ABSTRACT
The five centuries between the death of Iskandar in BC 323 and the foundation of the Sasanian dynasty by Ardashir in AD 226 are dismissed by Firdawsi in a mere 20 couplets, and he reduces their duration from 500 to 200 years. There are two reasons: as he himself admits, the poet had virtually no material to go on, and only mentions a few scattered names; and in Persian tradition the Parthians were not considered as true Persian Kings. Firdawsi calls them ‘Kings of the Tribes’, and describes their kingdom as a loose confederation of tribal rulers. Only the last Parthian sovereign, Ardawan (Artabanus IV) is treated in some detail, to provide background for the rise of Ardashir.
