DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45399#0023
THE PARTHIAN COINAGE.
13
met and defeated in a pitched battle by Goterzes. He was captured, but saved his life by the
sacrifice of his ears, it being impossible that a mutilated person should ever bear rule over
Parthians. A record of the victory of Goterzes remains to this day in the rude rock-sculpture
which he caused to be executed in honour os the event. This sculpture is cut on some rocks at
Behistun right upon figures which date from the reign of Darius Hystaspes, and obliterating
them. It consists of a king on horseback, with lance couched, galloping in pursuit of a
wild animal, while Victory hovers above him and places a wreath on his head. Behind him
gallops a smaller horseman.1 Above is a much mutilated inscription, which is still further
destroyed by having an arch or doorway cut through the middle of it. Sir Henry Bawlinson,
who visited the spot thirty years ago, read the inscription thus:2 AA0A£ATH£ Ml ©PATHS
riEFI TQTAPZHC £ATPAnH£ TON SATPAn and further found below the words
rs)TAP<HC rEOnOOPOS. This latter word the writer supposes to represent the Persian Givputr
(son of Giv); Guclarz ibn Giv being renowned in Persian fable. But it will be seen srom the
very careful drawing of M. Flanclin that not all the letters seen by Bawlinson are now visible.
So far as I am aware, no one has yet succeeded in translating this inscription; the editors of
it content themselves with pointing out the name of Meherdates in its debased form MI0PATHS,
and commenting on the assumption by Goterzes of the title Satrap of Satraps—a title which is
but another indication of the decay of letters at this period in Asia.
Soon after this, Gotarzes died, and was succeeded by Vonones II., a prince probably of
Arsacid blood, and at the time of his elevation Satrap of Media. His reign, says Tacitus, was
short and inglorious. It terminated in the year 51; for we know, both from the assertions of
Tacitus3 and from extant coins, that in this year his son, Vologeses, was already on the throne.
This Vologeses seems to have been preferred to his brothers in virtue of a family pact, by
which it was arranged that Pacorus should have Media, Vologeses Parthia, and that for
Tiridates Armenia should be acquired by force of arms. The carrying out of the last article
of the agreement caused a war of many years against Borne, in which fortune bestowed her
favours in turn on the combatants. But the solid advantage rested with Parthia, for Tiridates
was acknowledged by Nero as King of Armenia in return for a personal homage,4 which,
though couched in servile terms, probably hampered him very little in his practical politics.
Many other wars occupied this most bellicose of reigns. Vologeses had a long contest with
Izates, who had become too powerful for a mere subject, and who died unsubdued. He also
had to withstand an invasion of the Scythian Dahae, who, after overrunning Armenia, were
scarcely to be kept from devastating Parthia. These difficulties were surther complicated by
the revolt of his own son, Vardanes, whose independence, as we may judge from his coins,
stood firm during the years 55-58, but afterwards fell. Several other events must be assigned
to this important reign. In the year 70, when Vespasian was setting out to seek the purple,
1 Figured in the frontispiece. This sigure is copied from the nolle work of Flandin and Coste (Perse Ancienne), plate xix.
2 Journal of the Geographical Society, vol. ix. p. 114. 3 Tac. Ann. xii. 44, 50. 4 Dio C. lxiii. 6.
13
met and defeated in a pitched battle by Goterzes. He was captured, but saved his life by the
sacrifice of his ears, it being impossible that a mutilated person should ever bear rule over
Parthians. A record of the victory of Goterzes remains to this day in the rude rock-sculpture
which he caused to be executed in honour os the event. This sculpture is cut on some rocks at
Behistun right upon figures which date from the reign of Darius Hystaspes, and obliterating
them. It consists of a king on horseback, with lance couched, galloping in pursuit of a
wild animal, while Victory hovers above him and places a wreath on his head. Behind him
gallops a smaller horseman.1 Above is a much mutilated inscription, which is still further
destroyed by having an arch or doorway cut through the middle of it. Sir Henry Bawlinson,
who visited the spot thirty years ago, read the inscription thus:2 AA0A£ATH£ Ml ©PATHS
riEFI TQTAPZHC £ATPAnH£ TON SATPAn and further found below the words
rs)TAP<HC rEOnOOPOS. This latter word the writer supposes to represent the Persian Givputr
(son of Giv); Guclarz ibn Giv being renowned in Persian fable. But it will be seen srom the
very careful drawing of M. Flanclin that not all the letters seen by Bawlinson are now visible.
So far as I am aware, no one has yet succeeded in translating this inscription; the editors of
it content themselves with pointing out the name of Meherdates in its debased form MI0PATHS,
and commenting on the assumption by Goterzes of the title Satrap of Satraps—a title which is
but another indication of the decay of letters at this period in Asia.
Soon after this, Gotarzes died, and was succeeded by Vonones II., a prince probably of
Arsacid blood, and at the time of his elevation Satrap of Media. His reign, says Tacitus, was
short and inglorious. It terminated in the year 51; for we know, both from the assertions of
Tacitus3 and from extant coins, that in this year his son, Vologeses, was already on the throne.
This Vologeses seems to have been preferred to his brothers in virtue of a family pact, by
which it was arranged that Pacorus should have Media, Vologeses Parthia, and that for
Tiridates Armenia should be acquired by force of arms. The carrying out of the last article
of the agreement caused a war of many years against Borne, in which fortune bestowed her
favours in turn on the combatants. But the solid advantage rested with Parthia, for Tiridates
was acknowledged by Nero as King of Armenia in return for a personal homage,4 which,
though couched in servile terms, probably hampered him very little in his practical politics.
Many other wars occupied this most bellicose of reigns. Vologeses had a long contest with
Izates, who had become too powerful for a mere subject, and who died unsubdued. He also
had to withstand an invasion of the Scythian Dahae, who, after overrunning Armenia, were
scarcely to be kept from devastating Parthia. These difficulties were surther complicated by
the revolt of his own son, Vardanes, whose independence, as we may judge from his coins,
stood firm during the years 55-58, but afterwards fell. Several other events must be assigned
to this important reign. In the year 70, when Vespasian was setting out to seek the purple,
1 Figured in the frontispiece. This sigure is copied from the nolle work of Flandin and Coste (Perse Ancienne), plate xix.
2 Journal of the Geographical Society, vol. ix. p. 114. 3 Tac. Ann. xii. 44, 50. 4 Dio C. lxiii. 6.