abandon his conquefts. The emperor Antoniñus, furnamed the Philofopher, coming into Spart. in Trajan. Sext. Ruf. in breviar. Syria great ad to hold He agrees Syria foon after, Vologefes, rather than continue the war with the Romans, offered to hold his territories of the emperor, his king- who granted him a peace upon these terms, which death prevented him from long enjoying. dom of the Ro mans. III. IV. Upon his death, Volgefes III. the fon of his brother, was raised to the throne. As Vologefes fided with Niger, the competitor of Severus, that emperor, in refentment, had no fooner conquered his rival, than he invaded Parthia, and, after a long and bloody fiege, made himfelf mafter of Cteftphon. He was not, however, able to keep his conquefts; and had no fooner retired, than Velsgefes recovered all the provinces he had reduced, except Mefopotamia. Upon the departure of the Romans, A tabanus the king's brother revolted; and before Vologeses could put an end to the war, he was cut off by death. Artobanus Artabanus, on his death, immediately took poffeffion of the throne; and foon after received an embafly from the emperor Caracalia, who defired his daughter in marriage, to which he willingly confented. The emperor declaring that he was coming to folemnize the nuptials, Artabanus went with a large body of his nobility to meet him; but he no fooner approached the Romans, than they fell upon his retinue, and put them almost all to the fword. Artabanus, who with great difficulty had efcaped, immediately raised the moft numerous army that had ever been known in Parthia, and entering Syria, put all to fire and fword. Caracalla having been murdered before his arrival, Macrinus, nate en his fucceffor, marched against the Parthians, and a moft defpegagement rate engagement enfued, which was contended for two days, without either fide being able to decide the victory. Macrinus the Par- finding the Parthians refolved to renew the fight, informed them thians and of the death of Caracalla, and proposed an alliance; which was agreed to by the king, on condition that all the prisoners taken by Caracalla thould be reftored, and a large fum of money paid him, to defray the expences of the war. An obfti bet veen Remans. The Per fans revolt, and recover the fu. preme power. Artabanus, in the defperate engagement with the Romans in Syria, loft the flower of his army; which encouraged the Perfians to revolt, under the conduct of Artaxerxes, a perfon of mean defcent, but of great courage and experience in war. Upon the news of the revolt, Artabanus marched, with the whole ftrength of his kingdom, to fupprefs it; and coming up with the Perfians, a battle enfued, which is faid to have been An. Chr. renewed, with the greateft obftinacy, for three days fucceffively, and to have ended in the total ruin of the Parthian army. Artabanus himself was taken, and put to death; and in the confequence of the battle the Parthians loft the fupreme dominion in thofe parts, which was again transferred to the Perfians, who, fince the revolt of Arfaces, had been tributary to those who had formerly been fubject to them. The race of Arfaces did not end with Artabanus, but continued to reign in Armenia for more than a century afterwards. 229. SECT SECT. VI. The Hiftory of the PERSIANS, from their recovering the empire from the PARTHIANS, to their being fubdued by the ARABS. AR 229. RTAXERXES, or Artaxares, the restorer of the fu- Artaxares. preme dominion to the Perfians, was, according to Aga- An. Ch. thias, a private perfon of a fpurious birth; but according to the oriental hiftorians, was legitimately defcended from a royal line, which fome time before had fallen into obfcurity. Having, from his youth, addicted himfelf to a military life, he foon diftinguished himself by his activity and great abilities; fo that the Perfians were eafily perfuaded by him to a general revolt. Upon the defeat of the Parthian army and the death of Artabanus, he affumed the double diadem and the proud title of king of kings. Not contented with reftoring the fupreme power to the Per- Claims all fians, he formed a defign of reuniting to their empire all the the proprovinces formerly fubject to the Perfian kings. He accord- vinces of ingly fent to the governors of the Roman provinces on his fron- the antient tiers, ordering them to quit Syria and Afia Minor; which coun- Perjan tries, he faid, unquestionably belonged to him as the fucceffor empire. of the great Cyrus. Alexander Severus, who at this time was emperor of Rome, being but a very youth, and averse to war, hoped to awe the Perfian king by writing to him in a peremptory ftile, and threatning him with the refentment of the Romans if he fhould violate the peace*. Artaxerxes paid no regard to these letters; but entered the Roman territories with a powerful army, which obliged Alexander, much against his inclination, to leave Rome and march against him. The Perfian king did not abate of his pretenfions upon the approach of the Roman emperor; but on the contrary, chofe 400 perfons of extraordinary ftature and great ftrength, and having furnished them with rich habits and fine horfes, fent them as ambafladors or heralds to the Roman camp, ordering them to addrefs Alexander in the following terms: The great king Artaxares commands the Romans and their prince to depart out of all Syria and Afia Minor; and to restore to the Perfians all the countries on this fide the Ægean and Pontic feas, as of right defcending to them from their ancestors. Alexander, tho' a prince of the mildeft difpofition, was, however, fo irritated with the haughty meflage of these heralds, that he fent them as prifoners to Phrygia, where he affigned them farms which they might cultivate for a fubfiftence. The Romans, foon after, reduced all Mefopotamia; and according to Elius Lampridius, Alexander was extremely fuccefsful through recovers 242. The em- out the whole expedition, gained a victory over the Perfians in peror Alex- the plains where Craffus had been formerly defeated, cut in ander pieces an army of 120,000 horfe, made many