Parthian Empire

Parthian Empire
247 BC–224 AD
The Parthian Empire at its greatest extent
Capital		Ctesiphon,Ecbatana, Hecatompylos, Susa, Mithradatkirt, Asaak, Rhages
Languages		Greek (official),Parthian, Persian, Aramaic (lingua franca),Akkadian
Religion		Zoroastrianism Babylonian religion
Government		Feudal monarchy
Shahanshah
•	247–211 BC	Arsaces I (first)
•	208–224 AD	Artabanus V (last)
Legislature		Megisthanes
Historical era		Classical antiquity
•	Established	247 BC
•	Disestablished	224 AD
Area
•	0	2,800,000 km² (1,081,086 sq mi)
Currency		Drachma
Preceded by Succeeded by Seleucid Empire Sasanian Empire Kushan Empire

The Parthian Empire (/ˈpɑːrθiən/; 247 BC – 224 AD), also known as the Arsacid Empire (/ˈɑːrsəsɪd/), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran and Iraq. Its latter name comes from Arsaces I of Parthia who, as leader of the Parni tribe, founded it in the mid-3rd century BC when he conquered the region of Parthia in Iran's northeast, then a satrapy (province) in rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. Mithridates I of Parthia (r. c. 171–138 BC) greatly expanded the empire by seizing Media and Mesopotamia from the Seleucids. At its height, the Parthian Empire stretched from the northern reaches of the Euphrates, in what is now central-eastern Turkey, to eastern Iran. The empire, located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Basin and the Han Empire of China, became a center of trade and commerce.