130 Antiochus Sidetes begins a vigorous campaign against the Parthians, whom he defeats in a great battle on the Upper Zab. Babylon and Ecbatana are recovered.
129 The Parthians make secret terms with the Medes and attack Antiochus, whose host is annihilated and he himself slain. Phraates compelled to attack the Scythians, whom he had invited to assist him against Antiochus. They have arrived too late, and, as Phraates refuses to pay them, they begin to ravage the country.
128 Death of Phraates in a disastrous battle with the Scythians. His uncle, Artabanus I or Arsaces (VII) Nicator, son of Phriapatius, succeeds. The Scythians withdraw, content with their victory; Artabanus pays them tribute. There appear to have been rival kings in this and the following reign. Perhaps they are Scythians. The usurpers are suppressed. Artabanus dies (date unknown), after a short reign, in battle with the Tochari, and is succeeded by his son, Mithridates (II) the Great or Arsaces (VIII) Theos Euergetes. He wages many wars, and wins victories from the Scythians. Lost territory is recovered. The Euphrates is fixed as the western boundary of the kingdom.
94 Mithridates puts Tigranes II on the disputed throne of Greater Armenia.
92 Sulla, proprætor of Cilicia, meets the ambassador of Mithridates on the Euphrates, seeking the Roman alliance in some connection with the Parthian schemes against Syria. First contact of Parthia with Rome. Mithridates at war with Laodice, queen of Commagene.
88 About this date Mithridates captures Demetrius III and his army, dies shortly afterwards, and is succeeded by Artabanus II or Arsaces IX. He is the last to bear title “king of kings,” which passes to Tigranes II of Armenia.
77 Sinatruces or Arsaces (X) Autocrator, an exile living with the Scythian tribe of the Sacarances, is placed on the throne at the age of eighty. Continual wars with Tigranes, who conquers Media, ravages Arbela and Nineveh, and compels the cession of Adiabene and Nisibis.
73 Mithridates of Pontus appeals in vain to both Sinatruces and Tigranes for help against Rome.
70 Phraates III succeeds his father.
69 Phraates declines to help Mithridates of Pontus, whom Tigranes has joined. Tigranes offers to restore his Median conquests to Phraates if he will assist. Phraates hesitates, but
66 accepts overtures of Pompey, and, with the younger Tigranes, who has quarrelled with his father, prepares to invade Armenia. Phraates besieges Artaxarta, but leaves the younger Tigranes to continue. Defeat of Tigranes by his father. The former flees to Pompey. The elder Tigranes surrenders to Pompey, and the younger is put in chains. Phraates demands Tigranes’ deliverance, but it is refused. Phraates recovers Media and resumes title “king of kings.”
64 While Pompey is in Syria, Phraates attacks and defeats the elder Tigranes. Pompey refuses to interfere, but sends umpires to settle the dispute.
57 Murder of Phraates by his two sons, who divide the kingdom. Orodes or Hyrodes I takes Parthia, and Mithridates III takes Media. The latter is soon expelled for his cruelty, and Orodes reigns alone. Mithridates expects the Romans to restore him, but they are compelled to go to Egypt to restore Ptolemy XI.
55 He attacks Orodes alone, who flees, but with the help of Surenas,
54 captures Mithridates in Babylon and puts him to death. Crassus takes advantage of this civil strife to invade Parthia.
53 Great defeat of the Romans at Carrhæ by Surenas. Orodes makes peace with Armenia. He puts Surenas to death through jealousy.
52 Unsuccessful Parthian invasion of Syria.
51 Cassius defeats the Parthians at Antigonia.
50 The satrap of Mesopotamia raises a revolt in favour of Pacorus, son of Orodes. Pacorus is recalled by Orodes and Syria is evacuated. Orodes associates Pacorus with him on the throne.
After the battle of Philippi, Labienus, who has been sent from Rome to obtain help from Orodes, advises him to seize Syria.
40 Pacorus, Labienus, and a large army attack Syria, which falls into Parthian hands. All the Phœnician cities except Tyre submit. The Parthians appear in Palestine and the country rises against Herod and Phasael. Hyrcanus deposed and Antigonus substituted. The cities of Asia Minor except Stratonicea open their gates to Labienus.
39 Ventidius, Antony’s general, drives Labienus from Asia Minor. Capture and execution of Labienus.
38 Complete rout of the Parthians and death of Pacorus at battle of Cyrrhestica. The Parthians evacuate Syria.
37 Orodes, in grief at Pacorus’ loss, resigns crown to his son Phraates IV. He at once murders his brothers and then his father, his own son, and all possible claimants of the throne. He removes the capital to Ctesiphon. Many of the nobles flee to Antony, who plans a war against Parthia.
36 Antony appears in Atropatene and besieges the capital. The expedition proves a failure.
33 Rebellion against Phraates, culminating
32 in an unknown usurper taking the throne. He is succeeded in a few months by Tiridates II.
30 After battle of Actium, which draws the Roman troops from Media, and Parthia, the Parthians seize Media and Armenia and put Artaxes II on the Armenian throne. Phraates regains his kingdom for a short time. Tiridates flees to Syria, where he is protected by Octavian.
27 Tiridates, with the help of the Arabs, surprises Phraates and compels him to flee. Phraates finally persuades the Scythians to help him and
26 Phraates is reinstated. Tiridates flees to Augustus, carrying Phraates’ younger son with him.
23 Augustus restores Phraates’ son to him. Civil war rages in Parthia.
20 Augustus visits the East. Phraates, in fear, returns Roman captives and the ensigns taken from Crassus and Antony, to Augustus.
10 Phraates sends his family to Rome in order to remove causes of civil strife, keeping only his favourite wife Urania, an Italian slave girl presented by Augustus, and her child Phraates or Phraataces.
2 About this date Urania and Phraates V (or Phraataces) murder Phraates IV. Phraataces expels Artavasdes III from Armenia and puts Tigranes IV on the throne. He also deposes Ariobarzanes II of Atropatene (Media), who was established on that throne by Augustus about 10 B.C. A line of Parthian princes succeed in Atropatene.
A.D.
1 Augustus makes terms with Phraates, who resigns all claims on Armenia and sends his sons to Rome as hostages.
2 Phraataces marries his mother, in consequence of which
4 he is deposed and takes refuge in Rome. The Parthians bring back an exiled prince, Orodes II, and make him king. He proves a cruel ruler, and for this reason about
9 is murdered. The Parthians apply to Rome and receive Vonones I, eldest son of Phraates IV, as their king. His long residence in Rome and foreign sympathies make him unpopular in Parthia, and
11 Artabanus III, an Arsacid on his mother’s side and who had been king of Media (Atropatene), is set up as a pretender. He is unsuccessful at first, but finally defeats Vonones at Ctesiphon. The latter flees and is chosen king of Armenia in 16. Tiberius persuades him to give up this throne.
19 After death of Germanicus, Artabanus begins to treat the Romans with contempt, and places his son Arsaces on the throne of Armenia. He makes so severe a ruler that
35 the Parthians apply to Tiberius, who finds himself compelled to interfere. He induces Pharasmanes, king of Iberia, to put forward his brother Mithridates as a claimant to the Armenian throne. War results.
36 A widespread revolt instigated by Tiberius puts Tiridates, grandson of Phraates IV, on the throne and Artabanus flees.
37 Artabanus comes to terms with Rome and is restored.
40 Death of Artabanus. His son Vardanes succeeds, but is deposed
41 by Gotarzes, chief official of Artabanus.