became king without fighting a battle.
Gotarzes fled, and escaped into the country of the Dahse, which lay east
of the Caspian Sea, and north of the Parthian province of Hyrcania. Here
he was allowed to reign for some time unmolested by his brother, and to
form plans and make preparations for the recovery of his lost power.

The statements of Tacitus are so circumstantial, and his authority as
an historian is so great, that we can scarcely hesitate to accept the
history as he delivers it, rather than as it is related by the Jewish
writer. It is, however, remarkable that the series of Parthian coins
presents an appearance of accordance rather with the latter than
the former, since it affords no trace of the supposed first reign of
Gotarzes in A.D. 42, while it shows Vardanes to have held the throne
from Sept. A.D. 43 to at least A.D. 46. Still this does not absolutely
contradict Tacitus. It only proves that the first reign of Gotarzes was
comprised within a few weeks, and that before two months had passed
from the death of Artabanus, the kingdom was established in the hands of
Vardanes. That prince, after the flight of his brother, applied himself
for some time to the reduction of the Seleucians, whose continued
independence in the midst of a Parthian province he regarded as a
disgrace to the Empire. His efforts to take the town failed, however,
of success. Being abundantly provisioned and strongly fortified, it was
well able to stand a siege; and the high spirit of its inhabitants made
them determined to resist to the uttermost. While they still held
out, Vardanes was called away to the East, where his brother had been
gathering strength, and was once more advancing his pretensions. The
Hyrcanians, as well as the Dahse, had embraced his cause, and Parthia
was threatened with dismemberment. Vardanes, having collected his
troops, occupied a position in the plain region of Bactria, and there
prepared to give battle to his brother, who was likewise at the head of
a considerable army. Before, however, an engagement took place, Gotarzes
discovered that there was a design among the nobles on either side to
rid themselves of both the brothers, and to set up a wholly new king.
Apprehensive of the consequences, he communicated his discovery to
Vardanes; and the result was that the two brothers made up their
differences and agreed upon terms of peace. Gotarzes yielded his claim
to the crown, and was assigned a residence in Hyrcania