A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

354 ARSACES.

ARSACES.

was of uncertain origin. He seems however to
have been of the Scythian race, and to have come
from the neighbourhood of the Ochus, as Strabo
says (1. c.), that he was accompanied in his undertaking by the Parni Daae, who had migrated from
the great race of the Scythian Daae, dwelling
above the Palus Maeotis, and who had settled
near the Ochus. But from whatever country the
Parthians may have come, they are represented
by almost all ancient writers as Scythians. (Curt.
vi. 2; Justin, x1i. 1; Plut. Crass. 24; Isidor.
Orig. ix. 2.) Arsaces, who was a man of approved
valour, and was accustomed to live by robbery and
plunder, invaded Parthia with his band of robbers,
defeated Andragoras, the governor of the country,
and obtained the royal power. This is the account
given by Justin (1. c.), which is in itself natural
and probable, but different from the common one
which is taken from Arrian. According to Arrian
(ap. Phiot. Cod. 58), there were two brothers, Arsaces and Tiridates, the descendants of Arsaces,
the son of Phriapitus. Pherecles, the satrap of
Parthia in the reign of Antiochus II., attempted to
violate Tiridates, but was slain by him and his
brother Arsaces, who induced the Parthians in
consequence to revolt from the Syrians. The account of Arrian in Syncellus (p. 28-4) is again
different from the preceding one preserved by
Photius; but it is impossible to determine which
has given us the account of Arrian most faithfully.
According to Syncellus, Arrian stated that the
two brothers Arsaces and Tiridates, who were
descended from Artaxerxes, the king of' the Persians, were satraps of Bactria at the same time as
the Macedonian Agathocles governed Persia (by
which he means Parthia) as Eparch. Agathocles
had an unnatural passion for Tiridates, and was
slain by the two brothers. Arsaces then became
king, reigned two years, and was succeeded by his
brother Tiridates, who reigned 37 years.
The time, at which the revolt of Arsaces took
place, is also uncertain. Appian (Syr. 65) places
it at the death of Antiochus II., and others in the
reign of his successor, Seleucus Callinicus. According to the statement of Arrian quoted above,
the revolt commenced in the reign of Antiochus II.,
which is in accordance with the date given by Eusebius, who fixes it at B. c. 250, and which is also
supported by other authorities. (Clinton, F. H.
vol. iii. sub anno 250.) Justin (xli. 4, 5), who
is followed in the main by Ammianus Marcellinus
(xxiii. 6), ascribes to Arsaces I. many events,
which probably belong to his successor. According to his account Arsaces first conquered Hyrcania,
and then prepared to make war upon the Bactrian
and Syrian kings. He concluded, however, a
peace with Theodotus, king of Bactria, and defeated Seleucus Callinicus, the successor of Antiochus
II. in a great battle, the anniversary of which was
ever after observed by the Parthians, as the commencement of their liberty. According to Posidonius (ap. Athen. iv. p. 153, a.), Seleucus was
taken prisoner in a second expedition which he
made against the Parthians, and detained in captivity by Arsaces for many years. After these
events Arsaces devoted himself to the internal
organization of his kingdom, built a city, called
Dara, on the mountain Zapaortenon, and died in a
mature old age. This account is directly opposed
to the one given by Arrian, already referred to
(ap. S,,nceil. 1. c.), according to which Arsaces was

killed after a reign of two years and was succeeded
by his brother. Arrian has evidently confounded
Arsaces I. and II., when he says that the former
was succeeded by his son. This statement we
must refer to Arsaces II.
ARSACES II., TIRIDATES, reigned, as we
have already seen, 37 years, and is probably the
king who defeated Seleucus.
ARsAcEs III., ARTABANUS I., the son of
the preceding, had to resist Antiochus III. (the
Great), who invaded his dominions about B. c.
212. Antiochus at first met with some success,
but was unable to subdue his country, and at
length made peace with him, and recognized him
as king. (Polyb. x. 27-31; Justin, xli. 5.)
The reverse of the annexed coin represents a Par

i3

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thian seated, and bears the inscription BA IAEai4
MEFAAOT AP:AKOT.:
APsAcEs IV., PRIAPATIUS, son of the preceding, reigned 15 years, and left three sons,
Phraates, Mithridates, and Artabanus. (Justin,
xli. 5, xlii. 2.)
ARSACES V., PHRAATES I., subdued the Mardi,
and, though he had many sons, left the kingdom
to his brother Mithridates. (Justin. xli. 5.) The
reverse of the annexed coin has the inscription
BA:IAEfZ BA:IAECN MEFAAOT AP2AKOT
ElTIHANOT2.
Asm
Eckhel, with more probability, assigns this coin to
Arsaces VI., who may have taken the title of
" king of kings," on account of his numerous victories.
ARSACES VI., MITHRIDATES I., son of Arsaces IV., whom Orosius (v. 4) rightly calls the
sixth from Arsaces I., a man of distinguished
bravery, greatly extended the Parthian empire.
He conquered Eucratides, the king of Bactria, and
deprived him of many of his provinces. He is said
even to have penetrated into India and to have subdued all the people between the Hydaspes and the
Indus. He conquered the Medes and Elymaeans,
who had revolted from the Syrians, and his empire extended at least from the Hindu Caucasus to
the Euphrates. Demetrius Nicator, king of Syria,
marched against Mithridates; he was at first successful, but was afterwards taken prisoner in B. c.
138. Mithridates, however, treated him with re

* The number of coins, belonging to the Arsacidae, is very large, but it is impossible to determine with certainty to which individual each
belongs. A few are given as specimens, and are
placed under the kings to which they are assigned
in the catalogue of the British Museum.