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The Roman–Parthian War of 161–166 (also called the Parthian War of Lucius Verus〔E.g. Birley, "Hadrian to the Antonines", 160.〕) was fought between the Roman and Parthian Empires over Armenia and Upper Mesopotamia. It concluded in 166 after the Romans made successful campaigns into lower Mesopotamia and Media and sacked Ctesiphon, the Parthian capital. ==Origins to Lucius' dispatch, 161–62== On his deathbed in the spring of 161, Emperor Antoninus Pius had spoken of nothing but the state and the foreign kings who had wronged him.〔''HA Pius'' 12.7; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 114, 121.〕 One of those kings, Vologases IV of Parthia, made his move in late summer or early autumn 161.〔Event: ''HA Marcus'' 8.6; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 121. Date: Jaap-Jan Flinterman, "The Date of Lucian's Visit to Abonuteichos," ''Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik'' 119 (1997): 281.〕 Vologases entered the Kingdom of Armenia (then a Roman client state), expelled its king and installed his own—Pacorus, an Arsacid like himself.〔''HA Marcus'' 8.6; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 121.〕 At the time of the invasion, the governor of Syria was L. Attidius Cornelianus. Attidius had been retained as governor even though his term ended in 161, presumably to avoid giving the Parthians the chance to wrong-foot his replacement. The governor of Cappadocia, the front-line in all Armenian conflicts, was Marcus Sedatius Severianus, a Gaul with much experience in military matters. But living in the east had a deleterious effect on his character.〔Lucian, ''Alexander'' 27; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 121.〕 The confidence man Alexander of Abonutichus, a prophet who carried a snake named Glycon around with him, had enraptured Severianus, as he had many others.〔Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 121. On Alexander, see: Robin Lane Fox, ''Pagans and Christians'' (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1986), 241–50.〕 Father-in-law to the respected senator P. Mummius Sisenna Rutilianus, then-proconsul of Asia, Abonutichus was friends with many members of the east Roman elite.〔Lucian, ''Alexander'' 30; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 121.〕 Alexander convinced Severianus that he could defeat the Parthians easily, and win glory for himself.〔Lucian, ''Alexander'' 27; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 121–22.〕 Severianus led a legion (perhaps the IX ''Hispana''〔Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 278 n.19.〕) into Armenia, but was trapped by the great Parthian general Chosrhoes at Elegia, a town just beyond the Cappadocian frontiers, high up past the headwaters of the Euphrates. Severianus made some attempt to fight Chosrhoes, but soon realized the futility of his campaign, and committed suicide. His legion was massacred. The campaign had only lasted three days.〔Dio 71.2.1; Lucian, ''Historia Quomodo Conscribenda'' 21, 24, 25; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 121–22.〕 There was threat of war on other frontiers as well—in Britain, and in Raetia and Upper Germany, where the Chatti of the Taunus mountains had recently crossed over the ''limes''.〔''HA Marcus'' 8.7; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 122.〕 Marcus Aurelius, who had become emperor on Pius' death on 7 March 161, was unprepared. Pius seems to have given him no military experience; the biographer writes that Marcus spent the whole of Pius' twenty-three-year reign at the emperor's side—and not in the provinces, where most previous emperors had spent their early careers.〔''HA Pius'' 7.11; ''Marcus'' 7.2; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 103–4, 122.〕 Marcus made the necessary appointments: Marcus Statius Priscus, the governor of Britain, was sent to replace Severianus as governor of Cappadocia,〔Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123, citing A.R. Birley, ''The'' Fasti ''of Roman Britain'' (1981), 123ff.〕 and was in turn replaced by Sextus Calpurnius Agricola.〔''HA Marcus'' 8.8; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123, citing W. Eck, ''Die Satthalter der germ. Provinzen'' (1985), 65ff.〕 More bad news arrived: Attidius Cornelianus' army had been defeated in battle against the Parthians, and retreated in disarray.〔''HA Marcus'' 8.6; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123.〕 Reinforcements were dispatched for the Parthian frontier. P. Julius Geminius Marcianus, an African senator commanding X ''Gemina'' at Vindobona (Vienna), left for Cappadocia with vexillations from the Danubian legions.