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.
- See Crassus for an account of their defeat of a Roman army.
Other websites[change | change source]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parthian Empire.
- 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
