Who were the Parthians?

The Parthians - a name which many recognise, but few know much about. I, for one, first learned of the Parthians through the prism of their relationship, and long time antagonism with the Romans, a rivalry which lasted many hundreds of years, and saw countless campaigns back and forth across the border territories which divided these two great empires. However, there is so much more to the Parthians than their antagonism with Rome. Growing out of the conquests of a tribe of Iranian nomads as the mighty Seleucid Empire, the successor state to Alexander the Great’s conquests in the east, fell about them, the Parthians rapidly filled the political vacuum, and established a vast and long-lasting polity which would dominate Iran and beyond for centuries. Through a combination of astute political manoeuvring, cultural flexibility, and martial prowess, the Arsacid dynasty, which sat on the throne of Parthia from the mid 3rd century BC to the early 3rd century AD, successfully established Parthia as a great power, rivalling and at times directly competing with the power of Han China and Imperial Rome. Parthian armies, with their serried ranks of massed cavalry, struck fear into enemies of the Arsacids; Parthia itself was made fantastically wealth, through a mixture of verdant agriculture, mineral bounty and the exploration of trade passing along the famous silk road; their zoroastrian religion; their eclectic art: the Parthians are a fascinating and little explored people. Therefore today we will dive into the history of this emprie, and attempt to answer the question: who were the Parthians? With thanks to my Patreon patrons, Bryce Carlyle, Shauna K, Macgonzo, Edward Wilson, Eric Westerberg, Clement Yang, Salvatore Martialis, mmmmmm, Regicide is Good, Skylar Blackbird, Bea, A. Vallvé, Aidan, Alexis P, Bryant Davis, Christopher J. Carson, David Mainayar, Eulaila, Siang, Innes White, Malcolm Nelson, Mister Five by Five, Winn Ing, Stephen, Viorel Rudeanu, Willa Beckett, Braanish and Ian! You can join the Patreon to support the channel, watch all the videos ad-free, and access more content. Support the Channel:   / thehistories   Sources: Ellerbrock, Ewe. The Parthians: The Forgotten Empire. Routledge, 2021. Smith, Patrick Scott. "Parthian Warfare". 2019. https://www.worldhistory.org/Parthian... Music: Europa - Technosine Ambient Jam - Technosine Ben McElroy - Who Listens to Trees Anyway Stones - Future Forests Shadows and Dust - Scott Buckley Blank Light - Adi Goldstein Incantation - Scott Buckley All materials are used under fair use for education and commentary. Picture and source credits: https://sites.google.com/view/the-his.... 0:00 - Intro 1:54 - Origins 7:41 - Early History 11:42 - Rise of the Empire 18:06 - Society and Government 26:07 - Culture 29:40 - Military 36:47 - Economy 41:14 - Language 43:59 - Religion 50:57 - Art 55:15 - The Height of Empire 1:01:04 - Decline and Fall