![]() Instead, it concludes that the Parthians proved resourceful, clever, and triumphant.īy 128 BCE the Parthians had emerged temporarily as the de facto leading power throughout the Hel. It challenges the tradition that the Parthians were weak and acted cowardly. This article reconsiders the eastern campaign of Seleucus against the Parthians to appreciate better the agency and accomplishments of the Parthians. The Parthians could expect some form of imminent Seleucid retaliation if the war between Seleucus II and his brother Antiochus Hierax subsided. Although he successfully removed and replaced the rebellious Seleucid satrap in the region and quickly integrated his followers into the local aristocracy, the Parthian state remained vulnerable. ![]() Arsaces I founded the independent Parthian kingdom in northeastern Iran during a period of geopolitical crisis throughout the Hellenistic Middle East. more This article investigates the initial conflict between the Parthians and Seleucids in the late 230s BC that established a much longer period of rivalry between these opposing forces. ![]() This article investigates the initial conflict between the Parthians and Seleucids in the late 23. Indeed, the Parthians were important, active, and powerful agents in these events, something often obscured or overlooked because of the inherent Roman focus and bias of the Graeco-Roman literary tradition and modern scholarship. Further, this article challenges the misguided traditions that, first, describe the Parthians as feeble, passive, and duplicitous in their interactions with foreign powers and, second, that blame the incompetence or weakness of the Parthians' enemies to explain their actions and successes. The propensity of modern scholarship to villainize and criticize Crassus follows ancient propaganda and stems in part from a lack of understanding of the geopolitical realities that Parthia and Rome faced in the middle 50 s. Centuries of anti-Crassus propaganda have led most scholars to discount or overlook the critical agency of the Parthians in the conflict and the serious implications of Gabinius' actions in 56-55, while blaming Crassus for indefensible Roman aggression and greed. This article breaks from the dominate Rome-centric, anti-Crassus traditions concerning the investigation of the origins of this conflict. more This article reevaluates the origins of the First Romano-Parthian War (56/5-50 BCE) to better understand the different perspectives, policies, and objectives of the various Parthian and Roman leaders in the early and middle 50 s that helped forge the great rivalry that emerged between Parthia and Rome. This article reevaluates the origins of the First Romano-Parthian War (56/5-50 BCE) to better und. Relevant to historians, classicists, political scientists, and general readers interested in the ancient world and military history, Reign of Arrows reimagines and reconstructs the rise of the Parthians within the hotly contested and dangerously competitive international environment of the Hellenistic world. This study combines traditional historical approaches, such as source criticism and the integration of material evidence, with the incorporation of modern international relations theory to better examine the emergence and expansion of Parthian power. It explains the political and military encounters that shaped the international environment of the Hellenistic Middle East from the middle third to the early first centuries BCE. Assimilating a wide array of especially recent scholarship across numerous fields of study, Nikolaus Overtoom presents the most cogent, well rounded, and up-to-date account of the Parthian empire in its wider context of Hellenistic history. Reign of Arrows provides the first comprehensive study, in almost a century, dedicated entirely to early Parthian history. In their early history, the Parthians benefitted from strong leadership, a flexible and accommodating cultural identity, and innovative military characteristics that allowed them to compete against and even overcome Greek, Persian, Central Asian, and eventually Roman rivals. It is available for pre-orders and will ship on 18 November 2022.įrom its origins as a minor nomadic tribe to its status as a major world empire, the rise of the Parthian state in the ancient world is nothing short of remarkable.
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