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Arsacid dynasty

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Image: Map_of_Iran_under_Parthian_Dynasty.gif thumb| Iran Under the Arsacid Dynasty.|230px|right The '''Arsacid Dynasty''' ruled Persian Empire Persia. Their realm is also called Parthia, which included the Iranian plateau and intermittently Mesopotamia, from 253 BC until their overthrow by the Sassanid dynasty Sassanid Dynasty in AD 226. At certain times Arsacid Kings also ruled over Armenia.

Historical Background
After the conquest of the Persian Empire by Alexander the Great Alexander III, king of Macedonia, Iran became in a constant conflict between the Iranian traditions and the Hellenism Hellenistic way of life, between civic life and oriental monarchy. In Persia the Hellenistic rulers were ultimately unable to solve these and other problems inherent in such a mixed and complex society, even if there was a strong level of contamination between the two cultures. But the Greeks and their culture ultimately ended up occupying a secondary if important role, while pre-conquest patterns re-emerged stronger than ever, like the persistent use of the Aramaic language for administrative reasons. The Hellenistic lands in Asia after the death of Alexander were kept by the Seleucid Empire; an overextended domain, which neglected its Iranian possessions in favour of Anatolia and Syria. The Parni, an Iranian nomadic tribe, were to gain advantage of this, and later of the disintegration of the Seleucids amid the dynastic squabbles which followed the death of Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 164 BC. Things went no better for the other Hellenistic kingdom on Iranian soil, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, swept away by the migrations of the Yueh-Chih tribe. The 1st century BC, with the fall of the last remains of the Hellenistic kingdoms, saw the emergence of what were to be the Parthians' mortal enemies: the Roman Empire Romans and the Kushan Empire, with whom the Parthians were to be engaged in many conflicts, without forgetting all the fights against the nomads from north-east.

The birth of an Empire
In 247 BC two brothers, Arsaces I of Parthia Arsaces (Arschag) and Tiridates I of Parthia Tiridates, members of the nomad iranic tribe of the Parni, first mentioned in this century and migrating south from the banks of the Amu-Darya, occupied the Seleucid satrapy of Parthia (the district of Tejen) by defeating and killing its governor Andragoras. They were years of great tumult and difficulties for the House of Seleucus, which had also a few years before lost control of Bactria with the rebellion of the Greek satrap Diodotus I Diodotus. The Parthians remained on the defensive for nearly a century; a century in which the world scenery was radically transformed. In particular, in 190 BC the Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great suffered a crushing defeat from the Romans at Battle of Magnesia Magnesia, starting the unarrestable decline of his kingdom. And when Antiochus IV Epiphanes died in 164 BC internecine conflicts exploded in the royal dynasty, opening the road for Mithridates I of Parthia Mithridates I' campaigns in his long reign from 171 BC 171 to 138 BC. Mithridates I annexed the provinces of Media, Elam Susiana, Persis, Characene, Babylonia and Assyria in the west and of Gedrosia and Sistan in the east, and also took Seleucia on the Tigris, which was the second largest city of Western Asia. The autonomy and Greek institutions of Seleucia were respected. Immediately facing the city, on the left bank of the Tigris, the Parthians founded Ctesiphon, the new capital of the empire. The Seleucids tried with Demetrius II Nicator to reconquered the lost ground, but in 139 BC he lost his battle against the Parthian cavalry and fell into the hands of Mithridates I. The Parthian king treated him gently, also giving him one of his daughter in marriage, but kept him captive in Gorgan Hyrcania where he remained prisoner till his death. A later attempt in 129 BC to reconquer the former Seleucid dominions by Antiochus VII Sidetes met with no more luck. In this way, Mithridates I created an empire which extended itself from the Euphrates to the Hindu Kush Indian Caucasus, which had in itself a vast motley of people and traditions. Image: MithradatesI.jpg Mithridates I of Parthia thumb|left|300px|Coin of [[Mithridates I of Parthia|Mithridates I (ruled 171 BC 171–138 BCE) from the mint at Seleucia on the Tigris..html" title="Meaning of Mithridates I.html" title="Meaning of thumb|left|300px|Coin of [[Mithridates I of Parthia|Mithridates I">thumb|left|300px|Coin of [[Mithridates I of Parthia|Mithridates I (ruled 171 BC 171–138 BCE) from the mint at Seleucia on the Tigris.">Mithridates I.html" title="Meaning of thumb|left|300px|Coin of [[Mithridates I of Parthia|Mithridates I">thumb|left|300px|Coin of [[Mithridates I of Parthia|Mithridates I (ruled 171 BC 171–138 BCE) from the mint at Seleucia on the Tigris. Another great king was to prove himself Mithridates II of Parthia Mithridates II, who went to power about 123 BC. He reported important victories both on the West, where he kept the Seleucids in check, and on the East, where he defeated the the nomad Scythians Sakae expanding his power to the Oxus. Mithridates II was also the first Parthian king to enter in contact with the world's greatest empires, the History of China Chinese and the Roman Republic Roman: around 110 BC Chinese and Parthians both sent embassies to the respective courts with the object of facilitating the commerce with the west. As for the Romans, the first contacts were also friendly since they had a common enemy, Tigranes the Great king of Armenia.

