antony sent quintus dellius as his envoy to artavasdes ii of armenia in 34 bc to negotiate a potential marriage alliance between the armenian king's daughter and antony and cleopatra's son alexander helios. when this was declined, antony marched his army into armenia, defeated its forces and captured the king and the armenian royal family. they were sent back to alexandria as prisoners in golden chains befitting their royal status. antony then held a military parade in alexandria mocking a roman triumph. he dressed as dionysos and rode into the city on a chariot presenting the royal prisoners to queen cleopatra, who sat on a golden throne above a silver dais. news of this event was heavily criticized in rome as being distasteful, if not a perversion of time-honored roman rites and rituals to be enjoyed instead by an egyptian queen and her subjects.