Parthia, Gatekeeper of the Silk Road
Caption
Parthia, gatekeeper of the Silk Road. Mithridates II (121–91 BC) opened the road toward China, and about 106 BC a Parthian embassy reached the Han court. The Chinese name An-hsi comes from the dynasty’s own: Arsak. #Parthia #SilkRoad #Arsacid
Short takes
About 126 BC the Han envoy Zhang Qian learned of An-hsi, a large farming land with many cities, several thousand li to the west. An-hsi is Parthia, named for the dynasty of Arsak.
Mithridates II of Parthia (121–91 BC) beat nomads on the north-east frontier, took Dura-Europos and opened the Silk Road toward China.
Around 106 BC a Parthian embassy reached China and received a grand welcome. Later envoys brought lions and ostriches.
Image description
Infographic titled Parthia, Gatekeeper of the Silk Road. A silver and gilt rhyton ending in a feline forepart and a Mogao cave mural of Zhang Qian before Emperor Wu appear at left. Five numbered panels cover Mithridates II, Zhang Qian’s report about An-hsi, the name from the Arsacid dynasty, Parthian embassies to China, and the Euphrates frontier with Rome. Cards read 121 to 91 BC and about 106 BC. A bottom bar reads The road ran through Parthia.