Arsacid (Parthian) Kings of Persian Empire Persia, 250 BC - AD 226
Image: Head_of_Parthian,_Persian_&_Armenian_Kings.gif The Kings of Iranian World|230px|right {{Arsacid dynasty}}

Reference
THE EMPIRE OF PARTHIAN DYNASTY 248BCE to 28th April CE224, edited by Shapour Suren-Pahlav

External links

- Iran under the Parthians (CAIS)
- Parthian History Category:Persian history ar:Ø£Ø±Ø´ÙŠÙƒÙˆÙ† ca:ArsÃ cides cs:Dynastie ArsakovcÅ¯ de:Arsakiden nl:Arsaciden ru:Ð?Ñ€Ñ?Ð°ÐºÐ¸Ð´Ñ‹ see Arsacid Dynasty *Arsaces I of Parthia Arsaces I c. 247 BC 247–211 BC **''(In some histories, Arsaces's brother Tiridates I of Parthia Tiridates I is said to have ruled c. 246 BC 246–211 BC.)'' *Arsaces II of Parthia Arsaces II c. 211 BC 211–191 BC ''(frequently called Artabanus by early scholars)'' *Phriapatius of Parthia Phriapatius c. 191 BC 191–176 BC *Phraates I of Parthia Phraates I c. 176 BC 176–171 BC *Mithridates I of Parthia Mithridates I c. 171 BC 171–138 BC *Phraates II of Parthia Phraates II c. 138 BC 138–127 BC *Artabanus I of Parthia Artabanus I c. 127 BC 127–124 BC *Mithridates II of Parthia Mithridates II c. 123 BC 123–88 BC **Gotarzes I of Parthia Gotarzes I c. 95 BC 95–90 BC *Orodes I of Parthia Orodes I c. 90 BC 90–80 BC **Unknown king c. 80 BC *Unknown king, c. 80 BC 80–70 BC **Sanatruces of Parthia Sanatruces c. 77 BC 77–70 BC *Phraates III of Parthia Phraates III c. 70 BC 70–57 BC *Mithridates III of Parthia Mithridates III c. 57 BC 57–54 BC *Orodes II of Parthia Orodes II c. 57 BC 57–38 BC **Pacorus I of Parthia Pacorus I c. 39 BC 39–38 BC ''(co-ruler with his father Orodes II)'' *Phraates IV of Parthia Phraates IV c. 38 BC 38–2 BC **Tiridates II of Parthia Tiridates II c. 30 BC 30–26 BC *Phraates V of Parthia Phraates V (Phraataces) c. 2 BC–4 AD 4 **Musa of Parthia Musa c. 2 BC–4 AD 4 ''(co-ruler with her son Phraates V)'' *Orodes III of Parthia Orodes III c. 6 AD 6 *Vonones I of Parthia Vonones I c. 8–12 *Artabanus II of Parthia Artabanus II c. 10–38 **Tiridates III of Parthia Tiridates III c. 35–36 *Vardanes I of Parthia Vardanes I c. 40–47 *Gotarzes II of Parthia Gotarzes II c. 40–51 **Sanabares of Parthia Sanabares c. 50–65 *Vonones II of Parthia Vonones II 51 *Vologases I of Parthia Vologases I c. 51–78 **Vardanes II of Parthia Vardanes II c. 55–58 *Vologases II of Parthia Vologases II c. 77–80 *Pacorus II of Parthia Pacorus II c. 78–105 **Artabanus III of Parthia Artabanus III c. 80–90 *Vologases III of Parthia Vologases III c. 105–147 **Osroes I of Parthia Osroes I c. 109–129 **Parthamaspates of Parthia Parthamaspates c. 116 **Mithridates IV of Parthia Mithridates IV c. 129–140 **Unknown king c. 140 *Vologases IV of Parthia Vologases IV c. 147–191 **Osroes II of Parthia Osroes II c. 190 ''(rival claimant)'' *Vologases V of Parthia Vologases V c. 191–208 *Vologases VI of Parthia Vologases VI c. 208–228 **Artabanus IV of Parthia Artabanus IV c. 216–224

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