The Siege Of Volandum During The Roman-Parthian Wars Over Armenia

As the year 57 turned into 58, the decades-long struggle between Rome and Parthia over the control of Armenia heightened in intensity. At that time, Parthia had the advantage in the struggle, as the reigning king of Armenia was Tiridates, brother of the Parthian king, Vologeses I. Nevertheless, according to the historian, Tacitus (c. 56-117+), the Armenian people were still divided over which empire they wanted as their overlord, and individual settlements had their own independent preferences.

With Parthian support, Tiridates began raiding the regions of his country that he thought favored Rome. The Roman governor of Syria, a man named Cnaeus Domitius Corbulo, mobilized his own forces to halt the Parthian raids, but he could not move quick enough to trap Tiridates in a battle. As his original scheme was unsuccessful, Corbulo called in his allies to increase pressure on the Parthian-Armenian forces. In particular, King Antiochus Epiphanes IV of Commagene and King Pharasmanes of Iberia answered the governor’s summons and supported the campaign.

This increased pressure brought Tiridates into negotiation with the Roman governor. A meeting was scheduled to discuss peace. Yet, even though the two allegedly camped close enough to see each other, no conversation ever occurred. When diplomacy failed, Governor Corbulo then turned his attention to launching a major offensive against the Parthian-Armenian homeland.

Governor Corbulo came up with a plan to simultaneously besiege three Parthian-controlled border forts in Armenia. Corbulo personally led the attack on Volandum, the strongest of the three. Tacitus claimed to know the governor’s battle plan for the siege. The historian wrote that the governor split his troops into four sections. One group was sent to sieze the fortress’ ramparts and clear obstructions. Two other groups harassed the defenders with siege engines, javelins and slings. The final group charged the fortress and scaled the enemy walls with ladders. Using this approach, Governor Corbulo was said to have seized the fortification of Volandum in about eight hours. The other two fortresses, besieged by Roman forces, also fell that same day.

After the fall of the fortresses, Corbulo began marching toward Artaxata, the capital of Armenia. Tiridates attempted to ambush the Roman forces, but his attack failed. When the governor’s forces reached Artaxata, the city surrendered. Unfortunately, fearing that he could not adequately garrison the city, Governor Corbulo decided to burn Artaxata to the ground.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Picture Attribution: (Roman siege of Jerusalem, image produced c. 1921, published in a book by William Ambrose Spicer, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

• The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus, translated by Michael Grant. New York: Penguin Classics, 1996.

The Horribly Unsuccessful Political Career Of Parthian King Vonones I

Vonones was a Parthian prince who, although he managed to seize two thrones during his life, was unfortunately always outmaneuvered by his enemies. His father was the Parthian king, Phraates IV (r. 38-2 BCE), who after making peace with Augustus (r. 31 BCE – 14 CE), sent the Roman dictator several of his sons (including Vonones) as hostages, in a display of peace and respect. Therefore, Prince Vonones grew up with a thorough dose of Greco-Roman culture that would stay with him for the rest of his life. From the luxury of Rome, Vonones could only listen as reports came in of his father being murdered, followed by the short reign of Phraates V, and then the even shorter reign (mere months) of Orodes III. After the death of Orodes III, the Parthians were in need of a new monarch, and luckily enough, they had several members of the Parthian royal line living in the Roman Empire. Therefore, a party of diplomats from Parthia soon arrived in Rome to petition the emperor to allow Vonones to return home and become king of the Parthians. The Romans, thrilled at the thought of having a pro-Roman king leading the Parthians, sent Vonones home to be crowned.

