cachibatches

Specifically the Parthian campaign.

The reason I want to go to the ancient sources is because the modern disagree on whether important battles were fought.

All agree that he took a large amount of territory without having to do much, but certain sources claim that the Tigris river crissing was contested, other not. Also, some claim that after the initial conquestes, a Parthain army was assembeld by Sanantruces and a battle fought that Trajan won. Other make no meniton.

Also, any direct answers would be appreciated, but please cite source if possible.

Thanks in advance.

MinoanGoddess

Roman History by Casius Dio VOLIII LOEB

Now this is the problem..I think the reason why the exact name of Sinatruces is not mentioned by the ancient author may be that the name was not known this way to the ancient author as he is referred by Casius Dio as the "a descendant of Arsaces, (GREEK OF-ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ)a son of Pacorus". Sinatruces on coins is referred in GREEK INSCRIPTION as "ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ ΕΥΕΡΓΕΤΟΥ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ΦΙΛΕΛΛΗΝΟΣ"
Below is a copy from LOEB. Good luck with the rest.

Next he made a campaign against the Armenians and Parthians on the pretext that the Armenian king had obtained his diadem, not at his hands, but from the Parthian king, though his real reason was a desire to win renown.

2 When Trajan had set out against the Parthians and got as far as Athens, an embassy from Osroes met him, asking for peace and proffering gifts. For upon learning of his advance the king had become terrified, because Trajan was wont to make good his threats by his deeds. Accordingly, p395he humbled his pride and sent to implore him not to make war upon him, and at the same time he asked that Armenia be given to Parthamasiris, who was likewise a son of Pacorus, and requested that the diadem be sent to him; 3 for he had deposed Exedares, he said, inasmuch as he had been satisfactory neither to the Romans nor to the Parthians. The emperor neither accepted the gifts nor returned any answer, either oral or written, save the statement that friendship is determined by deeds and not by words, and that accordingly when he should reach Syria he would do all that was proper. And being of this mind, he proceeded through Asia, Lycia and the adjoining provinces to Seleucia. 18 Upon his arrival in Antioch, Abgarus of Osroene sent gifts and a message of friendship, though he did not appear in person; for, as he dreaded both Trajan and the Parthians alike, he was trying to be neutral and for that reason would not come to confer with him.
324 Lucius Quietus was a Moor and likewise ranked as a leader of the Moors and as commander of a troop in the cavalry; but, having been condemned for base conduct, he had been dismissed from the service at the time and disgraced. Later, however, when the Dacian war came on and Trajan needed the assistance of the Moors, 5 he came to him of his own accord and displayed great deeds of prowess. p397Being honoured for this, he performed far greater and more numerous exploits in the second war, and finally advanced so far in bravery and good fortune during this present war that he was enrolled among the ex-praetors, became consul, and then governor of Palestine. To this chiefly were due the jealousy and hatred felt for him and his destruction.
182 When Trajan had invaded the enemy's territory, the satraps and princes of that region came to meet him with gifts. One of these gifts was a horse that had been taught to do obeisance; it would kneel on its fore legs and placed its head beneath the feet of whoever stood near.
19 Parthamasiris behaved in a rather violent fashion. In his first letter he had signed himself "king," but when no answer came, he wrote again, omitting this title, and asked that Marcus Junius, the governor of Cappadocia, be sent to him, implying that he wished to prefer some request through him. 2 Trajan accordingly sent to him the son of Junius, while he himself proceeded to Arsamosata, of which he took possession without a struggle. Then he came to Satala and rewarded with gifts Anchialus, the king of the Heniochi and Machelones. At Elegeia in Armenia he received Parthamasiris, 3 seated upon a tribunal in the camp. The prince saluted him, took his diadem off his head and laid it at his feet, then stood there in silence, expecting to receive it back. At this the p399soldiers shouted aloud and hailed Trajan imperator, as if because of some victory. 4 (They termed it a crownless and bloodless victory, to see the king, a descendant of Arsaces, a son of Pacorus, and a nephew of Osroes, standing before Trajan without a diadem, like a captive.) The shout terrified the prince, who thought that it was intended as an insult and meant his destruction; 5 and he turned about as if to flee, but seeing that he was hemmed in on all sides, he begged that he might not be forced to speak before the crowd. Accordingly he was conducted into the tent, where he obtained none of the things he wished. 20 So out he rushed in a rage, and thence out of the camp; but Trajan sent for him, and again ascending the tribunal, bade him say in the hearing of all everything that he desired. This was in order to prevent anybody, ignorant of what had been said in private conference, from making up a different report. 2 On hearing this command Parthamasiris no longer kept silence, but spoke with great frankness, declaring among other things that he had not been defeated or captured, but had come there voluntarily, believing that he should not be wronged and should receive back the kingdom, as Tiridates had received it from Nero. 3 Trajan made fitting replies to all his remarks, and in particular declared that he would surrender Armenia to no one; for it belonged to the Romans and was to have a Roman governor. 4 He would, however, allow Parthamasiris to depart to any place he pleased. So he sent the prince p401away together with his Parthian companions and gave them an escort of cavalry to make sure that they should associate with no one and should begin no rebellion; but he commanded all the Armenians who had come with the prince to remain where they were, on the ground that they were already his subjects. 183b When he had captured the whole country of the Armenians and had won over many of the kings also, some of whom, since they voluntarily submitted, he treated as friends, while others, though disobedient, he subdued without a battle, 23 the senate voted to him all the usual honours in great plenty and furthermore bestowed upon him the title of Optimus, or Most Excellent. He always marched on foot with the rank and file of his army, and he attended to the ordering and disposition of the troops throughout the entire campaign, leading them sometimes in one order and sometimes in another; and he forded all the rivers that they did. 2 Sometimes he even caused his scouts to circulate false reports, in order that the soldiers might at one and the same time practise military manoeuvres and become fearless and ready for any dangers. After he had captured Nisibis and Batnae he was given the name of Parthicus; but he took much greater pride in the title of Optimus than in all the rest, inasmuch as it referred rather to his character than to his arms.

