Emperor Marcus Aurelius' army continued the war against the Persians and was able in 165 to conquer their winter capital of Tizbon. In the peace treaty that was signed after that war, Rome expanded its borders to the east even more and in Mesopotamia and, since they felt the need of a buffer between themselves and Persia, they once again acknowledged the independence of Armenia.
After the victories of Marcus Aurelius in the east, which were followed by his great successes in the west, he built a triumphal arch that exists until today at Corso in Rome. The inscription of the arch reads: "Emperor Aurelius, after having defeated the Persians, the Armenians and the Germans, ordered this triumphal arch to be raised to the memory of his father, Emperor Antonin the Holy." 63
During the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus (146-211, emperor since 193) the war between Rome and Persia was resumed, but just for once the war did not take place in Armenia, but in Mesopotamia. Even this war ended with a Roman victory. Again they conquered Tizbon and plundered the city. Hundred of thousands of its citizens were taken as prisoners and sold as slaves. The whole of Mesopotamia was annexed to the Roman Empire. But Armenia, under the leadership of king Samatroukés, was able to maintain its independence, something that it seemed to manage thanks to the neutral position it had maintained during this conflict.
During the reign of Emperor Carcalla, who was a genuine madman, Armenia was forced to participate in its last great national war against Rome. Carcalla was able, by deceiving the Armenian king Belash II and his queen, to lure them into a trap and capture them. The Armenians took up arms and declared war against Rome. Carcalla sent an army under the command of Théocrite against the Armenians, but this general suffered a heavy defeat (year 216). 67 Carcalla continued his war against the Armenians and the Persians and was finally murdered by his own men in Mesopotamia.
That was the last war which the Romans fought against the Persians and the Armenians. During the 3rd century A.D. there were two major historical events which changed the political course of Armenia radically. These were firstly the disintegration of the Arsacids' power in Persia (AD 224 ) and the rising of the Sasanid dynasty as the new masters in Persia. The other one was the general chaos and the uneasiness which struck the Roman Empire between 235 and 270.
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