The exact date of King Vonones’ reign remains in debate. Almost all scholars agree that he was politically active in the first two decades of the 1st century CE, with 8/9-11/12 (give or take a few years) being the usual dates given for his time of rule in Parthia. He seemed to have been a well-educated man, who brought his Greek and Roman teachings with him to Parthia. For instance, he minted coins in which his name was stamped in Greek. The new king’s noticeable Romanization, however, quickly became a problem among his subjects. The Roman statesman and historian, Tacitus (c. 56-117), claimed that Vonones I was uninterested in the local Parthian culture and tradition. Unlike his countrymen, the king did not care for horses. Similarly, while he enjoyed being carried around in a litter, he supposedly detested the Parthian-styled banquets that were expected of him. Also, instead of filling his court with local Parthians, he was said to have imported Greeks and Romans to serve as his government advisors. As these differences between ruler and subjects continued to persist, both sides began to look at the other as something entirely alien.

In the end, the Parthians rallied behind a rival king named Artabanus III (r. 11/12-38) and Vonones I was forced to flee from his kingdom. With remarkable timing, he then found shelter in Armenia, which miraculously happened to be a kingdom without a king. Curiously, Vonones was able to quickly place himself upon the Armenian throne. Yet, the Parthians did not like that Vonones had found a new kingdom, especially one that neighbored their own empire. The refugee king in Armenia also threatened the uneasy relationship between the Roman and Parthian Empires, for which the Kingdom of Armenia served as a buffer state. Eventually, around the year 15 or 16, the Roman governor of Syria became so concerned about the situation that he had Vonones seized and placed him under luxurious house arrest in the Roman Empire.

According to Tacitus, Vonones remained under house arrest in the Roman province of Syria until the year 18, when Emperor Tiberius’ adopted son, Germanicus, had the twice dethroned monarch moved to the town of Pompeiopolis, a settlement on the coast of Cilicia. This was apparently done as a diplomatic gesture to Parthia after King Artabanus III had accused Vonones of leading intrigues from his luxurious prison in Syria. Unfortunately, the new location in Pompeiopolis must not have been up to Vonones’ standards, for he attempted to escape in the year 19. He was reportedly attempting to flee to relatives in the lands of the Scythians when Roman troops caught up. Sadly, Vonones apparently had outlived his usefulness, for he was killed during or shortly after being apprehended.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Picture Attribution: (Coin of Vonones I of Parthia with Greek inscriptions from the mint at Ecbatana. The reverse shows Nike with a palm, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

• The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus, translated by Michael Grant. New York: Penguin Classics, 1996. 
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vonones-I 
• https://www.jstor.org/stable/42668016?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents 
• http://www.parthia.com/vonones1.htm 
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phraates-IV 
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Phraates-V 
• http://www.parthia.com/orodes3.htm  

The First Monarch To Convert His Nation To Christianity Was Tiridates III of Armenia

(Gregory the Illuminator, 14th century mosaic from the Pammakaristos Church, Constantinople, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

The reign of Constantine the Great is often seen as one of the most important breakthroughs for the acceptance and rise of Christianity in the lands touched by the Roman Empire. Constantine ushered Christianity out of persecution and elevated the religion to a place of prominence in the Roman world. Yet, one of Constantine’s contemporaries had already beat him to the prize of becoming the first head of state to convert to Christianity and brought about a national conversion—King Tiridates III of Armenia.

The story begins with a young child being smuggled out of Armenia and into the region of Caesarea, Cappadocia, which is in modern day Turkey. The boy was from a noble family that had lost influence in Armenia and was now being hunted. While the child waited in Caesarea for his homeland to become safe again, he converted to Christianity. He eventually returned to Armenia to preach his new religion, and became known as Gregory the Illuminator (240-332 CE).

(Tiridates III of Armenia, by Gaidzakian, Ohan, 1837-1914, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons)

At first, King Tiridates III responded to the Christian population in his country much like the emperors in the Roman Empire—with oppression and persecution. Gregory the Illuminator, however, was a great and persistent missionary. As the legend goes, Tiridates III was finally converted to Christianity after Gregory performed a miracle healing, curing the Armenian king of some illness. King Tiridates III is thought to have converted during the first decade of the 4th century CE and Christianity was made the national religion of Armenia around 314 CE. As for Gregory the Illuminator, he was chosen to be the first chief bishop (catholicos) of the Armenian Church.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Sources:

• Early Christianity: A Brief History by Joseph H. Lynch. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.