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For ten years, Augustus apparently set aside everything that had to do with the eastern countries. Meanwhile, Artashes II, who was allied to Farhad, the Persian king and defeater of the Romans, continued to rule Armenia. It was around year 20 B.C. when Augustus decided to complete the unfinished business in the east. He was a great politician, but was regarded as a mediocre army commander and therefore he applied the concept of "Display your strength so you do not have to use it" and led an enormous army to Syria. At the same time he ordered Tibére to march with another army from Macedonia to Asia Minor. When the Persian king, Farhad, saw this power display he preferred to accept Augustus' peace terms.

These terms were as follows. Firstly, more from a sentimental and symbolic point of view, return the Roman flags which the Persians had captured from the Roman legions at the time of defeating Crassus. Secondly the Persians would recognize Roman rule over Armenia. Even in Armenia there were a number of similar power displays. Artashes II was killed by a group which had been bribed with Roman gold and his brother Tigran was brought in from Rome and crowned as Tigran III. In this way Armenia, apparently, an independent country, became once again an ally of Rome. It is from that moment that we remember the famous sentence: "Armenia capta". 25



But Augustus' solution for the eastern question created sharp criticsm in Rome and an overwhelming majority, supported by the general public, demanded the destruction of the Persians by force and the incorporation of Armenia into the Roman Empire. Defending his policy of non-aggression Augustus argued: "A thing is good to conquer only if it is good to keep."

The policy of this great politician towards Armenia can be ascribed to the following. He knew that Rome could not return Armenia to the Persians. If the Persians owned Armenia, then they would gain total control over the entire Middle East and constitute a permanent threat against the Roman conquests (Asia Minor, Cilicia and Syria). On the other hand, the conquest of Armenia and incorporating it into the Roman Empire would be a very difficult task, since it would heighten the tension between Rome and Persia even more. Also by conquering Armenia, the Roman Empire would constantly be attacked by the warrior tribes in Transcaucasia. Hence Augustus chose the solution of an independent but allied Armenia, an Armenia which should continue as an independent country with its own rule. The interests of Rome did not lie in the inclusion of Armenian within its borders, but in its use as a shield. The only guarantee which Rome needed was that the leader of Armenia should always be someone who was approved by Rome and who would protect the interests of the empire. 26

Armenians were apparently loyal to their own leader, Artashes II, son of the king killed by Cleopatra and Marcus Antonius. Personally, Augustus had personally nothing against the Artashisian dynasty, which had created Armenia's greatest kings up to then. But Roman sentiment and way of thinking could not allow someone to sit on the Armenian throne who had ordered the death of every single Roman citizen in Armenia when he heard about the execution of his father.

For this reason Augustus made Tigran, older brother of Artashes II, who had received shelter in Rome and more or less been kept as a backup plan, king.

Augustus' solution, which was a sign of his creative and flexible thinking, together with the strength of the Roman government should have been enough to create the desired effect i.e. an allied Armenia and a dependent, shield against the Persians. Unfortunately, this did not happen and Armenia, as we will later see, became a headache for the politicians in Rome. This was mainly as a result of the policy which Mark Anthony and Cleopatra had carried out against Armenia. Their treachery had turned the majority of the Armenian princes against Rome for good, and was the reason why they no longer considered the Persians, but the Romans as their principal enemy.