The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c26.s1.52

c26.s1.52

The Parthian power, which had suffered severely from the shock of the nomad attacks, recovered under the vigorous government of Mithradates II, the Great (acc. *c.* 123 B. C.). Apparently, that strong ruler took over the direct government of the provinces which had been administered by Vonōnēs and his family, and also reasserted his suzerainty over the less accessible Panjāb. Azes, the viceroy of Arachosia and Sīstān, was then transferred to Taxila, where he succeeded Maues about 58 B. C., and governed the province as a subordinate king under Mithradates. Azes I was succeeded on the throne of the Panjāb, first by his son Azilises and then by his grandson Azes II. Azes I certainly was a powerful prince, and enjoyed a long reign, extending to nearly forty years. It is known that at the beginning of the Christian era no part of India was included in the Parthian empire, and it is not unlikely that during the course of his long reign Azes I succeeded in establishing his independence. The reigns of Azilises and Azes II seem to have occupied together about forty years. In the time of the latter, the *stratēgos*, or satrap, Aspavarma, and the satrap Zeiōnises assisted their sovereign in the administration of the Panjāb.