C64 PER 
having, however, valiantly engaged and vanquilhed, in 
fingle combat, a champion of the Cadufians, he was re¬ 
warded with the government of Armenia. This king 
had not, however, long enjoyed the fovereignty, when 
the ambitious eunuch determined to remove him, and 
with this defign provided a deleterious potion j but Da¬ 
rius, being apprifed of his danger, turned the mifchief 
on the head of its author, and thus eftablilhed himfelf on 
the throne without farther oppofition, at lead as far as fecu- 
rity from internal enemies could do fo ; but in a very little 
time his dominions were invaded, and, we may fay, the 
fame moment conquered, by Alexander the Great. The 
particulars of that hero’s conqueft are related under the 
article Macedon, vol.xiv. p. 24—6. See alfo the arti¬ 
cle Greece, there referred to, 
Thus ended the empire of Perfia, 269 years after it had 
been founded by Cyrus, B. C. 330. After the death of 
Alexander, the Perfian dominions became fubjeCt to Se- 
leucus Nicator, and continued fubjeCl to him for 62 years, 
when the Parthians revolted and conquered the greateft 
part of them. To the Parthians they continued fubjeCt 
for 480 years; when the fovereignty was again reftored to 
the Perfians, as related under the article Parthia, vol. 
xviii. p. 678. 
From the Revival of the Persian Empire under 
THE SASSANIAN DYNASTY, TO ITS SUBJUGATION BY 
the Mahometans. 
We now enter on a portion of Afiatic hiflory in which 
we are accompanied by the Greek and Latin writers, 
whofe accounts, in moll refpefts, agree with the Perfian 
records : of thefe, as we defcend, the materials become 
more copious, the traditions lefs tindlured with fable, 
and the proofs, from infcriptions on marbles, gems, and 
medals lately deciphered, fufficiently convincing. 
The reftorer of the Perfian monarchy was Artaxerxes, 
or Artaxares, who was not only a private perfon, but of 
fpurious birth : however, he pofielfed great abilities. He 
was no fooner feated on the throne, (A. D. 220.) than 
he took the pompous title of King of Kings, and 
formed a defign of reftoring the empire to its ancient 
glory. Pie gave notice to the Roman governors of the 
provinces bordering on his dominions, that he had a juft 
right, as the fuccell'orof Cyrus, to all Alia Minor; which 
he therefore commanded them immediately to quit, as 
well as the provinces on the frontiers of the ancient Par¬ 
thian kingdom, w'hich were already his. 
The confequence of this w’as a war with Alexander Se- 
verus, the Roman emperor; but this prince, being but a 
youth, and under the tutelage of his mother, was unwil¬ 
ling to engage in an expenfive conteft; and therefore 
wrote to Artaxares, advifing him to keep within due 
bounds, and not, from a vain hope of conqueft, under¬ 
take any thing againft a people whofe arms had fre¬ 
quently vanquifhed the mod warlike nations. Artax¬ 
ares, however, treated the letter with contempt, and be¬ 
gan to make fuch formidable preparations for the reduc¬ 
tion of the adjacent provinces, that the emperor was at 
length compelled to raife an army, in order to check the 
augmenting power of Perfia. 
Artaxares, receiving intelligence of Severus’s approach, 
felefted four hundred perfons of extraordinary ftrength 
and ftature, and, having furnifhed them with fumptuous 
habits and fine horfes, fent them to the emperor with 
this meflage: “ The great king Artaxares commands the 
Romans and their fovereign to depart immediately from 
Syria and Afia Minor, and to reftore to the Perfians all 
the countries on this fide the ZEgean and Pontic feas, 
which they claim in right of lawful inheritance.” 
This infolent demand having roufed the indignation of 
Severus, he caufed the ambafladors to be ftripped of 
their gaudy attire, and fent them into Phrygia, where he 
aftigned them certain lands for their fubliftence. He 
then advanced againft Artaxares, who had entered Mefo- 
S I A. 
potamia at the head of a numerous army ; and an engage¬ 
ment enfued, in which the Romans were victorious. 
Whilft the Perfian retired to his own dominions, for 
the purpofe of recruiting his forces, Severus divided his 
troops into three bodies, the firft of which marched 
through Armenia, with orders to invade Media ; the fe- 
cond palled over the marlhes, to enter the Parthian terri¬ 
tories on the other fide; and the third, commanded by 
the emperor, defigned to have advanced into the centre of 
Artaxares’s kingdom. But concerning the event of this 
war there are very different accounts. It is certain, how¬ 
ever, that, on account of his exploits againft Artaxares, 
Severus took the titles of Parthicus and Perficus; though, 
it would feem, with no great reafon, as the Perfian mo¬ 
narch loft none of his dominions, and his fuccelfors were 
equally ready with himfelf to invade the Roman territo¬ 
ries. 
Artaxares, dying after a reign of twelve or fifteen years, 
A. D. 240, was fucceeded by his fon Sapor; a prince of 
great abilities both of body and mind, but fierce, haughty, 
untraClable, and cruel. He was no fooner feated on the 
throne than he began a new war with the Romans. In the 
beginning he was unfuccefsful: being obliged, by the 
young emperor Gordian, to withdraw from the Roman 
dominions, and was even invaded in his turn; but, in a 
fiiort time, Gordian was murdered by Philip, whoaffumed 
the purple as the prize of his crime. As it was neceflary 
for the ufurper to return, he made peace with Sapor, 
abandoning to him the countries he had invaded. Ar¬ 
menia was at this time poffelfed as an independent ftate 
by Chofroes, whom Sapor caufed to be aftaflinated; and 
then, marching into the country at the head of an irre- 
fiftible force, reduced it to the condition of a province. 
He now, availing himfelf of the diftra&ed ftate of the 
Roman empire, renewed his incurfions, obliged the ftrong 
towns of Carrhae and Nifibis to furrender, and laid liege 
to Edelfa. Valerian the Roman emperor, who was at this 
time 70 years of age, marched to its relief, and the two 
fovereigns encountered each other in the neighbourhood 
of that city. The refult was the defeat and captivity of 
Valerian, A. D. 260. Sapor then crofted the Euphrates, 
and advanced to Antioch, which he took by furprife, and 
facked. He next palled into Cilicia, and made himfelf 
rcafter of Tarfus ; after which he laid liege to Ctefarea in 
Cappadocia. This populous city was bravely defended 
by the governor, Demofthenes, but was at length be¬ 
trayed into his hands, and the inhabitants were treated 
with great cruelty. 
The tide of fuccefs was firft turned by the Roman ge¬ 
neral Baliftus, who, collecting the remains of the van- 
quilhed troops, harafled Sapor’s army, and obliged him 
to retire towards the Euphrates. Odenatus the Palmy¬ 
rene, whofe embafiy to Sapor had been treated with the 
utmoft inlolence, then appeared as the foe of the Perfians, 
and after various fuccefles, in which he carried oft’ the 
king’s treafures and concubines, drove him acrofs the 
river. In the mean time Sapor tarnilhed the glory of his 
fuccefs againft Valerian by his ungenerous and inhuman 
conduCt towards his unfortunate captive, whom he car¬ 
ried about with him as a fpeCtacle, and is laid to have 
ufed as a footftool when he mounted his horfe; and, 
when the dethroned emperor funk under the weight of 
his calamities, his fluffed Ikin was placed as a trophy in 
the moft confpicuous temple of Perfia. Gibbon fuppofes 
that the tale of thefe indignities has been exaggerated by 
national animofity; but the unfeeling and arrogant cha¬ 
racter of Sapor renders it not improbable. Odenatus 
afterwards twice advanced as far as Ctefiphon, and re¬ 
duced to his obedience all the countries between Palmyra 
and the Tigris. After his death, his widow, the celebra¬ 
ted Zenobia, maintained her independence againft the 
Perfian arms, but funk under thofe of the Roman empe¬ 
ror Aurelian. 
Sapor, amidft much variety of fortune, continued to ag- 
grandife 
