(1) Armeniam quam occupāverant Parthī recēpit, Parthomasīrī occīsō quī eam tenēbat. Albānīs rēgem dedit. Hibērōrum rēgem et Sauromatārum et Bosphorānōrum et Arabum et Osdroēnōrum et Colchōrum in fidem accēpit. Carduenōs, Marcomedōs occupāvit et Anthemūsium, māgnam Persidis regiōnem, Seleuciam, Ctēsiphōntem, Babylōnem. Messēniōs vīcit ac tenuit.
(2) Ūsque ad Indiae fīnēs et mare Rubrum accessit atque ibi trēs prōvinciās fēcit, Armeniam, Assyriam, Mesopotamiam, cum hīs gentibus quae Madenam attingunt. Arabiam posteā in prōvinciae fōrmam redēgit. In marī Rubrō classem īnstituit, ut per eam Indiae fīnēs vāstāret.
notes
Trajan's Parthian Campaigns (114-116 CE)
See Dio Cassius 68.17-20; C.S. Lightfoot, "Trajan's Parthian War and the Fourth Century Perspective," Journal of Roman Studies 80 (1990): 115-126.
(1) Parthomasīrī occīsō: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419). Parthamasiris was the ruler of Armenia.
Albānīs: see Albania.
Hibērōrum rēgem et Sauromatārum et Bosphorānōrum et Arabum et Osdroēnōrum et Colchōrum: supply rēgem for each proper noun. For more information, see Kingdom of Iberia, Sarmatians, Bosporan Kingdom, Arabs, Osroene, and Colchis.
in fidem accēpit: "received into alliance" the kings of various eastern peoples in the regions of Armenia and Mesopotamia. That is, they became nominally client kings of the Romans.
occupāvit: "took possession of" the territory of various peoples in Mesopotamia who had been under the Parthian Empire: the Cardueni, the Marcomedi, and Anthemusium, a large portion of Persia, Seleucia, Ctesiphon (the Parthian capital) and Babylon.
Messēniōs: the Messenii were either the inhabitants of Mesene in Babylia (Ammianus 24.3.12) or those of an island at the mouth of the Tigris (Bird).
tenuit: "retained control of"
(2) mare Rubrum: Trajan sailed down the Tigris to the Persian Gulf (not the Red Sea) (Bird).
fēcit: "created" three new provinces, Armenia, Assyria, and Mesopotamia
Madenam: Madena or Medena was a district in Armenia Minor, between the Kura and Araxes rivers.
in marī rubrō classem instituit: Trajan sailed down the Tigris to the Persian Gulf (Bird).
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
|
Armenia, ae, f. |
a country of Asia southeast of the Black Sea |
|
Parthī, ōrum, pl. m. |
a Scythian people southeast of the Caspian Sea |
|
Parthomasīris, is, m. |
king of Armenia |
|
Albānī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the Albānī, the inhabitants of Alba Longa in Latium; the inhabitants of Albania west of the Caspian Sea |
|
Hibērī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the inhabitants of Hibēria |
|
Sauromātae, ārum, pl. m. |
a people of Asia dwelling on the Tanaïs river |
|
Bosporānī, ōrum, pl. m. |
people dwelling on the Cimmerian Bosporus |
|
Arabēs, ūm, pl. m. |
the inhabitants of Arabia |
|
Osdroēnī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the inhabitants of Osdroēna |
|
Colchī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the inhabitants of Colchis, in Asia |
|
Cardueni, ōrum, pl. m. |
a powerful and warlike people in the southeastern part of Armenia Māior |
|
Marcomedī, ōrum, pl. m. |
a people of western Asia |
|
Anthemūsia, ae, f. |
a province of Mesopotamia |
|
Persis, idis, f. |
Persia |
|
Seleucīa, ae, f. |
(1) a city in Assyria; (2) a city in Cilicia; (3) a city in Syria |
|
Ctēsiphōn, ōntis, f. |
a city in Assyria, on the Tigris |
|
Babylōn, ōnis, f. |
capital city of the Babylonian—Assyrian Empire in Mesopotamia, on the Euphrates |
|
Messēniī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the inhabitants of Messēnē, an island in the Tigris river |
|
India, ae, f. |
India, modern Hindustan 2 |
|
ruber, bra, brum, adj. |
red; Rubrum mare, the Red Sea |
|
Armenia, ae, f. |
a country of Asia southeast of the Black Sea |
|
Assyria, ae, f. |
a division of Asia between Media, Mesopotamia, and Babylon |
|
Mesopotamia, ae, f. |
Mesopotamia, between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers |
|
Madena, ae, f. |
a part of Armenia |
|
attingō, ere, tigī, tāctus |
to border on, touch, attain |
|
Arabia, ae, f. |
Arabia |
|
redigō, ere, ēgī, āctus |
to reduce, render, bring |
|
vāstō, āre, āvī, ātus |
to lay waste, devastate, destroy |