Phraates, during these transactions, stood wholly upon the defensive.  It may not have been unpleasing to him to see Artavasdes punished.  It must have gratified him to observe how Antony was injuring his own cause by exasperating the Armenians, and teaching them to hate Rome even more than they hated Parthia.  But while Antony’s troops held both Syria and Armenia, and the alliance between Media Atropatene and Rome continued, he could not venture to take any aggressive step or do aught but protect his own frontier.  He was obliged even to look on with patience, when, early in B.C. 33, Antony appeared once more in these parts, and advancing to the Araxes, had a conference with the Median monarch, whereat their alliance was confirmed, troops exchanged, part of Armenia made over to the Median king, and Jotapa, his daughter, given as a bride to the young Alexander, whom Antony designed to make satrap of the East.  But no sooner had Antony withdrawn into Asia Minor in preparation for his contest with Octavian than Phraates took the offensive.  In combination with Artaxias, the new Armenian king, he attacked Antony’s ally; but the latter repulsed him by the help of his Roman troops.  Soon afterwards, however, Antony recalled these troops without restoring to the Median king his own contingent; upon which the two confederates renewed their attack, and were successful.  The Median prince was defeated and taken prisoner.  Artaxias recovered Armenia and massacred all the Roman garrisons which he found in it.  Both countries became once more wholly independent of Rome, and it is probable that Media returned to its old allegiance.

But the successes of Phraates abroad produced ill consequences at home.  Elated by his victories, and regarding his position in Parthia as thereby secured, he resumed the series of cruelties towards his subjects which the Roman war had interrupted, and pushed them so far that an insurrection broke out against his authority (B.C. 33), and he was compelled to quit the country.  The revolt was headed by a certain Tiridates, who, upon its success, was made king by the insurgents.  Phraates fled into Scythia, and persuaded the Scythians to embrace his cause.  These nomads, nothing loth, took up arms, and without any great difficulty restored Phraates to the throne from which his people had expelled him.  Tiridates fled at their approach, and, having contrived to carry off in his flight the youngest son of Phraates, presented himself before Octavian, who was in Syria at the time on his return from Egypt (B.C. 30), surrendered the young prince into his hands, and requested his aid against the tyrant.  Octavian accepted the valuable hostage, but with his usual caution, declined to pledge himself to furnish any help to the pretender; he might remain, he said, in Syria, if he so wished, and while he continued under Roman protection, a suitable provision should be made for his support, but, he must not expect armed resistance against the Parthian monarch.