ABSTRACT
In the Hellenistic period, Parthia became a province of the Seleucid empire. But a new era in its history began when it came under the control of a band of nomadic invaders called the Parni, from the grasslands of central Asia. e newcomers were not mere plunderers and adventurers, but rapidly integrated with the country’s existing inhabitants, adopting their name and culture and language. Shortly aer their arrival, one of their leaders Arsaces founded in 247 bc a royal dynasty, called the Arsacid dynasty, which marked the beginning of the Parthian empire. e empire lasted until ad 224, thus spanning much of the Seleucid and the Roman imperial periods. At its peak, it held sway over a broad expanse of territories extending eastwards from the Euphrates to the frontiers of modern Afghanistan, and southwards from the Caspian to the Arabian Sea. Its trade and diplomatic links reached as far east as China. And its links with the western world were reected in the policies of a number of its early rulers who showed themselves highly receptive to Greek cultural inuences, using Greek inscriptions on their coins and explicitly identifying themselves as philhellenes (‘lovers of Greek culture’). Many Greek settlers were readily accepted into Parthian society, oen forming communities of their own within the kingdom.
