Note 48 — Chapter IX · THE EUPHRATES FRONTIER AND THE PARTHIANS. (continued 2)

The remnants of Dio’s account in Xiphilinus and Zonaras show clearly that the Parthian expedition falls into two campaigns, the first (Dio, lvi. 17, 1, 18, 2, 23–25), which is fixed at 115 A.D. by the consulate of Pedo (the date also of Malalas, p. 275, for the earthquake of Antioch, 13 Dec. 164 of the Antiochene era = 115 A.D. agrees therewith), and the second (Dio, c. 26–32, 3), which is fixed at 116 A.D. by the conferring of the title Parthicus (c. 28, 2), took place between April and August of that year (see my notice in Droysen, Hellenismus, iii. 2, 361). That at c. 23 the titles Optimus (conferred in the course of 114 A.D.) and Parthicus are mentioned out of the order of time, is shown as well by their juxtaposition as by the later recurrence of the second honour. Of the fragments most belong to the first campaign; c. 22, 3 and probably also 22, 1, 2 to the second.—The acclamations of imperator do not stand in the way. Trajan was demonstrably in the year 113 imp. VI. (C. I. L. vi. 960); in the year 114 imp. VII. (C. I. L. ix. 1558 et al.); in the year 115 imp. IX. (C. I. L. ix. 5894 et al.), and imp. XI. (Fabretti, 398, 289 et al.); in the year 116 imp. XII. (C. I. L. viii. 621, x. 1634), and XIII. (C. I. L. iii. D. xxvii.). Dio attests an acclamation from the year 115 (lxviii. 19), and one from the year 116 (lxviii. 28); there is ample room for both, and there is no reason to refer imp. VII. precisely, as has been attempted, to the subjugation of Armenia.