ARTABANUS III., obtained the Parthian kingdom on the expulsion of
Vonones in A. D. 16. The possession of Armenia was the great cause of
contention between him and the Romans; but during the life-time of Germanicus, Artabanus did
not attempt to seize the country. Germanicus, on his arrival in Armenia in A.
D. 18, recognized as king Zenon, the son of Polemon, whom the Armenians wished to have
as their ruler, and who reigned under the name of Artaxias III.; and about the same time,
Artabanus sent an embassy to Germanicus to renew the alliance with the Romans. (Tac. Ann. 2.56, 58.)
After the death of Germanicus, Artabanus began to treat the Romans with contempt, placed
Arsaces, one of his sons, over Armenia, and sent an embassy into Syria to demand the treasures
which Vonones had carried with him out of Parthia. He also oppressed his subjects, till at
length two of the chief men among the Parthians, Sinnaces, and the eunuch,
Abdus, despatched an embassy to Tiberius in A. D. 35, to beg him to
send to Parthia Phraates, one of the sons of Phraates IV. Tiberius willingly complied with the
request; but Phraates upon arriving in Syria was carried off by a disease, which was brought
on by his disusing the Roman mode of living, to which he had been accustomed for so many
years, and adopting the Parthian habits. As soon as Tiberius heard of his death, he set up
Tiridates, another of the Arsacidae, as a claimant to the Parthian throne, and induced
Mithridates and his brother Pharasmanes, Iberian princes, to invade Armenia. The Iberians
accordingly entered Armenia, and after bribing the servants of Arsaces, the son of Artabanus,
to put him to death, they subdued the country. Orodes, another son of Artabanus, was sent
against them, but was entirely defeated by Pharasmanes; and soon afterwards Artabanus was
obliged to leave his kingdom, and to fly for refuge to the Hyrcanians and Carmanians. Hereupon
Vitellius, the governor of Syria, crossed the Euphrates, and placed Tiridates on the throne.
In the following year (A. D. 36) some of the Parthian nobles, jealous
of the power of Abdageses, the chief minister of Tiridates, recalled Artabanus, who in his
turn compelled Tiridates to fly into Syria. (Tac. Ann.
6.31-37, 41-44; D. C. 58.26; J. AJ 18.5.4.) When Tiberius received news of these events, he
commanded Vitellius to conclude a peace with Artabanus (J. AJ
18.5.5), although Artabanus, according to Suetonius (Suet.
Tib. 100.66), sent a letter to Tiberius upbraiding him with his crimes, and advising
him to satisfy the hatred of his citizens by a voluntary death. After the death of Tiberius,
Artabanus sought to extend his kingdom ; he seized Armenia, and meditated an attack upon
Syria, but alarmed by the activity of Vitellius, who advanced to the Euphrates to meet him, he
concluded peace with the Romans, and sacrificed to the images of Augustus and Caligula. (D. C. 59.27; Suet. Vitell. 2, Calig. 14, with Ernesti's Excursus.)
Subsequently, Artabanus was again expelled from his kingdom by the Parthian nobles, but was
restored by the mediation of Izates, king of Adiabene, who was allowed in consequence to wear
his tiara upright, and to sleep upon a golden bed, which were privileges peculiar to the kings
of Parthia. Soon afterwards, Artabanus died, and left the kingdom to his son Bardanes.
Bardanes made war upon Izates, to whom his family was so deeply indebted, merely because he
refused to assist him in making war upon the Romans; but when the Parthians perceived the
intentions of Bardanes, they put him to death, and gave the kingdom to his brother, Gotarzes.
This is the account given by Josephus (J. AJ 20.3) of the reigns
of Bardanes and Gotarzes, and differs from that of Tacitus, which is briefly as follows.