Caracalla’s countryside – Wikipedia

The Original principal of Caracing (215-217) constituted a new success of the Roman armies on the parts, although not so important for the supremacy of the nearby Kingdom of Armenia. After this defeat, the parties were replaced in 224 by the Sasanids dynasty.

The Severi dynasty that reigned on the Roman Empire between the end of the second and the first decades of the third century, from 193 to 235, with a brief interruption during the reign of Macrino between 217 and 218, had in Settimio Severo his progenitor And in Alessandro Severo his last descendant. The new dynasty was born on the ashes of a long period of civil wars, where three other contenders were faced as well as Settimio Severo (Didio Giuliano, Pescennio Nigro and Clodio Albino). In the appointment The emperors was also a clear reference to the Antonini dynasty. The reason was to create a form of ideal continuity with the previous dynasty, as if there was no interruption, not even with the predecessor pertinacious.

The previous campaigns of the father, Septimius Severus, had managed to permanently reconquer the northern Mesopotamia making it, as in the past they had done Trajan and Lucio Vera, a new Roman province with a Mesopotamiae of equestrian rank. For these successes he obtained the victorious title of Parthicus maximus , a triumph was decreed and a triumphal arch in the Roman hole. ^[first]

Case of war [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Caracalla after having arranged the issues with the barbarians of the Danubian border and having reviewed the garrison of the garrison of the provinces of Pannonia and Mesie, went into the tric up to the border with Macedonia, transforming himself into the reincarnation of Alexander the Great (in 215) . To revive the memory of the Macedonian, in any case possible, he ordered that statues and paintings of his hero, were exposed to the public in all cities. He filled the Capitol and many other temples in all of Rome, with his statues and paintings, to suggest that he was a second Alexander. ^[2]

Herodian says that in some cases very ridiculous portraits were exposed, where statues were represented on each side of a single head the faces of both Alexander and Caracalla. Add to this that it went around in Macedonian costume, with a large -tense headdress and ankle boots. He then created a military unit (the first example of the Roman Legion of launch , the Legion II Parthian Antoniana ) which resembled the Macedonian phalanx as much as possible. ^[3] His officers also had to bring the names of Alessandro’s generals. ^[4] Finally, he enlisted some young people from Sparta and formed a new military unit called Laconica and Pitanata. ^{[3] [5]}

He continued his journey by visiting Achille’s tomb in Troy first, ^[6] Then he reached Antioch and stayed there for a certain period ^[7] (starting to make the first preparations in view of the imminent military campaign against the parties and the Armenians ^[8] ) and finally wanted to visit the tomb of Alessandro in Alexandria of Egypt. ^[9]

Back in Antioch ^[ten] (Winter of 215-216), his total devotion to the companies of the Macedonian, led him to provoke a new war against the king of the parties, Artabano IV. It was a mere desire for glory on the trail of Alexander the Great. In fact, Herodian tells that:

«Not long after, Caracalla, eager to earn the title of Parthicus , in addition to the fact of being able to report to the Romans who had conquered all the Eastern barbarians, although there was now peace everywhere [in the East], he prepared the following plan. He wrote a letter to the king of the parties, and sent to the same an embassy charged with very precious gifts and valuable workmanship. He wrote to the king who wanted to marry his daughter. It was not fair that he who was emperor, and son of an emperor, became the son -in -law of a simple and private citizen. Her desire was to marry a princess, the daughter of a great king. He underlined that Romans and parts were the greatest empires in the world, and would become allies thanks to this wedding, resulting in an empire without opponents, now that they would no longer be divided by the river (Euphrates). The rest of the barbaric nations now not subject to their authority, they could have been easily reduced to obedience, which were simple tribes or confederations. In addition, the Roman infantry was invincible in close combat with the spears, while the parts had a great shock force with their archers on horseback. ” after-content-x4

( Herodian, History of the Empire after Marcus Aurelio , IV, 10.1-3. )

Herodian continued by saying that the joint forces of the two empires would complete each other, and if they had decided to make the war together, they could easily unite the whole world under a single command. And since the parties produced spices and fabrics of excellent workmanship, while the Romans metals and artifacts could have avoided their smuggling by the merchants, allowing both peoples to enjoy these assets and share their use. ^[11]

However, it seems that the king of the parties was initially very skeptical on this union, especially since there would have been obstacles not only for the different language, but also for the different uses and customs of their respective peoples. ^[twelfth] Subsequently, the continuous offer of gifts and the proposal of long -lasting alliance agreements by Caracalla, made sure that Artabano IV was conquered, consenting to this marriage union with his daughter. The latter thus decided to want to meet the future son -in -law, in the hope of a future durable peace. ^[13]

Caracalla, after crossing the rivers (Euphrates and Tigers, in the spring of 216), entered the territories of the parties as if they were already his. Meanwhile, the parties, as a sign of friendship and alliance, offered continuous sacrifices to his passage everywhere. The Roman emperor, pretending to be delighted to it, continued his march to the royal palace of Artabano, where the king as soon as he saw him decided to move him to meet the plain in front of the city (Arbela), to accommodate the future son -in -law, between wings of Festive crowd accompanied him. ^[14] But Caracalla to an agreed signal, ordered his army to attack and massacre spectators. Stunned by this attack, Artabano tried to save himself, although he had been injured, thanks to the help of his bodyguard, who managed to put him on a horse and to escort him away from the ambush Tesogli by the Roman emperor. ^[15] The army of the parties, taken abruptly, having also sent its horses to grazing, was unable to resist the advance of the Roman infantry, especially since the Persian force resided in the cavalry. ^[16] These are the facts that caused the new war between the two empires.

