Arsaces I of Parthia

Common card · No. 276921

Arsaces I (; Ancient Greek: Ἀρσάκης; Parthian: 𐭀𐭓𐭔𐭊‎, romanized: Aršak) was the first king of Parthia, ruling from 247 to 217 BC, as well as the founder and eponym of its ruling Arsacid dynasty. The leader of the Parni, one of the three tribes of the Dahae confederacy, Arsaces founded his dynasty in the mid-3rd century BC when he conquered the satrapy of Parthia (now shared between Turkmenistan and Iran) from Andragoras, who had rebelled against the Seleucid Empire. He spent the rest of his reign consolidating his rule in the region, and successfully stopped the Seleucid efforts to reconquer Parthia. Due to Arsaces' achievements, he became a popular figure amongst the Arsacid monarchs, who used his name as a royal honorific. By the time of his death, Arsaces had laid the foundations of a strong state, which would eventually transform into an empire under his great-grandnephew, Mithridates I, who assumed the ancient Near Eastern royal title of King of Kings. Arsaces was succeeded by his...

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