11-30-2007, 11:52 PM
hey,
Marek J. Olbrycht -
some fragmentary stuff on google eg
http://books.google.com/books?id=jLOlAw ... 87NbgoiUcs
his Polish book on Achaemenids is titled Aleksander Wielki i swiat iranski (Alexander the Great and the Iranian World),
some of his works
"Some problems of the Historical Geography of Turkmenistan in the Hellenistic and Arsacid Periods" (Problemy istoricheskoi geografii Turkmenistana v ellinisticheskii i arshakidskii periody, in Russian) (1992)
In: Annanepesov, M. A. (ed.), Merv v drevnei i srednevekovoi istorii Vostoka III: Merv i parfianskaia epokha
Ashgabad: 1992, p. 21-22.
"Some remarks on Hellenistic influence upon the fortification of Northeastern Iran in the Arsacid period" (1992-1993)
Folia Orientalia, 1993, vol. 29, p. 131-151.
"Die Kultur der Steppengebiete und die Beziehungen zwischen Nomaden und der selßhaften Bevolkerung (Der arsakidische Iran und die Nomadenvölker)" (1996)
In: Wiesehöfer, Josef (ed.), Das Partherreich und seine Zeugnisse - The Arsacid Empire : Sources and Documentation. Beiträge des Internationalen Colloquiums, Eutin (27.-30. Juni 1996). Historia-Einzelschriften, 122
Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998, p. 11-43.
"Vardanes contra Gotarzes II. - einige Ãœberlegungen zur arsakidischen Politik ca. 40 - 51 n. Chr." (1997)
Folia Orientalia, 1997, vol. 33, p. 81-100.
"Parthian King's Tiara - Numismatic Evidence and Some Aspects of Arsacid Political Idiology" (1997)
In: Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne
Krakow: 1997, vol. 2, p. 27-61.
Abstract: Tiary wladcow partyjskich - swiadeclwa nnmi/matyc/ne i niektore aspekty polityc/.nrj ideologii Arsakidrfw.
Generally a good paper but unfortunately most of the conclusions are based on out-dated evidence. For instance, when reference is made to various Parthian tiaras, the author uses the information in Sellwood's catalogue, not knowing that since 1980 we have had a number of unrecorded types depicting new variants of kings' tiaras.
Parthia et ulteriores gentes : die politischen Beziehungen zwischen dem arsakidischen Iran und den Nomaden der eurasischen Steppen (1998)
Munich: tuduv-Verlagsgesellschaft, 1998, 337 p.
Abstract: See reviews: C. Lippolis, Parthica 3 (2001), page 247; I.V. Piankov, Vestnik Drevnei Istorii 2002, no. 2. 219-228 (in Russian); J.D. Lerner, Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan, 34, 2002, 465-469 (in English); M. Schuol, Klio 84, 2002, 580-581 (in German); Everett L. Wheeler, Orbis Terrarum 6, 2000, 272-274 (in English).
Excerpt from Wheeler's review: "Olbrycht’s study restores a much-needed balance to perceptions of Parthia by demonstrating that the Parthian Kernland, Hyrcania and southern Parthyaia, retained its significance throughout the history of the Parthian Empire, and that Parthian concern for its northern and northeastern frontiers equalled, if it did not exceed, its interest in Mesopotamia, Armenia, and the West. As the Parthians’ economic and power base never lay exclusively in Mesopotamia, Parthian strategy in sacrificing Mesopotamia and Ctesiphon (even if reluctantly) to Roman intrusions and its ability to rebound from western inroads becomes more explicable. Olbrycht has thoroughly exploited the archaeological evidence - much of it recent - for Turkestan, Margiana, and Central Asia. Now much of this literature from areas of the former Soviet Union, hitherto linguistically and/or physically inaccessible to Western scholars, can be digested and appreciated. Numismatic evidence is also profitably used along with Chinese sources, as Olbrycht fearlessly assembles his version of the various Völkerwanderungen in Central Asia, the Yuech-chih's conquest of Bactria, the ephemeral Indo-Parthian kingdom, the rise of the Kushan, and emergence of the Alans. Though definitive solutions to all these and other problems remain elusive in the present state of the evidence, Olbrycht must be congratulated for his efforts and. above all, for his analysis of how these events affected Parthia economically and politically (…). A brief review can hardly do justice to Olbrycht’s treatment of these complex issues" (Orbis Terrarum 6/2000, 273).
