119: The Rise of the Parthian Empire - From Arsaces to Mithridates I

As Rome consolidated the Mediterranean under their hegemony, the Parthians were poised to overrun Iran and Mesopotamia. Leading a small tribe from the steppes during the mid-third century B.C., the Arsacid dynasty established themselves as vassal-rulers in the Seleucid Empire, but the turmoil in Syria during the second century allowed the Arsacids to challenge the Seleucids for mastery over the Hellenistic Middle East. In this episode, we chronicle the origins of the Parthian Empire from its foundation to the reign of Mithridates I, exploring how the Arsacids forged a realm that they would oversee for nearly five hundred years. Episode Notes: ( Episode Transcript: ( Social Media: Twitter ( Facebook ( Instagram ( Bluesky ( Show Merchandise: Etsy ( Redbubble ( Donations: Patreon ( Ko-Fi ( Amazon Book Wish List (

You can listen to 119: The Rise of the Parthian Empire - From Arsaces to Mithridates I online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

119: The Rise of the Parthian Empire - From Arsaces to Mithridates I is an episode from The Hellenistic Age Podcast by The Hellenistic Age Podcast.

This episode is 00:43:53 long.

This episode was published on Apr 14, 2026.

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