Information on the thesis

The presented thesis provides an analysis of main forms, structures and issues of political and military relations between Roman Empire and Parthia from the age of Augustus to the fall of Arsacid Parthian Kingdom. Despite the fact that Roman-Parthian relations had been researched for a long period of time, there still are a lot of issues that need to be highlighted using new sources and methodological approaches.

Author states, that the image of “other” had a direct impact on Rome’s and Parthia’s foreign policies and analyses the image of Parthia in Roman ideology, literature and political propaganda. Ideological construct of “Signa recapta” that was created by Augustus, deals with the religious cult of Mars the Avenger and the Temple built to dedicate this God in connection with the political propaganda of the Early Roman Empire. Analysis of the narrative, archeological, epigraphical sources and coinage provides the reconstruction of how the Temple was used to create the image of Augustus’ policy in the East. The games connected with the dedication of the Temple in 2 BCE included the “naumachia”, that was organized as an imitation of the battle of Salamis, and had a strong ideological component. The dedication itself was connected with Gaius Caesar’s Vipsanianus mission to the East which is analyzed using the evidence of so-called “Decreta Pisana”.

The author states, that Augustus had some skepticism about the provincial administration and only from the time of Tiberius its influence becomes quite important. The study of new epigraphic sources helped to provide the verification of the information provided by the narrative sources like Tacitus’ “Annals”, about the mission of Germanicus to the East in 18-19 CE. The conflict of Germanicus with Piso was quite unusual and the description that the “S.C. de Cn. Pisone patre”, “Tabula Siarensis” and other inscriptions provide us is very important for the analysis of the political development of the Principate and for the studying of the Roman foreign policy in the first century CE.

It has been found that the problem of the political development of the Arsacid Kingdom at the end of the First century BCE at the beginning of the First century CE is important to understand policy of Tiberius against Parthia. The domestic conflicts in the Parthian state were inspired by the differences between the eastern and the western parts of the kingdom. Such Parthian kings as Fraates and Artabanus are presented as an example of effective political career nerveless they suffered several serious political conflicts, rebellions and struggles during their reign. Various wars between the rivals who were trying to obtain the Arsacid throne often were long and doubtful. The Romans often released hostage princes that were held in Rome and used them to provoke the political conflict.

Author argues that due to its geographical position, the town of Dura Europos was quite an important military site in the Parthian and Roman periods. Dura was relatively easy to defend, and that value of the city justified the effort to hold it. In the Roman period, the site became a garrison city on Rome’s Eastern frontier. In the Age of the Severan dynasty, the garrison consisted of the vexillations of the legions that were regularly settled in the province of Syria Coelae. The main attachment in the city was Cohors XX Palmyrenorum. The papyri documents left by the soldiers and officers of the Cohors help us to reconstruct not only the daily life and the economy of the Roman Army in the East, but they also provide us information about the military activity of its soldiers including the wars against Parthia.

The chronology of the possible appearance of the institute of «dux ripae» is analyzed. Author states, that the only information about the office of the military command of the region before the 240 CE comes from an assumption made by M. Rostovtzeff, who believed that the dipinto from the palace of the dux can be used as source to date the appearance of this office. Nerveless, the papyrological material finds the earliest mentions about this command only in the 240-s CE.

Roman and Parthian policy dealing with Armenia and other minor Kingdoms and Principalities was mainly inspired by the fact that both states believed that Armenia was supposed to be under control of one of the main political figures in the region. The Romans under Augustus and Tiberius used their resources to make their candidates the rulers of Armenia, but after the campaign of Nero and up to Trajan’s campaign and further, the Arsacid dynasty had established itself on Armenian throne. The obtained results also help us to analyze the status of Oshroena, Adiabena, Sophena and other minor Kingdoms that were allies to Romans and Parthians in various periods of their history.

Keywords: Roman Empire, Parthia, Armenia, Middle East, foreign policy, limes, political propaganda, military campaigns.