"Parthian Military Strategy at War against Rome" (1998)
In: Vilinbachov, G. V. & Masson, V. M. (eds.), Voennaja arkheologiia. Oruzhie i voennoe delo v istoricheskoi i sotsialnoi perspektive, Materialy Mezhdunarodnoi Konferentsii 2-5 sentiabria 1998 g. (Military Archaeology. Weaponry and Warfare in the Historical and Social Perspective, 2-5 Sep 1998)
St. Petersburg: 1998, p. 138-141.
"Das Arsakidenreich zwischen der mediterranen Welt und Innerasien" (1998)
In: Dabrowa, Edward (ed.), Ancient Iran and the mediterranean world. Proceedings of an international conference in honour of Professor Józef Wolski held at the Jagiellonian university, Cracow, in September 1996 (Electrum. Studies in Ancient History. 2.)
1998, p. 123-159.
"The Seleucids and the culture of their epoch" [in Polish] (1999)
In: Wolski, Józef, Dzieje u upadek imperium Seleucydów
Krakow: Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1999, p. 135-208.
Abstract: Presented are numerous Parthian art objects, including the "Prince of Shami" and artifacts from Nisa.
"The Significance of the Arsacid Kingdom in the History of Central Asia" (1999)
In: Masson, V. M. (ed.), Izuchenie kulturnogo naslediia Vostoka: Kulturnye traditsii i preemstvennost v razvitii drevnikh kultur i tsivilizatsii. Materialy Mezhdunarodnoi konferentsii v Sankt-Peterburge (23-25 nojabria 1999)
Ashgabad-St. Petersburg: 1999, p. 35-38.
"Bemerkungen zur parthischen Münzprägung unter Vologases I. und Pakoros II" (1999)
In: Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne
Krakow: 1999, no. 3/4, p. 69-93.
Abstract: Die vorliegende Untersuchung setzt es sich zum Ziel, in einer Aufarbeitung des zur Verfügung stehenden Quellenmaterials die unterschiedlichen Interpretationsansätze, mit denen die parthischen Prägungen der 70er Jahre des 1. Jhs. n. Chr. analysiert werden, einer kritischen Überprüfung zu unterziehen. Behandelt wird die parthische Prägetätigkeit im Zeitalter des Vologases I. (50-80 n. Chr.) und Pakoros II. (78-ca. 110 n. Chr.). [Author]
"Remarks on the Presence of Iranian Peoples in Europe and Their Asiatic Relations" (2000)
In: Pstrusińska, J. & Fear, A. T. (eds.), Collectanea Celto-Asiatica Cracoviensia,
Kraków: 2000, p. 101-140.
"Der Fernhandel in Ostsarmatien und in den benachbarten Gebieten (zweite Hälfte des 2. - 1. Jh. v. Chr.)" (2001)
In: Laverna 12, 2001,
Laverna, 2001, vol. 12, p. 86-122.
Abstract: Numismatic and literary evidence is used to show the trade relations between the Arsacid empire, Transcaucasian countries and the peoples of the eastern and central Europe. [Author]
"Die Aorser, die Oberen Aorser und die Siraker bei Strabon. Zur Geschichte und Eigenart der Völker im nordpontischen und nordkaukasischen Raum im 2.-1. Jh. v. Chr." (2001)
Klio, 2001, no. 83, p. 425-450.
Abstract: The paper discusses the history of the nomadic peoples living in the steppes north of the Caucasus and in the North Pontic area. Treated are also relations between the steppe tribes and Parthia. [Author]
"The Origins of the Arsacid Parthian Cavalry: Some Remarks" (2001)
In: Masson, V. M. (ed.), The Role of Ahalteke Horse in the Formation of World Horse-Breeding: Materials for the International Conference, Ashgabad 2001
Ashgabad: 2001, p. 108-111.
"Parthia and Nomads of Central Asia. Elements of Steppe Origin in the Social and Military Developments of Arsacid Iran" (2003)
In: Schneider, Irene (ed.), Series: Mitteilungen des SFB "Differenz und Integration" 5: Militär und Staatlichkeit (Orientwissenschaftliche Hefte 12/2003)
Halle/Saale: 2003, p. 69-109.
