Bakhtiyorjon Ganiboyev
By: Bakhtiyarjon Ganiboyev
The strengthening of the Parthian kingdom, after the death of Antiochus III, the state of the Salavkas weakens. Taking advantage of this situation, the Parthian king Mithridates I (171-138 BC) conquered Media and Babylon and declared himself the “King of Babylon” in 141 BC. In 140-120 BC, the Sakas attacked from the north and overthrew the Greco-Bactrian state.
The fighting units of the Sakas also clashed with the Parthian armies. Two Parthian kings were killed in these battles. Sakas settled in the region between the Erimander and Kherirud rivers. From then on, this region was called Sakistan. During the reign of Mithridates II (123-87 BC), the Parthian army defeated the Seleucid army and occupied Iran and Mesopotamia. Mithridates II will have the title “great emperor”.
The Parthian armies clashed with the Romans on the borders of Asia Minor and the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. In 53 BC, battles began between the Roman troops of the famous general Crassus and the troops of the Parthian king Orodes (55-37 BC). In the same year, in a terrible battle near the city of Karri, the Romans were defeated and the general Crassus was killed. After this victory, the Parthians got a lot of booty and many Roman soldiers were captured.
The prisoners were taken to Margiyona and placed there. After this victory, the Parthian capital was moved from Hecatompil to Ctesiphon in Mesopotamia. During this period, Parthia reached the peak of its power. The Parthian armies occupy the lands up to the Indus River in the East, and the Mediterranean Sea and the border of Asia Minor in the West.
After the collapse of the Parthian kingdom, from 40 BC, the Romans regained their position in the countries of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea and in Asia Minor. Roman troops managed to push the Parthian troops to the left bank of the Euphrates River. But the Roman campaigns against Media in 38 BC ended in defeat. Internal conflicts and constant wars in the 1st century BC and 1st-2nd century AD weaken Parthia.
During this period, Alans invaded Parthia from the north. In the first half of the 2nd century AD, the Romans invaded Mesopotamia twice and destroyed the capital Ctesiphon. After that, the struggle between Rome and Parthia will continue for 200 years.
During this period, the Roman and Parthian states weakened and began to disintegrate. Parthia will be divided into small states. From the 3rd century AD, the Parsua region in the south-west of the kingdom rose and became a state founded by the Sassanid dynasty. In 224 AD, the Sassanid rulers captured the Parthian capital Ctesiphon and usurped the throne from the weakened Parthian kings.
Thus, the Parthian kingdom, which lived for about 500 years, was overthrown, and the Sassanid state was established in its place. merchants engaged in intensive trade with the countries of Turan, China, India, the Caucasus, Egypt and Asia Minor.
Parthian merchants brokered trade between Western countries and China. Parthia also had its own ancient culture. They created many works based on folk art using Aramaic script. The influence of ancient Iranian traditions was strong in literature.
Architecture, sculpting, painting, and relief paintings were developed there. Greek influence was strong in Parthian architecture and sculpture. The walls of royal palaces are decorated with paintings of various contents.
Bone sculptures, horn goblets, rhytons and other vessels are awe-inspiring. The surface of gold coins issued at that time was decorated with images of kings, queens and warriors. Parthia preserved primitive forms of religion, beliefs related to the worship of animals, mountains, trees, and water.
But they believed more in Zoroastrianism and glorified water, air, earth and fire. They glorified Ahuramazda and looked at Ahrimon with hatred. Because Ahriman was the personification of evil. Parthians created their own culture, benefiting from the culture of neighboring nations.The Truce of Randea was an agreement between the Roman Empire and Parthia and Armenia in AD 62 at Randea (near Harberdi, present-day Turkey).
It was signed after the Roman army’s campaign to conquer Armenia failed. Roman and Parthian troops left Armenia, Armenia kept its former territory. According to the Peace of Randea, Tiridates I, the brother of the Parthian King Vologes, should sit on the throne of Armenia, and it was agreed that the coronation ceremony would be held in Rome.
Tiridates I traveled to Rome in 65-66 and Emperor Nerosan took the crown of Armenia and founded the Armenian Arshak dynasty.
Parthia or the Kingdom of Parthia is an ancient state that arose on the southern and southeastern side of the Caspian Sea around 250 BC. In the middle of the 1st century BC, he conquered the territory from Mesopotamia to India. Parthia existed until the 20s of the 3rd century AD.
Around 250 BC, the nomadic Parns (Dakhlar) tribe of Sakas, under the leadership of Arshak (the founder of the Arshak dynasty), invaded the Parthian or Parthian satrapy, which broke away from the Seleucid state, and occupied Parthia and then the neighboring region of Hyrcania.
After several unsuccessful attempts (230-227 BC) to restore his power, Salauk II was forced to recognize the rule of the Arshakians in Parthia. In 209, Parthia was conquered by the king of the Seleucids, Antiochus III.
However, taking advantage of the weakening of the Seleucid state, Parthia quickly regained its independence. The Parns mixed with the local Parthians (Parthians) and adopted their culture, language and local religious beliefs. Around 170-138/137 BC, the Parthian king Mithridates I conquered the eastern satrapies of the Seleucids and part of the Greco-Bactrian kingdom (around 136 BC).
