Parthia is the historical region located in north-eastern Iran. There was much hostility between the Parthians and the Romans – battles between them lasted for nearly seven hundred years. Indeed, their on-and-off disputes extended from the Roman Republic era under Pompey the Great (who challenged the Roman-Parthia border in 66 BC), until 628 AD, by which time the Western Roman Empire had already been taken over by the Byzantine Empire.
However, part of Parthian success can be put down to their willingness to adapt and evolve, for they adopted various cultures from their ancestors and neighbours such as Greece, Rome, and Persia. Parthian art thus has a rich art heritage, which encompassed a variety of media, including architecture, painting, weaving, pottery, calligraphy, metalworking, and sculpture.
