Antiochus the Great at Armosata
In the reign of Xerxes, prince of the city of Armosata, situated on the "Fair Plain," between
In the course of his campaigns for the recovering of the eastern provinces (B. C. 212-205).
Antiochus makes a demonstration before the city of Armosata, in Armenia, to recover the arrears of tribute owed by the late king, B. C. 212. |
the
Tigris and
Euphrates, King Antiochus
encamped under its walls and prepared to
attack it. When he saw the king's forces,
Xerxes at first conveyed himself away; but
feeling afterwards that, if his palace were seized
by his enemies, his whole kingdom would be
overthrown, he changed his mind, and sent a
message to Antiochus declaring his wish for
a conference. The most loyal of the friends
of Antiochus were against letting the young
prince go when they once got him into their
hands, and advised Antiochus to take possession of the town,
and hand over the principality to Mithridates, his own sister's
son. The king, however, would not listen to any of these
suggestions; but sent for the young prince and accommodated their differences, forgiving him the larger part of the
money which he allowed to be owing from his father under
the head of tribute, and accepting a present payment from him
of three hundred talents, a thousand horses, and a thousand
mules with their trappings. He then settled the government
of the city, and gave the prince his sister Antiochis as a wife.
By these proceedings, in which he was thought to have acted
with true royal magnanimity, he won the affection and
support of all the inhabitants of that part of the country.