At the beginning of the 1st century BC, the power of Parthia increased and became a dangerous rival of the Roman Empire. In 53 BC, Parthia clashed with Rome and completely defeated the Roman army under Crassus at the Battle of Carri. In 40 BC, Parthia conquered almost the entire territory of Asia Minor, Syria and Palestine.
This threatened the dominance of Rome in the East. In 39-37 BC, the Romans restored their rule over these regions. Parthia soon began to decline due to internal strife and attacks by nomadic Alans. Taking advantage of this, the Romans plundered the western regions of Parthia.
Although the Parthians were victorious over the Romans from time to time, they could not save the country from political depression. The cities of Margyona, Sakaston, Hyrcania, Elymaida, Persia, Kharakena, Khatra were practically independent.
External and internal conflicts have exhausted the country. In 224, Ardashir (see Ardashir I), governor of the vassal province of Persia (Persida), defeated Arta-bon V on the plain of Ormizdagon in a decisive battle and ended the Parthian state; The founder of Parthia was Ardashir I. It was annexed to the Sassanid state.
Culture: Architecture, practical and decorative arts first developed as one of the tributaries of the Eastern Hellenistic culture. Later, it developed richly with the artistic traditions of the local peoples who were part of Parthia. In the eastern part of Parthia, temples with a square base (Nisa, 2nd and 1st centuries BC), palaces with porches (Kohi Khoja, Iran, 1st century) were built. The reliefs made in the kriyas depict the worship of the king, sacrifices and other rituals.
The plot of the images of silver, ivory, pottery, vessels, and various ornaments found at Nisa is based on Greek legends, but the figures of the people are reminiscent of local peoples.Western Parthia has a variety of temple types, with a strong influence of Greco-Roman architecture, as well as porticoed buildings.
Wall paintings, statues of gods and kings became part of the decoration of the building. Female figurines made of bone have been preserved. Social structure, economy and culture of Parthia. Parthia was one of the largest slave states in South-West Asia. The Bulgarian king from the Arshak dynasty sits at the top of the state.
Before the king, there were two separate councils consisting of tribal nobles and priests. In place of the dead king, his brothers and one of his sons were put on the throne.
The king decided issues of state importance in consultation with the council of nobles and priests. The majority of the country’s population consisted of free peasants, artisans, merchants and intellectuals, and slavery developed very slowly in Parthia.
In the annals, it is noted that the child of a slave also becomes a slave. Slave labor was used in all branches of the economy. The population of Parthia consisted of four classes.
They are: 1. Noble warriors. 2. Lightly armed cavalry. 3. Free collective farmers. 4. Slaves. The main strength of the Parthian kings was the army. The main part of the Parthian army was made up of slavesThe Roman historian Pompey Trogus said: “Their army is made up of slaves, and the multitude of slaves is increasing, because no one can free them, they are all born slaves.” They treat these slaves as their own children and teach them to ride horses and shoot arrows,” he wrote.
The Parthians prepared 50,000 cavalry against the Roman general Antony, of which 400 were freemen and the rest were slaves. The basis of the Parthian economy was agriculture, animal husbandry, crafts and trade. Residents of Parthia planted rice, carrots, radishes, turnips, melons, watermelons and pumpkins on the fertile lands along the rivers and streams such as Murgob, Tajan, Atrok, Karun, and Kerkha.
They planted apples, pomegranates, figs, apricots, grapes and other fruit trees. those engaged in gardening. They planted leguminous crops such as wheat, barley, millet, peas, mash on non-irrigated semi-arid lands with little water. They used slave labor in agricultural work. Free peasants paid taxes to the state from the harvest.
Farmers used plows, shovels, hoes, hoe, scythes, scythes, and trowels to plow and cultivate the land. Horses, donkeys, mules, oxen and camels were used for agricultural work. Farmers also kept a small amount of cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, horses and camels.
There were a lot of serot pastures in the mountains, foothills, plains and steppes of Parthia. Sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, camels and mules were raised in these pastures.
The Parthians paid great attention to the harvest. Purebred horses were raised on dry climate pastures and mountain slopes of Parthia. It is said that when Alexander the Great was passing through Parthia, he saw hundreds of thousands of stallions, mares and colts grazing in the steppe and mountain pastures of the country.
According to the ancient chroniclers, the Parthians were very fond of horses. They fought for a lifetime without dismounting, had parties, performed all public and political affairs, traded and rested without dismounting.
The ancient historian Tacitus wrote that “the only strength of the Parthians is their cavalry.” The Parthians paid great attention to camel breeding. Many camels are raised in the country’s arid steppes with a dry climate. Along with horses, they rode camels and carried loads.
They were very important in domestic and foreign trade. Camels were used for military purposes. Parthian warriors entered the war on camels. The Chinese called Parthia An’si.
According to Chinese tourists, “An’ has about a hundred big and small cities.” The most famous of them are Zadrakarta, Hekatompil, Ekbatan, Niso and others. In these cities, textile, weaponry, pottery, jewelry, tanning, and architecture were somewhat developed. Trade in Parthia was very developed.
Bakhtiyarjon Ganiboyev, A student of the Dari-English group of the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Scientific supervisor: PhD Ikromov Sh.
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