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41After this Ventidius recovered Cilicia and attended to the administration of this district himself, but sent ahead Pompaedius Silo with cavalry to the Amanus. 2This mountain is on the border between Cilicia and Syria, and has a pass so narrow that a wall and gates were once built across it and the place received its name from that fact. 3Silo, however, was unable to occupy it and actually came near perishing at the hands of Phranapates, a lieutenant of Pacorus in charge of the garrison at the pass. This would certainly have been his fate, had not Ventidius by chance come upon him when he was fighting and succoured him. 4For Ventidius fell upon the barbarians when they were not expecting him and were at the same time in smaller force, and slew Phranapates and many others. In this way he took over Syria without a battle, now that it was deserted by the Parthians, with the exception of the Aradii, and later occupied Palestine without trouble, after he had frightened the king, Antigonus, out of the country. 5Besides accomplishing all this he exacted large sums of money from the rest individually, and large sums also from Antigonus and Antiochus and Malchus the Nabataean, because they had given help to Pacorus. Ventidius himself received no reward for these achievements from the senate, since he was not acting with independent authority but as lieutenant to another; but Antony was honoured with eulogies and thanksgivings. 6As for the Aradii, they were afraid they would have to pay the penalty for their boldness against Antony, and so would not come to terms with him, though they were besieged by him for a time; but later they were captured by others after much difficulty.
7About this same time an uprising took place among the Parthine Illyrians, but it was put down by Pollio after a few battles.
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