Parthia (Emperor Edition)

Heir to the Persian Achaemenid Empire and at one stage a satrapy of the Seleucids, Parthia is a child of diverse parentage. The lion’s share of its pre-eminence is owed to Arsaces, the charismatic and ambitious leader of the nomadic Parni tribes, who rode out of the steppes in 238BC to form an empire of his own.

The dynasty he created enlarged its holdings over successive generations until, at its height, Parthia spread from the banks of the Euphrates into eastern Iran; a cultural melting-pot of Hellenistic and Persian language, religion and art. Via the Silk Road, Parthia also nurtured relations in its eastern territories, further enriching both culture and coffers in the process.

Now is a crucial time for Parthia. Rome’s expansion has sealed the fates of the Seleucid and Armenian empires, leaving Parthia the last significant bastion of eastern resistance. At the battle of Carrhae In 53BC Parthia inflicted one of the heaviest military defeats Rome was ever to suffer. Fielding cavalry armed with small but powerful compound bows, and employing the false-retreat tactic known as the Parthian Shot, they defeated a Roman force that was four times larger. Such military prowess, coupled with the fact that Mark Antony’s attention is fixed firmly on his struggle with Octavian, makes this the perfect time for the Parthian Empire to expand its dominance.