Different version is that of Cassio Dione Cocceiano, according to which Caracalla warned the parties, under the pretext that Artabano had refused to marry his daughter, because the king of the parties had sensed that the Roman emperor, while pretending to be wanted to want Marrying, he was actually eager to obtain the kingdom of the parties for his own craving for glory. ^[17]

The operations of these years of war directly involved others such as:

• I aid , I Parthica , 2 Aida , II Parthica : 3 French , III Parthica , Legion 4 Scythica , Legion you Rail , Legion 7 Claudia Pia Faithful : 12 Lightning : 15 Apollinaris and seventeen Flavia signature ;

In addition to some vexillation from other fronts such as:

The total of the forces put in place by the Roman Empire may have exceeded the 150,000 armed arms involved; Of them, half of them was made up of legionaries (from 24-25 legions), the remainder from auxiliaries. ^[19]

Caracalla: tetradracma [20]
Ancinoc • CC • B • AVT K M A, graduate head and bust with armor and drapes to the left.	• DHMARC ex • Upato • TO • D •, an eagle standing in front, the head to the right with the wings open, holds a corolla in the beak, • d • • and • under each wing.
13.90 g, 11h, coined in 215-217 during Antioch’s stay.

216

Caracalla after attacking the king of the parties by surprise and treacherously, Artabano IV, made a great massacre of enemies near the city of Arbela, making a large loot and many prisoners, ^[17] In addition to dissecting the bodies of the sovereigns of the parties and dispersing their bones. ^[17] He therefore decided to continue the march towards the average, away from the city without meeting resistance. Along the way, the city burned, villages and fortresses, allowing its soldiers to raid everything they could. ^{[17] [22]} At the end of the campaign, after having also devastated the Adiabene and most of the territories of the parts of the parties (marching up to the territories of the Cadusi of the Caspian Sea and the Babylonians of the Middle Course of Tigers and Euphrates ^[23] ), Caracalla, since his troops were now tired of looting and killings, brought back his armies in Mesopotamia. According to Cassio Dione Cocceiano, as soon as the parties and the middle ones began to organize a large army, ready to counterattack the Roman armies, for the treatment received, Caracalla fell into the deepest terror. ” He appeared, in fact, very daring in threatening and performing reckless and sudden companies, but then proved to be a great coward in front of the danger, and therefore weak in the presence of difficulties “. ^[24]

From here he sent messengers to the Senate who announced that the entire East had been submissive and that all the kingdoms of that region had surrendered to him. ^[25] The senators, since they are perhaps not aware of what had really happened, or more probably due to the fear and the desire to join the emperor, decided to pay him a new triumph and the title of Parthicus , ^[26] While Caracalla spent winter in Mesopotamia, in Edessa (which has become for the occasion: Cologne Metropolis Antoniana ^[27] ), dedicating himself to hunting, ^[28] and with the aim of preparing a new military campaign for the following year. ^[29]

217

During this year, Caracalla was killed during a carriage trip, interrupting a new possible campaign against the parties. ^[30] Always Herodian tells that one of his generals, a certain Marco Opellio Macrino (as well as prefect of the Praetorium), tired of being mocked by his own emperor in public and in various circumstances, decided to hate a conspiracy against the same, which led to the death of Caracalla, ^{[29] [thirty first] [32]} Not far from Edessa. ^{[30] [33] [34]} Died Caracalla, Macrino was proclaimed Emperor and returned to Antioch, where he met his diadumenian son, who proclaimed Caesar . ^[35] However, military activities continued in Mesopotamia, since Artabano IV had intended to recover the territories lost in the previous countryside. In fact, he managed to beat a Roman army at Nisibi and to obtain peace, behind the payment of a large sum by Rome, which in return managed to maintain his possessions in Mesopotamia, ^[36] Probably up to Hatra.

The province of Mesopotamia was expanded (probably to the city of Hatra) and remained under Roman control at least until about 229/230, when the new Sasanide dynasty, just settled on the Persian throne and happened to the part (in 224), changed Completely the relations with the nearby Roman Empire, and passing to the counterattack, after a century of hard clashes, always in favor of the Romans. The Kingdom of Armenia continued and being the subject of dispute in the following two centuries. And so to invasions Sasanidi, new invasions followed by the Roman armies, in a continuous succession of victories and defeats by both empires.

Primary sources

Modern historiographic sources

• F.A.Arborio Mella, The Persian Empire from Ciro the Great to Arabic conquest , Milan 1980, ed.mursia.
• J.R.Gonzalez, History of Roman legions , Madrid 2003.
• Yann Le Bohec, The Roman army , Roma, 1992, isbn 88-430-1783-7.
• Edward Luttwak, The great strategy of the Roman Empire , Milan, 1981.
• F.Millar, The roman near east – 31 BC / AD 337 , Harvard 1993.
• C.Scarre, The Penguin historical atlas of ancient Rome , London 1995. ISBN 0-14-051329-9
• C.Scarre, Chronicle of the roman emperors , London & New York 1995. ISBN 0-500-05077-5
• .C.b.wells and others, The escavations at Dura-Europos , “Final report V”, The Parchments and Papyri , New Haven 1959.