Artavasdes

In 34 BCE, the Roman general Mark Antony captured the Armenian king Artavasdes II, who was later executed. Some of his relatives were living in Rome. One of these was a man prince named Artavasdes, who was to become king in Armenia at the beginning of the common era.

Before 6 BCE, perhaps in 8 BCE, Tigranes IV succeeded his father Tigranes III.^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 55.9.9.] The new king appears to have pursued a pro-Parthian policy; the Greco-Roman historian Cassius Dio records that the Armenians were becoming estranged,^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 55.9.4.] which suggests a pro-Parthian policy. Indeed, the Armenian kingdom was at a later stage considered to be in a state of revolt,^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 55.10.18.] causing first some diplomatic exchanges between the Parthian king Phraataces and the emperor Augustus.^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 55.10.18.]

When no solution was achieved, Augustus sent Artavasdes or Artabazus (two ways of spelling the same name) to the east.^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 55.10.20.] The Roman historian Tacitus says that this Artavasdes "was shaken off, not without a measure of discredit to Roman arms";^note[Tacitus, Annals 2.4.] Cassius Dio believes that he succumbed to an illness.^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 55.10.20.] Not much later, in the year 2 CE, Tigranes IV died as well: according to Dio, he "perished in a war with barbarians".^note[Cassius Dio, Roman History 55.10a.5.]