Philip Castro

Mithridates I of Parthia: The Great Conqueror of the Ancient East

Mithridates I (also spelled Mithradates I or Mihrdad I) was one of the most successful and influential kings of the ancient Iranian Arsacid dynasty, who ruled from 165 to 132 BC. During his reign, Parthia was transformed from a small kingdom into a major political power in the Ancient East as a result of hisContinue reading “Mithridates I of Parthia: The Great Conqueror of the Ancient East”

Fars Province, Iran: Four Must-See Places to Visit

If you are looking for a destination that combines history, culture, nature and art, look no further than Fars Province in Iran. This region, also known as Pars or Persis, is the cradle of Persian civilization and the birthplace of some of the most influential empires, poets and gardens in the world. In this post,Continue reading “Fars Province, Iran: Four Must-See Places to Visit”

Croats of Iran

British scholar Noel Malcom in his book “A short history of Bosnia” printed in Britain offers valuable research about the racial relationship between Iranians and some ethnicities of the former Yugoslavia. He writes: “The name Croat, or Hravat in Serbian, is not a Serbian word. It is similar to the Iranian name Choroatos, found onContinue reading “Croats of Iran”

Cambyses (d. 522 B.C.E.) Persian king who ruled Egypt from 525 to 522 B.C.E.

He was the son and successor of Cyrus the Great and his mother was Cassandane. In 538 B.C.E., Cambyses who reportedly murdered his brother to gain the throne, was named the ruler of Babylon but was dethroned a year later because of his behavior. He was returned to the throne in 530 B.C.E. Cambyses accompaniedContinue reading “Cambyses (d. 522 B.C.E.) Persian king who ruled Egypt from 525 to 522 B.C.E.”

Massagetae

MASSAGETAE (Gk. Massagétai), a mighty nomadic tribe reckoned to be Scythians already by Herodotus (1.201, 1.204.1; see also Stephanus Byzantius, s.v.), who settled somewhere in the wide lowlands to the east of the Caspian Sea and the southeast of the Aral Sea on the Ust-Urt Plateau and the Kyzylkum Desert, in particular probably between theContinue reading “Massagetae”

Aswārān

(Horse-riding). The Iranian lands, in the course of their long history, have been the source of major advances in the techniques of equitation. The Parthian cataphractaries (horsemen clad in coats of mail) with their arched saddle-bows prefigured the heavy cavalry of later times (R. Ghirshman, “La selle en Iran,” Iranica Antiqua 10, 1973, pp. 94-107).Continue reading “Aswārān”

Kavad I of Sassanian Iran

Schindel, Nikolaus (2013a). “Kawād I i. Reign”. Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. XVI, Fasc. 2. pp. 136–141.

Median Empire

The Median Empire, was the first Iranian dynasty corresponding to the northeastern section of present-day Iran, Northern-Khvarvarana and Asuristan (now days known as Iraq), and South and Eastern Anatolia. The inhabitants, who were known as Medes, and their neighbors, the Persians, spoke Median languages that were closely related to Aryan (Old Persian). Historians know veryContinue reading “Median Empire”

The new Greek kingdoms in the east

The Greeks in Asia

Basileía tōn Seleukidōn (306 – c.150 BCE)

By Jens Jakobsson The death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE) saw the Macedonian army in a great confusion. The centralised Persian Empire was easy to govern once it was conquered, and the Macedonian military hegemony was by and large unthreatened, but the king had died without appointing a successor. Even a powerful heir wouldContinue reading “Basileía tōn Seleukidōn (306 – c.150 BCE)”