Abstract: The most obvious approach to ascertain the importance of the nomadic traditions in Parthian Iran lies in the study of the social structure and military developments in the Arsacid empire, with particular reference to its origins. To understand Arsacid history properly it must be kept in mind that the Parthian kingdom emerged as the result of a nomadic invasion in northeastern Iran. Although tightly bound to their steppe heritage, the Arsacids showed a remarkable ability to adopt promptly and efficiently a number of the hallmarks associated with the sedentary peoples, whom they had subjugated, including the establishment of new cities, the creation of strongholds, and the introduction of a coinage system. On the whole, the first Arsacids – Arsaces I and Arsaces II – managed to create a new stable state.
The character of socio-economic and cultural relations within the Arsacid kingdom is an extremely complex one. The Arsacid Parthians maintained different relations with the nomads of Middle Asia and the Caspian-Pontic steppes, including ties in terms of political marriagies and alliances, moreover, even some Parthian kings highligted their nomadic background (e.g. Sinatruces and Artabanus II). All those links strengthened the nomadic legacy in Parthia.
After the conquest of Parthyaia and Hyrcania, Arsaces I found himself in the predicament of ruling two worlds: the nomadic Aparni and the settled population of northeastern Iran. Apparently, the principal under which the social structure of the Arsacid heartland and of Arsacid Parthia operated was the nomadic legacy of the Aparni. The rigid division of Parthian society into "freemen" and the lower ranks of the dependants as well as the dichotomies between an "equestrian estate" and the rest of society (peasants and townsmen) originated in the period when the Arsacid kingdom was established and when the invading nomads subjugated the indigenous population of northeastern Iran. Essentially, the aristocracy of the victorious Aparni became the ruling elite in Parthia, but it assimilated -- mainly in the lower ranks -- also parts of the traditional sedentary Iranian nobility of Parthyaia (and the adjacent lands including Hyrcania). Parthian social structure was closely connected with the state’s military organization, which for the most part was founded on nomadic practices inherited from the Aparni.
The ethos of the Arsacid Parthians -- understood as the fundamental character underlying the Parthian guiding assumptions, customs, manners, mentality and Arsacid social as well as military institutions -- was quite different from that of the Iranians in the Achaemenid period. This ethos was esentially of nomadic descendance. Particulary striking in the picture of Parthian society is a close connection between higher status and horse-riding. Horse-riding was treated by the Parthians as a hallmark of upper social ranks, being essentially reserved only for the free-born men. Needless to say the military position of Parthian cavalry reflected this as well. All this is again nomadic heritage, and not Iranian sedentary tradition. Also the Parthian dress was of steppe origin. As rightly recognized by H. von Gall, the Parthian dress is to be treated as "ein Prärogativ, eine Art Amtstracht", especially in the conquered territories of western Iran and Mesopotamia. As far as can be judged at the present state of research, the iconographic materials provided by the statues from Ustyurt and Mangyshlak areas (western Kazakhstan) supply new evidence pointing towards close cultural relations between the Arsacid Parthians and the nomads of Middle Asia and set the research of many aspects of the nomadic-Parthian affinities upon a new course.
Generally speaking, the main fighting arms of the Parthians, the cataphracts and the horse-archers, were principally of steppe origin. The early Arsacid cavalry forces with their special equipment and highly sophisticated tactics were created in the milieu embracing the nomadic Dahae and Massagetae in Middle Asia. A certain role in this process was played also by the sedentary Parthyaians/Parthians in northeastern Iran. In developing their warfare, the nomads of the pre-Arsacid period, and then the Arsacid Parthians had to take into account Hellenistic innovations brought into Iran and Middle Asia by Alexander the Great and his successors.
The culture of the Parthians, their political, economic and military institutions underwent different influences, including Hellenistic and Old Iranian traditions. At the same time, the essential components of Parthian society, way of life and warfare remained rather conservative and were based on steppe nomadic factors, and as such they exhibit no principal ties with the Achaemenid period or with other traditions of the sedentary world in Western Asia. [Author]
"Griechen und Perser in achaimenidischer Zeit. Überlegungen zum Verhältnis zwischen Orient und Okzident" (2003)
In: Pstrusińska, J. & Stalmaszczyk, P. (eds.), Collectanea Eurasiatica Cracoviensia. Understanding Eurasia (in German)
Kraków: 2003, p. 145-164.
"The Ochos river in the classical sources: a study in the historical geography of northeastern Iran and Middle Asia" (2003)
In: Mkrtyčev, T. K. (ed.), Tsentralnaia Aziia. Istochniki, istoriia, kultura
Moskow: 2003, p. 114-117.