〔''Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum'' (8.7050 )–(51 ); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123.〕 Three full legions were also sent east: I ''Minervia'' from Bonn in Upper Germany,〔''Incriptiones Latinae Selectae'' (1097 )–(98 ); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123.〕 II ''Adiutrix'' from Aquincum,〔''Incriptiones Latinae Selectae'' (1091 ); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123.〕 and V ''Macedonica'' from Troesmis.〔''Incriptiones Latinae Selectae'' (2311 ); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123.〕 The northern frontiers were strategically weakened; frontier governors were told to avoid conflict wherever possible.〔''HA Marcus'' 12.13; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 123.〕 Attidius Cornelianus himself was replaced by M. Annius Libo, Marcus' first cousin. He was young—his first consulship was in 161, so he was probably in his early thirties〔''L'Année Épigraphique'' (1972.657 ); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 125.〕—and, as a mere patrician, lacked military experience. Marcus had chosen a reliable man rather than a talented one.〔''HA Verus'' 9.2; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 125.〕 Marcus took a four-day public holiday at Alsium, a resort town on the Etrurian coast. He was too anxious to relax. Writing to his former tutor Marcus Cornelius Fronto, he declared that he would not speak about his holiday.〔''De Feriis Alsiensibus'' 1 (= Haines 2.3); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 126.〕 Fronto replied ironically: "What? Do I not know that you went to Alsium with the intention of devoting yourself to games, joking and complete leisure for four whole days?"〔''De Feriis Alsiensibus'' 3.1 (= Haines 2.5), qtd. and tr. Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 126.〕 He encouraged Marcus to rest, calling on the example of his predecessors (Pius had enjoyed exercise in the ''palaestra'', fishing, and comedy),〔''De Feriis Alsiensibus'' 3.4 (= Haines 2.9); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 126–27.〕 going so far as to write up a fable about the gods' division of the day between morning and evening—Marcus had apparently been spending most of his evenings on judicial matters instead of leisure.〔''De Feriis Alsiensibus'' 3.6–12 (= Haines 2.11–19); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 126–27.〕 Marcus could not take Fronto's advice. "I have duties hanging over me that can hardly be begged off," he wrote back.〔''De Feriis Alsiensibus'' 4, tr. Haines 2.19; Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 127.〕 Marcus put on Fronto's voice to chastise himself: "'Much good has my advice done you', you will say!" He had rested, and would rest often, but "—this devotion to duty! Who knows better than you how demanding it is!"〔''De Feriis Alsiensibus'' 4 (= Haines 2.19), qtd. and tr. Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 127.〕 Fronto sent Marcus a selection of reading material, including Cicero's ''pro lege Manilia'', in which the orator had argued in favor of Pompey taking supreme command in the Mithridatic War. It was an apt reference (Pompey's war had taken him to Armenia), and may have had some impact on the decision to send Lucius to the eastern front.〔Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 127.〕 "You will find in it many chapters aptly suited to your present counsels, concerning the choice of army commanders, the interests of allies, the protection of provinces, the discipline of the soldiers, the qualifications required for commanders in the field and elsewhere ()"〔''De bello Parthico'' 10 (= Haines 2.31), qtd. and tr. Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 127.〕 To settle his unease over the course of the Parthian war, Fronto wrote Marcus a long and considered letter, full of historical references. In modern editions of Fronto's works, it is labeled ''De bello Parthico'' (''On the Parthian War''). There had been reverses in Rome's past, Fronto writes, at Allia, at Caudium, at Cannae, at Numantia, Cirta, and Carrhae;〔''De bello Parthico'' 1 (= Haines 2.21).〕 under Trajan, Hadrian, and Pius;〔''De bello Parthico'' 2 (= Haines 2.21–23); Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 127.〕 but, in the end, Romans had always prevailed over their enemies: "always and everywhere () has changed our troubles into successes and our terrors into triumphs".〔''De bello Parthico'' 1 (= Haines 2.21), qtd. and tr. Birley, ''Marcus Aurelius'', 127.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Roman–Parthian War of 161–166」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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