Roman soldiers and Parthian Travelers

[Michael Kerr]

Except for diplomats or Parthian Royal Family exiles, who were probably accompanied by armed guards you would probably be hard pressed to find actual Parthian travellers to Roman Syria and Armenia. Augustus had several members of the ruling Parthian family as hostages in Rome. Parthians themselves were supposedly Central Asian nomads and most of the traders and commercial agents of the Parthian empire were Greeks or Jews who would have had extensive contacts with Roman Syria and were on good relations with the Roman commanders, probably a source of information on the goings on in the Parthian court. This changed somewhat under the rule of Trajan when there was a Jewish revolt against the Romans and Trajan besieged and burnt down Seleucia. Having said that Palmyra provided security for caravans from the Parthian ports so there must have been some brigandage on traders but probably from desert dwelling Arabs and not Roman soldiers.

Regards

Michael Kerr