prifoners, killed zoo gains elephants and took 300; on which account he was compligreat ad- mented by the fenate with the title of Conqueror of the Parthians vantages and Perfians. Herodian, however, a cotemporary author, has over the left us a quite contradictory account of this expedition. He Perfians. fays, that Alexander, after he had gained a victory over the Perfans, and driven them with great lofs into their own dominions, refolved to penetrate into their country; but imprudently di viding his army into three feparate bodies, the Perfians entirely cut off one of them; which fo difheartened the emperor, that he returned to Antioch, his conduct being much cenfured by his Artaxares troops. Artaxares, upon the departure of the Romans, foon recovered what he had loft; and after reigning with much reputhe loft tation, died in peace in the 15th year of his reign. provinces. He was fucceeded by his fon Sapor, by the Perfians called Sapor. Schabour. The Greek and Latin writers reprefent this prince as An. Ch. of a haughty, infolent, and cruel difpofition; but according to the Perfian hiftorians, he was generous and magnificent, but a ftrict lover of justice. We are told, that he countenanced one Cyriades, the fon of an eminent Roman commander of that name, who after robbing his father, had fled into his dominions, from whence he made frequent incurfions into the Roman territories. His fucceffes encouraged Sapor to march in perfon ports an against the Romans; and Cyriades being daily joined in the ufurper mean time by new troops, at length affumed the title of empeagainst the ror. The young Gordian, who was then emperor, marched inemperor. to Syria to oppofe the progrefs of the Perfians, and of the ufurper Cyriades, and foon made himself mafter of Charra, or Haran, in Mefopotamia, While he was preparing to pufh his conquefts, he was murdered by the treachery of the captain of his guards, named Philip, who affumed the title of emperor, and concluded a peace with Sapor, to whom he yielded up Mefopotamia and Armenia. Soon after, Philip, being informed that the Roman fenate difapproved of his conduct, reconquered thefe provinces without regarding his former treaty; and leaving a good body of troops to fecure the frontiers, he fet out for Italy. Upon his departure, Cyriades and Sapor renewed their incurfions; and the former became fo powerful, that he was treated in all refpects as an emperor. Valerian, in the mean time, fucceeded to the Roman empire; and as Sapor continued to ha rafs the eastern provinces, he marched thither to oppofe him. Upon his approach, the troops of Cyriades put him to death, and declared for the emperor, who proceeded to Edessa to relieve Takes the that city, which was then befieged by the Perfians; but in an emperor engagement that enfued, the Perfians not only totally defeated Valerian him, but took him prifoner. He fup prifoner. Sapor, upon this victory, gained a great fuperiority in the eaft; but as he treated the people in an oppreffive and tyrannical manner, they took arms, firft under the command of Cal liftus ሃ. liftus, and afterwards under Odenatus prince of Palmyra, who was fo fuccefsful as to gain a compleat victory over Sapor, and oblige him to retire into his own dominions with the lofs of part of his baggage and all his concubines. Sapor, in his retreat, is faid to have used the bodies of his unfortunate prisoners to fill up the hollow roads that lay in his way. He is faid to have treated the emperor Valerian with great indignity, to have fet His inhuhis foot on his neck when he mounted his horse, and to have manity to caused him, after feveral years confinement, to be flayed alive, him, Odenatus being invefted with the title of prefident over the Ro man provinces in the eaft, attacked the Perfians in their own territories, and twice advanced as far as the city of Ctesiphon. After his death, his wife, the celebrated Zenobia, fuccefsfully opposed the Perfians; but having affumed the title of emprefs, The drew upon herself the refentment of the emperor Aurelian, who put an end to her dominions, and took her prifoner. Aurelian, in this expedition, gained fome advantages over Sapor, who died foon after in the 31ft year of his reign. Sapor was fucceeded by his fon Hormifdas, who was named Hormifdas. Hormouz by the Perfian hiftorians. He was greatly celebrated An. Ch. for his generous difpofition; but his reign, which lafted only 273. a year and ten days, was distinguished by no remarkable tranf action. Varanes, called by the Perfians Baharam, fucceeded his father Varanes I. Hormifdas. He is 'commended as an excellent prince, who earneftly fought the welfare of his people. After he had reigned three years and three months, he was bafely murdered by one of his kinfmen, while he was endeavouring to appease a tumult in his capital. 277. He was fucceeded by his fon Varanes, or Baharam II. who Varanes II. was diverted from a defign of invading the Roman territories, An. Ch. by the news that the emperor Probus was advancing into the eaft. The fame of that emperor's military exploits having reached him, he ordered Narfes, his general in Armenia, to fend ambaffadors with prefents to him, and to treat of peace. Probus refused the prefents of Varanes, and returned the following haughty anfwer, "That all that the king of Perfia poffeffed was his : that " he wondered he could fend him fuch trifles, wherefore he had "fent them back, knowing well how to have all that he pof"feffed when the Romans fhould defire it." He, however, concluded a peace, which Varanes not long after had fome intention of violating; but was prevented by domestic seditions raifed by his difcontented nobles. Carus, the fucceffor of Probus, invaded Mefopotamia, and advanced into the Perfian territories, even beyond Ctesiphon; but being murdered, as is fuppofed by Aper the captain of his guards, the Roman army returned to Europe, fully perfuaded that fate had affigned the city of Cteftphon as the boundary of their empire. Upon their departure, Trebel, in vit. Valer. Agath. Schol. hift. 1. iv. Varanes |