Caracalla

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As emperor Caracalla waged successful campaigns against barbarian tribes along Rome's northern frontiers, but this was not to be the only region he fought in. In 214 AD the emperor began gathering a new army for a campaign, this time into the East against the Parthian Empire, likely mustering his troops in Syria as was common in Roman Eastern operations. However, exactly why he chose Parthia as a target isn't entirely clear. If he was as great of an admirer of Alexander the Great as some claimed, then he may have sought to emulate his successes in the East against the Persians.

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Cassius Dio and Herodian also record that a marriage issue was at the heart of Caracalla's reasoning, sending a proposition to the Parthian king Artabanus to marry his daughter and form an alliance between Rome and Parthia. Dio claims that Artabanus flatly refused the offer, while Herodian says that Caracalla convinced him to accept with grand ideas of how the combined power of the armies of the two empires would be invincible, though this was allegedly a ruse to lure the Parthians into a false sense of security. It is, however, just as or more likely that Caracalla was simply seeking a lucrative campaign in the East, especially considering Rome's recent wars with Parthia had been very successful.

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Furthermore, Parthia must have appeared to be a tempting target. King Vologases IV had recently died in 208 AD, leaving the throne to be disputed between his sons Vologases V and Artabanus. This, perhaps inevitably, led to a civil war, in which Artabanus eventually appears to have gained the upper hand. At least from 216 AD onwards, the Romans considered him to be the undisputed ruler of Parthia. However, based on surviving Parthian coinage Vologases continued to lay claim to the throne during this time, though without any success, and was much reduced in influence. At the same time, unrest was brewing in the more eastern parts of the Parthian Empire, where a Persian uprising led by the Sassanids was gathering more momentum, led by a nobleman named Ardashir. War was truly upon Parthia in earnest.