The Parthian Period

The Parthian Period, roughly 247 BC to 224 AD, was the era of the Arsacid dynasty's rule over Persia and much of the Near East, following the decline of the Seleucid Empire and preceding the rise of the Sassanids. Parthia became Rome's principal eastern rival for nearly three centuries, fighting repeated wars over control of Armenia and Mesopotamia and inflicting a famous defeat on a Roman army at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, while also controlling a key stretch of the Silk Road between the Mediterranean and Han China. The Parthian confederation of semi-autonomous vassal kingdoms under a central king proved less centralized than its Sassanid successor, and the dynasty finally fell in 224 AD to a rebellion led by Ardashir I, founder of the Sassanid Empire.