PARTHIA Ptol. ; lIapOvata, Strabo and Arrian), the country of the Parthians (11400/), mentioned in Acts ii. 9, as being, with their bours the Medes and Elamites, present at Jeru salem on the day of Pentecost. The persons referred to were Jews from Parthia, and the pas sage is a strong evidence showing how widely spread were members of the Hebrew family in the first century of our era. The term originally re ferred to a small mountainous district lying to the notth-east of Media. Afterwards it came to he applied to the great Parthian kingdom into which this province expanded. Parthia Proper, or Ancient Parthia, lying between Aria and Hyr cania, the residence of a rude and poor tribe, and traversed by bare mountains, woods, and sandy steppes, formed a part of the great Persian mon archy, being a dependency on the satrapy of Hyr cania. Its inhabitants were of Scythian origin. They formed a part of the army of Xerxes, and were found in that of the last Darius. In the breaking up of the kingdom of Alexander the Parthians took sides with Eumenes, and became subject to Antigonus and the Selcucidae. About 256 years before Christ, Arsaces rose against the Syro-Macedonian power, and commenced a new dynasty in his own person, designated by the title of Arsacidm. This was the beginning of the great Parthian empire, which extended itself in the early clays of Christianity over all the provinces of what had been the Persian kingdom, having the Eu phrates for its western boundary, by which it was separated from the dominions of Rome. It was
divided into eighteen provinces. Now at peace, now in bitter hostilities with Rome, now the victor and now the vanquished, lihe Parthians were never subjugated by the Romans. At length Artaxerxes founded a new dynasty. Representing himself as a descendant of the ancient Persian kings, and calling upon the Persians to recover their indepen dence, he raised a large army, defeated the Par thians in a great battle, succeeded to all the dominions of the Parthian kings, and founded the new Persian empire, to the rulers of which is com monly given the name of the Sassanidw. The government of Parthia was monarchical ; but as there was no settled and recognised line of succes sion, rival aspirants were constantly presenting themselves, which weakened the country with in ternal broils, especially as the Romans saw it to be their interest to foster dissensions and encourage rivalries, and led eventually to the overthrow of the dynasty in the case of the successful aspirant, Arta xerxes. During the Syro-Macedonian period the Parthian and Jewish history kept apart in separate spheres, but under the Romans the Parthians de fended the party of Antigonus against Hyrcanus, and even took and plundered Jerusalem (Joseph.
xiv. 13. 3 ; De Bell graphy of Parthia may be cient authorities, in Cellar.
v. IO2.—J. R. B. PARTRIDGE. [QoRt