Tue Aug 12 2003 at 7:24:26
The Parni were one of the three Dahae tribes of Scythian origin who battled against Alexander the Great during his conquest of their homeland along the Oxus River. Insurgent under Arsaces, they fought against the GreekSuccessor Kingdoms from 247-130 BC and during this time they expanded their frontiers until they found themselves in possession of territories stretching between Armenia and India, utilising both Pahlavi-Parthian and Greek dialects. This was the Parthian Empire, ruled by an absolute monarch of the Arsacid Dynasty and Zoroastrian faith. Most records of Parthian civilisation come from irate Greeks or Romans and most historical sources focus on Parthian military tactics - an accurate measure both of their character and that of their foes.