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14 - Cultural Relations between Parthia and Rome

from PART 4 - IRAN AND HER NEIGHBOURS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

By
Otto Kurz
Edited by
E. Yarshater
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Summary

The Parthians and the Romans were enemies engaged in ruthless and almost perpetual warfare, a life and death struggle which left few opportunities for peaceful contacts. It is not surprising therefore that the most obvious contacts belong to the sphere of military technology and strategy.

In the 3rd century, just when the Arsacid empire gave way to the Sasanians, the historian Herodian summarized in a few words the respective achievements of the two mighty powers, the Romans and the Persians. The emperor Caracalla (188–217), so Herodian tells us, sent a letter to ask for the hand of a daughter of King Artabanus V of Parthia. The marriage union, Caracalla wrote to Artabanus, would bring together the two greatest powers in the world. The proposal was gladly accepted and Caracalla hurried to Parthia where he was received with all due honours. But during the preparations for the wedding feast he managed to kill the unsuspecting and drunken Parthians. The point of this tall story is to reveal to the world that what Caracalla proclaimed to be a great military victory was simple trickery.

Keywords

Mithraismoriental monarchyGreco-Roman pictureancient Persian traditionParthian steelParthian leather
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge History of Iran , pp. 559 - 567
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1983

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