PARTHIAN EMPIRE

The Parthian Empire (/ˈpɑːrθiən/) also known as the Arsacid Empire was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder Arsaces I who led the Parni tribe in conquering the region of Parthia in Iran''s northeast then a satrapy (province) under Andragoras in rebellion against the Seleucid Empire. Mithridates I (r. c. 171–132 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 present-day Afghanistan and western Pakistan. The empire located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean Basin and the Han dynasty of China became a center of trade and commerce.