Arsaces I (Parni: Arashk) was the first king of the Arsacid dynasty of Persia, also called the Parthian Kingdom. While not much is known of Arsaces I, he must have been a giant of a man amongst his people, for all Parthian kings after bore his name upon succession.
We currently do not know when Arsaces was born. Part of the problem surrounding writing about Arsaces is that it eludes historians when he was born. We do know he was born on the Caspian steppes, into the royal family of the Parni tribe (a part of the Dahae tribal confederation). Of the Parni tribe we know, thanks to the writers that accompanied Alexander the Great, that they were master horse breeders and renowned for their skill with a bow. As a young man Arsaces was most probably involved with matters of peaceful negotiations, as Parni tradition dictated that princes handled peaceful matters, chiefs did war.
We first hear solidly of Arsaces in 250 (or 247, depending on whom you use as a source). At about 250 B.C. Arsaces and his brother Tiridates (Parni: Tirdat), now chiefs of the Parni invaded the province of Parthia in the Seleucid Empire and after defeating the provincial governor, Andragoras, annexed the area. Soon after this Arsaces turned towards the province of Hyrcania and annexed it too, thus creating a solid power base in Persia from which to strike at the troubled Seleucids. In 247 B.C. Arsaces took advantage of internal problems within the Seleucid Empire and had himself crowned Shahandshah (Ancient Persian: Emperor) of a new nation, Parthia (which means ‘the exiled’ in the Parni language), at the city of Asaak. At this point according to Arrian, Arsaces was killed and succeeded by his brother Tiridates, but this is most likely a dramatic fabrication. It seems that from this point until 231 Arsaces adopted a defensive stance towards the Seleucids, never venturing out of Parthian territory. However on the diplomatic front Arsaces was quite active and in 234 he negotiated an alliance with the new ruler (Didotus II) of his fellow rebel kingdom, Bactria (founded by Didotus I about the same time as Parthia).
In 231 the Seleucids launched their counter-attack against Parthia. Lead by Seleucus II Callinicus the Seleucid army invaded Parthia, and Arsaces knew that his army was in no condition to face them head on. So using his connections with his steppe nomad cousins, Arsaces led his people back into the steppes, to the lands belonging to the Apasiacae ( Scythian: Scythians of the Waters). Seleucus II and his army pursued the fleeing Parthians, but as he discovered this was all a trick. As Seleucus pursued his army was constantly harassed by ‘rear guard’ elements of the Parthian forces, by the time the Seleucids reached the Jaxartes River they had taken a large loss in both men and material. Soon after reaching the river Seleucus II found out that his brother Antiochus Hierax had revolted back in Syria. Seleucus requested and received a truce with Arsaces, who in return agreed to recognize Seleucid suzerainty.
From this point until his death Arsaces focused on peaceful matters. Upon returning to Parthian territory Arsaces set about transforming his semi-nomadic peoples into a settled nation, which he did to great success. Drawing on the example of the Seleucids and Achaemenids before him, Arsaces attempted to create a lasting governmental structure in his new country. Another part of Arsaces’ program was the refounding of several old cities as well as the founding of new ones, such as: Asaak, Dara (which would later become famous as impregnable), and Nisa (which later became the burial place of Arsaces). Despite this Arsaces never forgot his roots and went to great lengths to insure that ties with the Parni, Dahae, and Scythians were kept strong. In 211 BC at an unknown age and by unknown causes, Arsaces I died. According to his wishes he was buried at the new city of Nisa.
In conclusion Arsaces I is a figure shrouded in mystery. While we do not know much about Arsaces I his mark on history in the area was huge, and the nation he founded would in later years become so powerful it could stand against the might of Rome |
