Page:Political History of Parthia.pdf/193

Rh In 2 Musa took the final step to secure for her son Phraataces the throne of Parthia; Phraates, now an old man, was poisoned. Artavasdes, established by Roman aid on the Armenian throne, was looked upon with disfavor by many of his subjects and certainly by the Parthians. A coalition of these two groups drove him from the throne about 1, and Tigranes and his sister-wife again secured control. If Rome was to maintain her sphere of influence in Armenia and her prestige in the Near East, immediate action was imperative. At the moment Augustus had few whom he could trust to cope with this new development. His grandson Gaius was put in command of the forces sent to restore Roman authority. Someone, perhaps Isidore of Charax, was commissioned to secure information about the East—a definite indication that the government was awakening to the inadequacy of the Roman military intelligence service.

When the news of the advance of Gaius reached Parthia, Phraataces sent an embassy to Augustus