Parthia

Parthia

Parthian Empire at its greatest extent, c. 60 BCE.
Languages	Parthian language
Religions	Zoroastrianism
Capitals	Ctesiphon, Hecatompylus
Area	Middle East
Existed	238 BCE–228 CE

Parthia was an ancient Persian empire of Asia, now Iran and regions of Armenia, Iraq, Georgia, eastern Turkey, eastern Syria,Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kuwait, the Persian Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE.

Parthians were excellent horsemen and archers. In battle, mounted Parthians often discharged their arrows back towards the enemy while pretending to flee.

In 250 BC, the Parthians succeeded in founding an independent kingdom that in the 1st century BC it grew into an empire extending from the Euphrates to the Indus and from the Amu Darya to the Indian Ocean. They expanded by successfully expelling the Seleucids from Persia and establishing the second Great Persian Empire.

Other websites

• Parthia.com - with an extensive bibliography
• History of Parthia
• The Establishment and Development of Christianity in the Parthian Empire in Transoxiana 6.
• Parthia (Old Persian Parthava) Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine