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ThePonticKingdom,ArsacidIranandArmenia...
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ThepresentstudyfocusesonEupator’seffortstogainsupportfromArsacid
IranandParthian-dominatedArmenia(point3)until89b.C.Concerningthe
Eupator’sbasicsecurityobjectivesandwarpreparations,thepositionofArsacid
Iranwasessential.Sourcespointtotheexistenceofvividrelationsbetween
EupatorandtheArsacidempireunderMithradatesII(122187b.C.),oneof
thegreatestParthiankings.becauseofhisachievementssomeantiqueaccounts
callhim“theGreat.”5Armenia,whichremainedanArsacidvassalatthistime,
playedaspecialroleintherelationshipbetweenParthiaandPontos.
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Iustinus(42.2.6)claimsthatMithradatesIImadewaron“Artoadistes,”
kingofArmenia1adpostremumArtoadisti,Armeniorumregi,bellumintulit.
Thementiondirectlyfollowsanaccountofwarsagainstthe“Scythians,”i.e.
nomadsofCentralAsia.LaterIustinusfocusesonadigressionabouttheorigins
ofArmeniankings,embellishingitwithlegendarythemes,whichmakeshistori-
calanalysisdifficult(Iust.42.2.7142.3.9).buteveninthisdigressionthereare
realisticreferenceswhichdeserveattention.Foronething,Armeniaisaccurately
depictedasacountrywhichthenplayedadominantroleinTranscaucasia,
i.e.intheareafromCappadokiatotheCaspianSea.6Furthermore,twomen-
tionsofCaucasianAlbania(42.3.4,42.3.7),althoughshroudedinmyth,suggest
thatthecountrywasthencloselylinkedwithArmenia,and,byextension,with
Parthia.ProbablyAlbania,likeArmenia,hadrecognizedParthianhegemony.
SinceAlbaniaofferedthemostconvenienttransitroutesfromCaspiansteppes
toIran,itwasastrategicallyimportantcountryfortheArsacidstobeable
todefendTranscaucasiaandtheentireempireagainstthenomadsfromthenorth.
InProloguslibriXLII,TrogusmakesageneralmentionofMithradatesII’s
waragainstArmenia:PhratisuccessitrexMithridatescognomineMagnus,qui
Armeniisbellumintulit.TrogusiswronginsayingthatMithradateswasthesuc-
cessorofPhraatesII;inrealityhereignedafterArtabanosI.InProloguslibri
XLIIthereappearstheArmenianrulerTigranes,ahostageatthecourtofMithra-
datesIIandlater(from96b.C.)aParthianvassalinArmenia:InParthicisutest
constitutumimperiumperArsacemregem.SuccessoresdeindeeiusArtabanus
5Iust.42.2.3:Mithridates[...]cuiresgestaeMagnicognomendedere;quippeclaritatem
parentumaemulationevirtutisaccensusanimimagnitudinesupergreditur.Cf.Trog.Prol.42.On
MithradatesIItheGreat,seeN.C.Debevoise:APoliticalHistoryofParthia.Chicago1938,
pp.40150;M.J.Olbrycht:Parthiaetulterioresgentes.DiepolitischenBeziehungenzwischen
demarsakidischenIranunddenNomadendereurasischenSteppen(QuellenundForschungen
zurAntikenWelt,bd.30).München1998,pp.961105.
6Iustinussaysthat“itisnotrightthatsogreatakingdomshouldbepassedinsilence,since
itsterritory,nexttothatofParthia,isofgreaterextentthananyotherkingdom.”Accordingto
him,Armeniastretchesoveraspaceof1,100miles,andis700milesinbreadthfromCappadokia
totheCaspianSea(42.2.719).
