Arsaces I of Parthia

Arsaces
King of the Arsacid dynasty
Coin of Arsaces I. The reverse shows a seated archer carrying a bow. A Greek inscription on the right reads ΑΡΣΑΚ[ΟΥ] (from the outside). The inscription below the bow is in Aramaic.
Reign	ca. 250 BC to either 246 BC or 211 BC
Successor	Arsaces II
Dynasty	Arsacid dynasty
Died	246 BC or 211 BC

Arsaces I (/ˈɑrsəsiːz/; Persian: ارشک‎ Arshak, Greek: Ἀρσάκης,) was the founder of the Arsacid dynasty, and after whom all 30+ monarchs of the Arsacid empire officially named themselves. A celebrated descent from antiquity (the Bagratid "line") begins with Arsaces.^[1] Arsaces or Ashk has also given name to the city of Ashkabad.

Origin

Information on Arsaces I comes solely from non-contemporaneous (1st century) Greek and Latin reiterations of Arsacid legends (Arrian i, preserved in Photius and Syncellus, and Strabo xi). The dates of Arsaces' birth and death are unknown, as is his real name.

There are several opinions about the origin of Arsaces. Most historians believe he was a Parni chief of the Dahae Scythians, who conquered Parthia shortly before Diodotus’ revolt.^[2][3][4] Some allege that “the Persian” Andragoras whom Alexander left as satrap of Parthia was the ancestor of the subsequent kings of Parthia ^[5] According to Strabo the Dahae Parni were an emigrant tribe from the Dahae above the Maeotis, who were called Xandii and Parii. But it is not generally acknowledged that the Dahae are to be found among the Scythians above the Maeotis, yet from these Arsaces according to some was descended; according to others he was a Bactrian, and withdrawing himself from the increasing power of Diodotus, occasioned the revolt of Parthia^[6] But he did not trust the accuracy of the subject rather (arashk=arsaces) was a Scythian of the Parni in Gorgan.^[7] Another version has been provided by Arrian in his Parthica, now lost, which was epitomized on this point by Photius (Bibliotheca 58) and the twelfth-century Syncellus.^[8] Photius’ epitome runs as follows: Arsaces and Tiridates were brothers, descendants of Phriapites, the son of Arsaces. According to Syncellus the brothers “were allegedly descendants of the Persian Artaxerxes II Achaemenid king.^[9] Finally, the Iranian national history traced Arsaces lineage to Kai Kobad, an ancient king of Kayanian dynasty.^[10][11]

Reign

In contrast, the circumstances of Arsaces' ascent to power are relatively well known. Around 250 BC, Andragoras, the governor of the Seleucid province of Parthia, proclaimed his independence from the Seleucid monarchs, and made his governorate an independent kingdom. At about the same time, Arsaces was elected leader of the Parni, an eastern Iranian tribe. With the Parni, Arsaces seized Astauene (or Astabene), i.e., northern Parthia. Andragoras was killed during his attempts to recover it, which left the Parni in control over the rest of Parthia as well. A recovery expedition by the Seleucids under Seleucus II did not succeed, and Arsaces and the Parni succeeded in holding Parthia proper during Arsaces' lifetime. (Arsaces II lost it in 209 BC to Antiochus III, to whom the Arsacids became vassals for the next 25 years).

The line of succession is unclear, since his successors adopted the name Arsaces as well, making it difficult to distinguish them from the founder of the dynasty. From legend and secondary accounts, it seems that—at least from 246 BC onwards—Arsaces' brother Tiridates I either ruled in Arsaces' name or co-ruled with him. Then, after 211 BC, when another Arsaces is seen on coinage, either the brother ruled as Arsaces II, or Arsaces II was Arsaces' son (or nephew). Other combinations, e.g. that Tiridates killed his brother (as said by the later Arrian), have also been suggested.

Arsaces issued coins from silver drachmas to copper dikhakloi. All issues bear some similarity in style to the Seleucid pieces of the same time, although the headdress on the Parthian coinage is notably different. The commonest inscription is ΑΡΣΑΚΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΚΡΑΤΟΡΟΣ, translating as Arsaces the Autocrat, however there are many variations on this.

Notes

References