224 The Imperial Government
Parthianroyalhouse,cametoRometoreceivethecrown(diadem)ofArme-
niafromthehandsofNero,seatedonatribunalintheForumatRome,an
interpreterwasemployedtotranslatehiswordsofsupplicationforthebene-
fitofthecrowd(Suetonius,Nero13).But,aswehaveseenabove,itisatleast
aslikelythatTiridateswasspeakingGreekasParthian;andinthelattercase
itwouldhavebeenunlikelythatanyqualifiedinterpretercouldhavebeen
found.Itissignificantthatthepersonwhoactedasinterpreteronthisocca-
sionisdescribedasbeingofex-praetorstatus,thatis,arelativelyseniorsena-
tor.AmongpersonsofthatclassafluentGreekspeakercouldeasilybefound.
Suchanevent,stage-managedatthecentreoftheEmpire,leavesusen-
tirelyinthedarkaboutthenormalconductoflow-levelexchangesbetween
governorsandmilitarypersonnelontheonesideandleadersofunsubdued
peoplesonthefringesoftheEmpireontheother.Thesubjectobviouslyde-
servesmoredetailedexamination,howeverfragmentaryandenigmaticthe
evidencewouldprove.Whatisratherbetterknownarecertainepisodesre-
quiringmajornegotiationsinvolvingleadingsenators,membersoftheim-
perialfamily,or(increasingly)emperorsinperson.Itwillbeworthwhile,in
conclusion,tolookatafewofthese.
Majornegotiations,orcampaigns,conductedbysenatorswhowerenot
members of the imperial dynasties hardly outlasted the first centurya.d.
The tendency to concentrate all major external functions in the hands of
theemperorinpersonisoneofthemostmarked,andmostsignificant,de-
velopmentsinimperialhistory.However,attheendofTiberius’reign,for
instance,thegovernorofSyria,LuciusVitellius,wascommissionedtomeet
KingArtabanusofParthiaontheEuphratestoconcludeanagreement.The
partiesarestatedtohavemetinthemiddleofabridgeovertheriver,each
withanarmedescort.AfterwardsHerodesAntipas,thetetrarch(effectively
aminorking)ofGalilee,gaveadinnerinapavilionalsoconstructedinmid-
stream.TheproceedingsconcludedwiththedispatchtoTiberiusofArtaba-
nus’sonDariusasahostage,accompaniedbygiftsincludingafreak,aJew
sevencubitstall(thepresentationoffreaksandcuriositiestotheEmperor
wouldbeaninterestingsidelightonimperialhistory,worthexploringfor
itself;comparethosesentbyanIndiankingtoAugustusinStrabo,Geogra-
phy15,1,73,719,citedabove).^39 VitelliusthendulysentareporttoTiberius,
onlytofindthatHerodeshadanticipatedhim.
Suetoniusgivesaratherdifferentaccountofthesameepisode,stressing
thatArtabanuscrossedtotheRomansideoftheriveranddidformalobei-
sancetotheRomanstandardsandtheimagines(images)oftheemperor.This
39.Foracollectionofsomeoftheevidence,seeERW,139–40.