Editing History of Iran (section)

===Parthian Empire (248 BC–224 AD)===
{{Main|Parthian Empire}}
{{See also|Roman–Parthian Wars}}
[[File:BagdatesI290-280BCEPersia.jpg|thumb|[[Bagadates I]], first native Persian ruler after Greek rule]]

The [[Parthian Empire]]{{Emdash}}ruled by the Parthians, a group of northwestern Iranian people{{Emdash}}was the realm of the Arsacid dynasty. This latter reunited and governed the Iranian plateau after the [[Parni conquest of Parthia]] and defeating the Seleucid Empire in the late third century BC. It intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between {{Circa|150 BC and 224 AD}} and  absorbed [[Eastern Arabia]].

Parthia was the eastern arch-enemy of the [[Roman Empire]] and it limited Rome's expansion beyond [[Cappadocia]] (central Anatolia). The Parthian armies included two types of [[cavalry]]: the heavily armed and armored [[cataphract]]s and the lightly armed but highly-mobile [[mounted archery|mounted archers]].

For the Romans, who relied on heavy [[infantry]], the Parthians were too hard to defeat, as both types of cavalry were much faster and more mobile than foot soldiers. The [[Parthian shot]] used by the Parthian cavalry was most notably feared by the Roman soldiers, which proved pivotal in the crushing Roman defeat at the [[Battle of Carrhae]]. On the other hand, the Parthians found it difficult to occupy conquered areas as they were unskilled in [[siege]] warfare. Because of these weaknesses, neither the Romans nor the Parthians were able completely to [[annexation|annex]] each other's territory.

The Parthian empire subsisted for five centuries, longer than most Eastern Empires. The end of this empire came at last in 224 AD, when the empire's organization had loosened and the last king was defeated by one of the empire's vassal peoples, the Persians under the Sasanians. However, the Arsacid dynasty continued to exist for centuries onwards in [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia|Armenia]], the [[Arsacid dynasty of Iberia|Iberia]], and the [[Arsacid Dynasty of Caucasian Albania|Caucasian Albania]], which were all eponymous branches of the dynasty.