rd of the Armenian Arsacidse. Of
the circumstances of this war, and its results, we have scarcely
any knowledge. Justin, who alone distinctly mentions it, gives us no
details. A notice, however, in Strabo, which must refer to about this
time, is thought to indicate with sufficient clearness the result of the
struggle, which seems to have been unfavorable to the Armenians. Strabo
says that Tigranes, before his accession to the throne, was for a time
a hostage among the Parthians. As hostages are only given by the
vanquished party, we may assume that Ortoadistus (Ardashes) found
himself unable to offer an effectual resistance to the Parthian
king, and consented after a while to a disadvantageous peace, for his
observance of which hostages were required by the victor.

It cannot have been more than a few years after the termination of this
war, which must have taken place towards the close of the second, or
soon after the beginning of the first century, that Parthia was for the
first time brought into contact with Rome.

The Great Republic, which after her complete victory over Antiochus
III., B.C. 190, had declined to take possession of a single foot of
ground in Asia, regarding the general state of affairs as not then ripe
for an advance of Terminus in that quarter, had now for some time seen
reason to alter its policy, and to aim at adding to its European an
extensive Asiatic dominion. Macedonia and Greece having been absorbed,
and Carthage destroyed (B.C. 148-146), the conditions of the political
problem seemed to be so far changed as to render a further advance
towards the east a safe measure; and accordingly, when it was seen that
the line of the kings of Pergamus was coming to an end, the Senate set
on foot intrigues which had for their object the devolution upon Rome
of the sovereignty belonging to those monarchs. By clever management the
third Attalus was induced, in repayment of his father's obligations
to the Romans, to bequeath his entire dominions as a legacy to the
Republic. In vain did his illegitimate half-brother, Aristonicus,
dispute the validity of so extraordinary a testament; the Romans, aided
by Mithridates IV., then monarch of Pontus, easily triumphed over such
resistance as this unfortunate prince could offer, and having ceded to
their ally the portion of Phrygia which had belonged to the Pergamene
kingdom, entered on the possession of the remainder. Having thus
become an Asiatic power, the Great R