cachibatches

Thanks a million! I am reading the rest of the text, and have found that indeed, the river crossing was contested:

26 Trajan at the beginning of spring hastened into the enemy's country. And since the region near the Tigris is bare of timber suitable for building ships, he brought his boats, which had been constructed in the forests around Nisibis, to the river on waggons; for they had been built in such a way that they could be taken apart and put together again. 2 He had great difficulty in bridging the stream opposite the Gordyaean mountains, as the barbarians had taken their stand on the opposite bank and tried to hinder him. But Trajan had a great abundance of both ships and soldiers, and so some vessels were fastened together with great speed while others lay p411moored in front of them having heavy infantry and archers board, and still others kept making dashes this way and that, as if they intended to cross. 3 In consequence of these tactics and because of their very consternation at seeing so many ships appear all at once out of a land destitute of trees, the barbarians gave way. And the Romans crossed over and gained possession of the whole of Adiabene. 41 This is a district of Assyria in the vicinity of Ninus; and Arbela and Gaugamela, near which places Alexander conquered Darius, are also in this same country. Adiabene, accordingly, has also been called Atyria in the language of the barbarians, the double S being changed to T.

Darth Roach

Well, decisive battles are a rare occurance, so I don't think he had to fight a field battle, ever. Really, all he had to do was march on and take the fortresses. The Parthians likely resorted to hit and run tactics, which were probably useless against such a well provisioned and defended force.

cachibatches

Thanks to our friend MinoanGoddess I did find an ancient source in Cassius Dio that the river crossing was contested. I had read Dio's books on Antonius and Augustus, but not Trajan. Not exactly a classic land battle, but I will take a contested amphibious landing for some drama.

Lots of secondary sources agree that after the fact he fought a battle with Sanantruces, but it was not in the Dio text, and I don't know of any other ancient source. So I am wondering where that is coming from.

Dio does state that the Parthians put up little resistance because they were depleted from civil war.

AlpinLuke

Check also the work by Gaio Plinio Cecilio Secondo who wrote some interesting essays about the life of the Emperor.

cachibatches

Thanks. I will do just that.

Darth Roach

I would not be so sure the Parthians would ever directly confront Trajan's full force. Maybe they tried to prevent, say, the vanguard from crossing or something - but it was certainly not an attempt to stop the Romans alltogether.

cachibatches

I pasted the quote so you can judge for yourself. Seems to me that they wanted to make a stand there becasue they did not think he had any means fo fording the river, not knowing about his assemle-able boats.

Shapur

Arrian's Parthica was an account of Trajan's Parthian campaign but unfortunately it's only survived in fragments and in Photius' summary of the work.