Search results
The eight centuries of Parthian and Sasanian domination brought dramatic and lasting changes to the lands of Western Asia. Emerging from the upheavals of the Hellenistic era, the Arsacid and Sasanian dynasties created new and lasting military, economic, and social practices that responded to the new threats and pressures of a new age. 1 This period witnessed the permanent decline of ...
- Parthian Expansion
- Parthian Military Tactics
- Parthian Government
- Economy & Trade
- Parthian Architecture & Art
- Culture & Religion
- Decline & Fall
The story of Parthia begins with Seleucus I, one of Alexander the Great's generals. After Alexander's death, his generals divvied up the conquered territories. Seleucus took Mesopotamia and other districts once central to Persia, creating the Seleucid Empire. Incorporating Greekinfrastructure and administrators, Seleucus adopted Persia's form of go...
Key to many a Parthian victory and the expansion of the Parthian Empire was the unique use of the horse and bow. With a hit and run fighting style, Parthia's tactics (including pretending retreat) were well suited to counter the concentrated troop movements of other nations. With archers on the fleetest of horses, and camel riders providing a stead...
Parthia's form of government was an amalgam of practical answers to local needs. Rulership from the top was never in doubt. The "king of kings," as later Parthian rulers called themselves, demanded absolute loyalty, but Parthia's practical sense of government is indicated right off the bat when Mithridates I kept Greek nobles in positions of leader...
With the Romans held at bay, Parthia could try their hand at trade. As Richard Frye mentions: The Parthians' commercial development started with the infrastructure they inherited from the Seleucids. They wisely preserved the cities and roads they received. Their possession of Armenia and possible access to the Black Sea and control of Hyrcania and ...
Due to their empire's location, and their origins in Central Asia, the Parthians had as their source a wide range of influences when it came to art and architecture. Daryoosh Akbarzadeh describes Parthia in this way: Some scholars have surmised Parthia's departure from Hellenisticinfluences was because of its competition with Rome. Either way, unli...
While the Parthians in some ways were liberal in their varietal use of artistic and architectural styles, when it came to clothing, greater uniformity was the norm, at least among the ruling class. Coinciding with the empire's height of power, by the end of the 1st century BCE, the belted tunic and trouser-suit became popular throughout the empire....
After their military victories over Crassus and Mark Antony, and the peace agreement with the Romans in 20 BCE, the Parthians might have thought their empire was secure, but in almost domino fashion, external invasions and internal dissension would take their toll. Though Artabanus II (r.10-38 CE) successfully dealt with provincial rebellion and wo...
e. The Parthian Empire (/ ˈpɑːrθiən /), also known as the Arsacid Empire (/ ˈɑːrsəsɪd /), [12] was a major Iranian political and cultural power centered in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. [13] Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, [14] who led the Parni tribe in conquering the region of Parthia [15] in Iran 's ...
247 BCE - 224. Parthian Empire. The Parthian Empire, also known as the Arsacid Empire, was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BCE to 224 CE. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conquering the region of Parthia in Iran's northeast, then a satrapy (province) under ...
Jul 24, 2024 · The history of the Parthian Empire traditionally begins in 247 BCE, when the founder of the Arsacid dynasty, Arsaces I, seized control of the Seleucid satrapy of Parthia (Parthyaia and Parthyene in Greek and Parθava in Old Persian) and ends with the defeat of Ardavan (or Artabanus) IV by the rebellious Sasanid Persian king Ardashir in 224 CE. The ruling dynasty of the state was the Arsacids ...
Coins began to be minted for Parthian rulers after the accession of Mithridates I. Mints were located in over twenty cities: tetradrachms were produced almost exclusively in Seleucia. Most coins feature a Parthian king’s portrait on the obverse facing left and either a seated archer or a standing figure and fire altar on the reverse, surrounded by an inscription ( 99.35.2953 ; 99.35.2951 ).
People also ask
What were the two major economic poles of the Parthian & Sasanian empires?
What did the Parthian Empire do?
Where did the Parthian Empire come from?
When did the Parthian Empire start and end?
Who occupied the apex of social and political hierarchies in the Parthian Empire?
What did the Sasanians inherited from the Parthian army?
The present volume presents 15 papers covering various aspects of Parthian and early Sasanian history, material culture, linguistics and religion which demonstrate a rich surviving heritage and provide many new insights into ideology, royal genealogy, social organization, military tactics, linguistic developments and trading contacts.