"The Seleukids and the Arsakids: propaganda aspects in the rivalry for supremacy in the 'Hellenistic Near East'" [in Polish, German summary] (2004)
In: Morawiecki, L. & Berdowski, P. (eds.), Ideology and Propaganda in Antiquity. Materials of a Conference organized by the Ancient History Committee of the Polish Historical Association, Rzeszów, September 12-14, 2000
Rzeszow: Biblioteka Frazy, 2004, p. 45-68.
Aleksander Wielki i świat irański [Alexander the Great and the Iranian world, in Polish] (2004)
Rzeszow: University of Rzeszow Publishing House, 2004, 412 p.
Abstract: This work is a contribution to the much-needed clarification of the history of Hellenistic Iran. Contrary to the majority of studies of the topic, the author focuses on the role of the Iranians and of the Iranian traditions in the period of Alexander’s rule in Western and Middle Asia. The book presents a broad array of source materials and examines the political issues, fundamental changes in Alexander’s warfare and army in the Iranian area (some developments in warfare heralded Parthian military practices), Alexander’s colonization, coinage (including the famous decadrachms), and the iconography of several art objects (including the Alexander sarcophagus and the Alexander mosaic). The study is of crucial importance for a better understanding of the pre-Arsacid period in Iran. [Author]
See review by Katarzyna Balbuza in sehepunkte 5 (2005), Nr. 7/8 [15.07.2005]
"Foundations of Alexander the Great in Iran and Middle Asia: origins and status of the colonists" [in Polish, German summary] (2004)
In: Mrozewicz, L. & Balbuza, K. (eds.), The Ancient City. Materials of an all-Polish Scholarly Conference, Poznan, September 19-21, 2002 (= Xenia Posnaniensia 3)Poznan: VIS, 2004, p. 121-138.
Robert Drews - Early Riders
http://books.google.com/books?id=XTgyU8 ... rews&psp=1
his works
http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/classics/drews
Marek J. Olbrycht -
some fragmentary stuff on google eg
http://books.google.com/books?id=jLOlAw ... 87NbgoiUcs
his Polish book on Achaemenids is titled Aleksander Wielki i swiat iranski (Alexander the Great and the Iranian World),
some of his works
"Some problems of the Historical Geography of Turkmenistan in the Hellenistic and Arsacid Periods" (Problemy istoricheskoi geografii Turkmenistana v ellinisticheskii i arshakidskii periody, in Russian) (1992)
In: Annanepesov, M. A. (ed.), Merv v drevnei i srednevekovoi istorii Vostoka III: Merv i parfianskaia epokha
Ashgabad: 1992, p. 21-22.
"Some remarks on Hellenistic influence upon the fortification of Northeastern Iran in the Arsacid period" (1992-1993)
Folia Orientalia, 1993, vol. 29, p. 131-151.
"Die Kultur der Steppengebiete und die Beziehungen zwischen Nomaden und der selßhaften Bevolkerung (Der arsakidische Iran und die Nomadenvölker)" (1996)
In: Wiesehöfer, Josef (ed.), Das Partherreich und seine Zeugnisse - The Arsacid Empire : Sources and Documentation. Beiträge des Internationalen Colloquiums, Eutin (27.-30. Juni 1996). Historia-Einzelschriften, 122
Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 1998, p. 11-43.
"Vardanes contra Gotarzes II. - einige Ãœberlegungen zur arsakidischen Politik ca. 40 - 51 n. Chr." (1997)
Folia Orientalia, 1997, vol. 33, p. 81-100.
"Parthian King's Tiara - Numismatic Evidence and Some Aspects of Arsacid Political Idiology" (1997)
In: Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne
Krakow: 1997, vol. 2, p. 27-61.
Abstract: Tiary wladcow partyjskich - swiadeclwa nnmi/matyc/ne i niektore aspekty polityc/.nrj ideologii Arsakidrfw.
Generally a good paper but unfortunately most of the conclusions are based on out-dated evidence. For instance, when reference is made to various Parthian tiaras, the author uses the information in Sellwood's catalogue, not knowing that since 1980 we have had a number of unrecorded types depicting new variants of kings' tiaras.
Parthia et ulteriores gentes : die politischen Beziehungen zwischen dem arsakidischen Iran und den Nomaden der eurasischen Steppen (1998)
Munich: tuduv-Verlagsgesellschaft, 1998, 337 p.
Abstract: See reviews: C. Lippolis, Parthica 3 (2001), page 247; I.V. Piankov, Vestnik Drevnei Istorii 2002, no. 2. 219-228 (in Russian); J.D. Lerner, Archäologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan, 34, 2002, 465-469 (in English); M. Schuol, Klio 84, 2002, 580-581 (in German); Everett L. Wheeler, Orbis Terrarum 6, 2000, 272-274 (in English).
Excerpt from Wheeler's review: "Olbrycht’s study restores a much-needed balance to perceptions of Parthia by demonstrating that the Parthian Kernland, Hyrcania and southern Parthyaia, retained its significance throughout the history of the Parthian Empire, and that Parthian concern for its northern and northeastern frontiers equalled, if it did not exceed, its interest in Mesopotamia, Armenia, and the West. As the Parthians’ economic and power base never lay exclusively in Mesopotamia, Parthian strategy in sacrificing Mesopotamia and Ctesiphon (even if reluctantly) to Roman intrusions and its ability to rebound from western inroads becomes more explicable. Olbrycht has thoroughly exploited the archaeological evidence - much of it recent - for Turkestan, Margiana, and Central Asia. Now much of this literature from areas of the former Soviet Union, hitherto linguistically and/or physically inaccessible to Western scholars, can be digested and appreciated. Numismatic evidence is also profitably used along with Chinese sources, as Olbrycht fearlessly assembles his version of the various Völkerwanderungen in Central Asia, the Yuech-chih's conquest of Bactria, the ephemeral Indo-Parthian kingdom, the rise of the Kushan, and emergence of the Alans. Though definitive solutions to all these and other problems remain elusive in the present state of the evidence, Olbrycht must be congratulated for his efforts and. above all, for his analysis of how these events affected Parthia economically and politically (…). A brief review can hardly do justice to Olbrycht’s treatment of these complex issues" (Orbis Terrarum 6/2000, 273).
"Parthian Military Strategy at War against Rome" (1998)
In: Vilinbachov, G. V. & Masson, V. M. (eds.), Voennaja arkheologiia. Oruzhie i voennoe delo v istoricheskoi i sotsialnoi perspektive, Materialy Mezhdunarodnoi Konferentsii 2-5 sentiabria 1998 g. (Military Archaeology. Weaponry and Warfare in the Historical and Social Perspective, 2-5 Sep 1998)
St. Petersburg: 1998, p. 138-141.
"Das Arsakidenreich zwischen der mediterranen Welt und Innerasien" (1998)
In: Dabrowa, Edward (ed.), Ancient Iran and the mediterranean world. Proceedings of an international conference in honour of Professor Józef Wolski held at the Jagiellonian university, Cracow, in September 1996 (Electrum. Studies in Ancient History. 2.)
1998, p. 123-159.
"The Seleucids and the culture of their epoch" [in Polish] (1999)
In: Wolski, Józef, Dzieje u upadek imperium Seleucydów
Krakow: Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1999, p. 135-208.
Abstract: Presented are numerous Parthian art objects, including the "Prince of Shami" and artifacts from Nisa.
"The Significance of the Arsacid Kingdom in the History of Central Asia" (1999)
In: Masson, V. M. (ed.), Izuchenie kulturnogo naslediia Vostoka: Kulturnye traditsii i preemstvennost v razvitii drevnikh kultur i tsivilizatsii. Materialy Mezhdunarodnoi konferentsii v Sankt-Peterburge (23-25 nojabria 1999)
Ashgabad-St. Petersburg: 1999, p. 35-38.
"Bemerkungen zur parthischen Münzprägung unter Vologases I. und Pakoros II" (1999)
In: Notae Numismaticae - Zapiski Numizmatyczne
Krakow: 1999, no. 3/4, p. 69-93.
Abstract: Die vorliegende Untersuchung setzt es sich zum Ziel, in einer Aufarbeitung des zur Verfügung stehenden Quellenmaterials die unterschiedlichen Interpretationsansätze, mit denen die parthischen Prägungen der 70er Jahre des 1. Jhs. n. Chr. analysiert werden, einer kritischen Überprüfung zu unterziehen. Behandelt wird die parthische Prägetätigkeit im Zeitalter des Vologases I. (50-80 n. Chr.) und Pakoros II. (78-ca. 110 n. Chr.). [Author]
"Remarks on the Presence of Iranian Peoples in Europe and Their Asiatic Relations" (2000)
In: Pstrusińska, J. & Fear, A. T. (eds.), Collectanea Celto-Asiatica Cracoviensia,
Kraków: 2000, p. 101-140.
"Der Fernhandel in Ostsarmatien und in den benachbarten Gebieten (zweite Hälfte des 2. - 1. Jh. v. Chr.)" (2001)
In: Laverna 12, 2001,
Laverna, 2001, vol. 12, p. 86-122.
Abstract: Numismatic and literary evidence is used to show the trade relations between the Arsacid empire, Transcaucasian countries and the peoples of the eastern and central Europe. [Author]
"Die Aorser, die Oberen Aorser und die Siraker bei Strabon. Zur Geschichte und Eigenart der Völker im nordpontischen und nordkaukasischen Raum im 2.-1. Jh. v. Chr." (2001)
Klio, 2001, no. 83, p. 425-450.
Abstract: The paper discusses the history of the nomadic peoples living in the steppes north of the Caucasus and in the North Pontic area. Treated are also relations between the steppe tribes and Parthia. [Author]
"The Origins of the Arsacid Parthian Cavalry: Some Remarks" (2001)
In: Masson, V. M. (ed.), The Role of Ahalteke Horse in the Formation of World Horse-Breeding: Materials for the International Conference, Ashgabad 2001
Ashgabad: 2001, p. 108-111.
"Parthia and Nomads of Central Asia. Elements of Steppe Origin in the Social and Military Developments of Arsacid Iran" (2003)
In: Schneider, Irene (ed.), Series: Mitteilungen des SFB "Differenz und Integration" 5: Militär und Staatlichkeit (Orientwissenschaftliche Hefte 12/2003)
Halle/Saale: 2003, p. 69-109.
Abstract: The most obvious approach to ascertain the importance of the nomadic traditions in Parthian Iran lies in the study of the social structure and military developments in the Arsacid empire, with particular reference to its origins. To understand Arsacid history properly it must be kept in mind that the Parthian kingdom emerged as the result of a nomadic invasion in northeastern Iran. Although tightly bound to their steppe heritage, the Arsacids showed a remarkable ability to adopt promptly and efficiently a number of the hallmarks associated with the sedentary peoples, whom they had subjugated, including the establishment of new cities, the creation of strongholds, and the introduction of a coinage system. On the whole, the first Arsacids – Arsaces I and Arsaces II – managed to create a new stable state.
The character of socio-economic and cultural relations within the Arsacid kingdom is an extremely complex one. The Arsacid Parthians maintained different relations with the nomads of Middle Asia and the Caspian-Pontic steppes, including ties in terms of political marriagies and alliances, moreover, even some Parthian kings highligted their nomadic background (e.g. Sinatruces and Artabanus II). All those links strengthened the nomadic legacy in Parthia.
After the conquest of Parthyaia and Hyrcania, Arsaces I found himself in the predicament of ruling two worlds: the nomadic Aparni and the settled population of northeastern Iran. Apparently, the principal under which the social structure of the Arsacid heartland and of Arsacid Parthia operated was the nomadic legacy of the Aparni. The rigid division of Parthian society into "freemen" and the lower ranks of the dependants as well as the dichotomies between an "equestrian estate" and the rest of society (peasants and townsmen) originated in the period when the Arsacid kingdom was established and when the invading nomads subjugated the indigenous population of northeastern Iran. Essentially, the aristocracy of the victorious Aparni became the ruling elite in Parthia, but it assimilated -- mainly in the lower ranks -- also parts of the traditional sedentary Iranian nobility of Parthyaia (and the adjacent lands including Hyrcania). Parthian social structure was closely connected with the state’s military organization, which for the most part was founded on nomadic practices inherited from the Aparni.
The ethos of the Arsacid Parthians -- understood as the fundamental character underlying the Parthian guiding assumptions, customs, manners, mentality and Arsacid social as well as military institutions -- was quite different from that of the Iranians in the Achaemenid period. This ethos was esentially of nomadic descendance. Particulary striking in the picture of Parthian society is a close connection between higher status and horse-riding. Horse-riding was treated by the Parthians as a hallmark of upper social ranks, being essentially reserved only for the free-born men. Needless to say the military position of Parthian cavalry reflected this as well. All this is again nomadic heritage, and not Iranian sedentary tradition. Also the Parthian dress was of steppe origin. As rightly recognized by H. von Gall, the Parthian dress is to be treated as "ein Prärogativ, eine Art Amtstracht", especially in the conquered territories of western Iran and Mesopotamia. As far as can be judged at the present state of research, the iconographic materials provided by the statues from Ustyurt and Mangyshlak areas (western Kazakhstan) supply new evidence pointing towards close cultural relations between the Arsacid Parthians and the nomads of Middle Asia and set the research of many aspects of the nomadic-Parthian affinities upon a new course.
Generally speaking, the main fighting arms of the Parthians, the cataphracts and the horse-archers, were principally of steppe origin. The early Arsacid cavalry forces with their special equipment and highly sophisticated tactics were created in the milieu embracing the nomadic Dahae and Massagetae in Middle Asia. A certain role in this process was played also by the sedentary Parthyaians/Parthians in northeastern Iran. In developing their warfare, the nomads of the pre-Arsacid period, and then the Arsacid Parthians had to take into account Hellenistic innovations brought into Iran and Middle Asia by Alexander the Great and his successors.
The culture of the Parthians, their political, economic and military institutions underwent different influences, including Hellenistic and Old Iranian traditions. At the same time, the essential components of Parthian society, way of life and warfare remained rather conservative and were based on steppe nomadic factors, and as such they exhibit no principal ties with the Achaemenid period or with other traditions of the sedentary world in Western Asia. [Author]
"Griechen und Perser in achaimenidischer Zeit. Überlegungen zum Verhältnis zwischen Orient und Okzident" (2003)
In: Pstrusińska, J. & Stalmaszczyk, P. (eds.), Collectanea Eurasiatica Cracoviensia. Understanding Eurasia (in German)
Kraków: 2003, p. 145-164.
"The Ochos river in the classical sources: a study in the historical geography of northeastern Iran and Middle Asia" (2003)
In: Mkrtyčev, T. K. (ed.), Tsentralnaia Aziia. Istochniki, istoriia, kultura
Moskow: 2003, p. 114-117.
"The Seleukids and the Arsakids: propaganda aspects in the rivalry for supremacy in the 'Hellenistic Near East'" [in Polish, German summary] (2004)
In: Morawiecki, L. & Berdowski, P. (eds.), Ideology and Propaganda in Antiquity. Materials of a Conference organized by the Ancient History Committee of the Polish Historical Association, Rzeszów, September 12-14, 2000
Rzeszow: Biblioteka Frazy, 2004, p. 45-68.
Aleksander Wielki i świat irański [Alexander the Great and the Iranian world, in Polish] (2004)
Rzeszow: University of Rzeszow Publishing House, 2004, 412 p.
Abstract: This work is a contribution to the much-needed clarification of the history of Hellenistic Iran. Contrary to the majority of studies of the topic, the author focuses on the role of the Iranians and of the Iranian traditions in the period of Alexander’s rule in Western and Middle Asia. The book presents a broad array of source materials and examines the political issues, fundamental changes in Alexander’s warfare and army in the Iranian area (some developments in warfare heralded Parthian military practices), Alexander’s colonization, coinage (including the famous decadrachms), and the iconography of several art objects (including the Alexander sarcophagus and the Alexander mosaic). The study is of crucial importance for a better understanding of the pre-Arsacid period in Iran. [Author]
See review by Katarzyna Balbuza in sehepunkte 5 (2005), Nr. 7/8 [15.07.2005]
"Foundations of Alexander the Great in Iran and Middle Asia: origins and status of the colonists" [in Polish, German summary] (2004)
In: Mrozewicz, L. & Balbuza, K. (eds.), The Ancient City. Materials of an all-Polish Scholarly Conference, Poznan, September 19-21, 2002 (= Xenia Posnaniensia 3)Poznan: VIS, 2004, p. 121-138.
Robert Drews - Early Riders
http://books.google.com/books?id=XTgyU8 ... rews&psp=1
his works
http://sitemason.vanderbilt.edu/classics/drews
bachmat66 (Dariusz T. Wielec)
<a class="postlink" href="http://dariocaballeros.blogspot.com/">http://dariocaballeros.blogspot.com/
<a class="postlink" href="http://dariocaballeros.blogspot.com/">http://dariocaballeros.blogspot.com/
