Persia from the Earliest Period to the Arab

HISTORY OF PERSIA. 139
ment, that the Roman empire had reached its limits :
nor, indeed, was it till Trajan again awakened the
dream of universal empire, that any serious struggle
took place between Rome and Parthia. It is not
necessary to notice here several petty wars about
this period, most of which may be traced to the
weakness and vacillation of the Armenian princes
or of their subjects. I ought, however, to mention
that, curing this interval, a new race had become
involved in the various conflicts of the times, with a
capacity as soldiers the Romans were long unwilling
to admit. Vast numbers of Jews were now spread
over Western Asia. Some, probably the descendants
of the colonies planted by the kings of Assyria and
Babylon, others dwellers from choice in the countries
adjacent to Palestine, as the Parthians were gene-
rally tolerant, especially when toleration promoted
"
their commercial interests. They formed," says Pro-
fessor Rawlinson, " a recognised community, had i ome
cities which were entirely their own, possessed a
common treasury, and, from time to time, sent up
to Jerusalem the offerings of the people under the
protection of a convoy of 30,000 or 40,000 men."
In fact the Parthians must have felt that this Jewish
population was in some degree, a counterpoise to
the disaffected Greeks, Armenians, and Syrians.
The only other event of importance at this period
was the quarrel between Vologases and the Romans
which led to several attacks by the Parthians on Ar-
menia, but is chiefly remarkable for the visit of his son
Tiridates to Rome, an event as curious as it is strange.
It appears that after the recovery of Armenia by the