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Hello and welcome to the history of Rome. Episode 92, The Parthian War. When

Marcus and Lucius became co-emperors in 161, the borders of the Roman Empire

had been quiet for more than 40 years. Sure, there were periodic raids from

the nomadic tribes living beyond the frontier, but for the most part, Rome had

not dealt with a major foreign threat in decades. That was about to change. Just

minutes after taking office, the new empires found themselves facing war with

Parthia in the east, and after dispatching that threat, they were forced to

immediately turn north and fight like mad to protect the Danube provinces.

Ironically, the two empires who between them had served not a single day in the

...