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Bust of a Parthian (Ashkanian Princess) - Susa museum

The Parthian Empire (238 B.C. – A.D. 226) was the third Iranian kingdom to dominate Greater Iran in ancient times. Parthia itself was located south-east of the Caspian Sea, between the Kopet Dag mountains and the Dasht-e-Kavir desert. The empire was ruled by the Arsacid Dynasty, and at its height they controlled most of Armenia, Mesopotamia, Iran, and Afghanistan.

 

The Parthians were consummate horsemen, known for a military tactic called the Parthian shot. They are noted in western history for defeating the Greek Seleucid Empire and ending the Hellenization of Iran. The Empire also became a rival state of the powerful Roman Empire.

 

 

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Uploaded on September 23, 2008
Taken on April 25, 2007