Coin of Arsaces I. The reverse shows a seated archer carrying a bow, with the Greek legend reading "ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ" (right) and "[AYT]OKPATOP[OΣ]" (left), meaning [coin of] "Arsaces autocrator".
King of the Arsacid dynasty
Reign
247 – 217 BC
Successor
Arsaces II
Died
217 BC Parthia
Issue
Arsaces II
Father
Phriapites
Religion
Zoroastrianism
Arsaces I (/ˈɑːrsəsiːz/; from Greek: Ἀρσάκης; in Parthian: 𐭀𐭓𐭔𐭊Aršak) was the first king of Parthia, ruling from 247 BC to 217 BC, as well as the founder and eponym of the Arsacid dynasty of Parthia. 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,[1] 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.[2] Arsaces was succeeded by his son Arsaces II.
Literary sources are very scarce on Arsaces, and exclusively come from contradictory Greek and Roman accounts written centuries after his death. As a result, his reign is sparsely known. His existence was even questioned by modern scholars, until new studies and archaeological findings confirmed his identity in the 1960s.
^Kia 2016, p. xxxiv.
^Dąbrowa 2012, p. 179; Schippmann 1986, pp. 525–536
and 27 Related for: Arsaces I of Parthia information
(𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎣). Arsaces II succeeded his father ArsacesI in 217 BC. In 209 BC, the energetic Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great recaptured Parthia, which had...
of this name include: ArsacesIofParthia, c. 247–211 BC Arsaces II ofParthia, c. 211–191 BC, in older sequences known as 'Artabanus I' Arsacesof Pontus...
BC. During his reign, Parthia was transformed from a small kingdom into a major political power in the Ancient East as a result of his conquests. He first...
used by early Arsaces dynasty. During the reign of Mithridates IofParthia (c. 171 BC–138 BC) it was renamed Mithradatkirt ("fortress of Mithradates")...
name of his brother Arsaces, and after him, all the other Parthian kings did the same. Tiridates II ofParthia is called "Tiridates I" in accounts that...
the command of "Arsaces and his brother Tiridates"—the Parni invaded Parthia and seized control of Astabene (Astawa), the northern region of that territory...
heritage of the ancient Iranian Achaemenid Empire. Examples of these signs included a fictitious claim that the first Arsacid king, ArsacesI (r. 247–217 BC)...
It is however certain that he used the titles of Great King and Arsaces. Under Gotarzes I and Orodes I, Babylonian scholars notably wrote cuneiform records...
word of Iranian origin (“given by the god Tir”). It may refer to: Tiridates IofParthia (fl. 211 BC), brother ofArsacesI Tiridates II ofParthia, ruled...
of Parthia for roughly a century at that point, founded by ArsacesI) until the defeat of the last Parthian king, Artabanus IV, at the Battle of Hormozdgan...
territory following the Battle of Mount Labus in 209 BCE from Arsaces' (or Tiridates'[b]) successor, Arsaces II. Arsaces II sued for peace and accepted...
Friyapāt), was the Arsacid king ofParthia from 191 BC to 176 BC. He was the first-cousin-once-removed and successor ofArsaces II (r. 217 – 191 BC). Like...
Vardanes I, whose reign was still more turbulent than that of his father. Artabanus II had four sons: ArsacesI, Orodes, Artabanus, Vardanes I and an adopted...
succeeded ArsacesI. Bivar and Katouzian affirm that it was his brother Tiridates IofParthia, who in turn was succeeded by his son Arsaces II ofParthia in...
deriving from the name of the founder of the Parthian Empire, ArsacesIofParthia, in Persian Ashk-Abad (the city of Ashk/Arsaces). Ashgabat is in near...
assassination of Orodes III in about 6 AD, the Parthians applied to Augustus for a new king from the house ofArsaces. Augustus sent them Vonones I, but he...
(فرهاد). Phraates was the eldest son of the Parthian monarch Priapatius (r. 191 – 176 BC), who was the nephew ofArsaces II. Phraates had three other brothers...
mountains. Arsaces was captured and killed. Arsaces probably claimed the throne because he was the grandson of Mithridates VI of Pontus, the last king of an independent...
Gotarzes, is mentioned as "Arsaces King, grandson of Friapatak [who is] the son of the nephew ofArsaces [I]." Son of Artabanus I: Olbrycht (2010), however...
In about 250 BC, Diodotus repelled a Parthian invasion of Bactria by Arsaces. He minted an extensive coinage and administered a powerful and prosperous...
built during the Parthian rule of Iran. The name comes from ArsacesIofParthia, the first king of the Parthians. Some of the war items found there are...
(1912-1943), Hero of Turkmenistan Arkadag – Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (Arkadag), former president Ashgabat – ArsacesIofParthia Aşyr Kakabaýew adyndaky...
was the name of the first Parthian ruler ArsacesI (r. 247 – 217 BC), which had become a royal honorific among the Parthian monarchs out of admiration for...
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