The Parthians defeated the Seleucids towards the end of the third century BC and went on to found an empire that stretched from the Mediterranean to the Indus. Formerly a Central Asian nomadic people they acquired great wealth through their control of caravan cities along the Silk Route. Led by the Arsacid Dynasty, they were Rome’s strongest opponents in the East. The Romans disputed territory in Syria, Armenia and Mesopotamia but were often defeated in battle by the superiority of the Parthian cavalry. In contrast to their hostile relationship with Rome, the Parthians seem to have courted the favour of the Chinese Han Dynasty. As early as the second century BC the Chinese explorer Zhang Qian visited Parthia and described it as an advanced urban civilisation. Embassies were sent in both directions and trade with China flourished. A detailed account of Parthian civilisation has yet to be written- partly because so little of their own literature has survived. Historians are forced to rely on foreign histories and numismatic evidence. However it is clear from the coins alone that Parthian kings were consciously modelling themselves and attached great significancetothevisualarts.Parthian Turquoise-Glazed Terracotta Rhyton Central Asia Circa: 1 st Century AD to 2 nd Century ADDimensions: 14.50" (36.8cm) high Collection: Near Eastern Style: Parthian Medium: Glazed Terracotta

Antiquities
Ancient Near East