Battle of Ecbatana
The Battle of Ecbatana was fought in 129 BC between the Seleucids led by Antiochus VII Sidetes and the Parthians led by Phraates II. Phraates II (ca. 139/138 BC – ca. 128 BC) faced the final attempt on the part of the Seleucids to regain their power in the east. The Seleucids amassed a large force of Greek mercenaries and led the army, totaling 80,000 soldiers, to confront the Parthians. After initial success, defeating the Parthians in three battles, Phraates sent a delegation to negotiate a peace agreement. However, the Parthians rejected the terms proposed by Antiochus. Antiochus then dispersed his army into their winter quarters. However, the cities soon revolted against their presence so Antiochus marched to support one such isolated garrison with only a small force (probably only his Royal Guards). Phraates exploited the situation and ambushed him, inflicting a crushing defeat upon Selecuid forces at the Battle of Ecbatana. During the battle, Antiochus VII was killed and his royal guard was annihilated.[3][4] After Battle of Ecbatana, the rest of Selecuid army which was based in Media was largely destroyed, and the remainder was captured and folded into Parthian ranks. This battle marked the decisive and final defeat for the Seleucid Empire by the Parthians and ended the Hellenistic period in Iran.[5]
| Battle of Ecbatana | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Seleucid–Parthian wars | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Parthians | Seleucid Empire and allies | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Phraates II | Antiochus VII Sidetes † | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Mostly killed or captured | ||||||||
References
- Frye, Richard Nelson (1984). The History of Ancient Iran. C.H.Beck. p. 212. ISBN 9783406093975.
battle of ecbatana parthian victory.
- Jaques, Tony (2007). Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: P-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 1127. ISBN 9780313335396.
- McLaughlin, Raoul (2016). The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes: The Ancient World Economy and the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia and Han China. West Yorkshire, England: Pen & Sword. ISBN 978-1-47383-374-6.
- Kia, Mehrdad (2016). The Persian Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia [2 volumes]: A Historical Encyclopedia (Empires of the World). ABC-CLIO. p. 305. ISBN 978-1-4408-4568-0.
- Jakobsson, Jens (2004). "Seleucid Empire (306 - c.150 BCE)". Iran Chamber Society. Retrieved February 2, 2018.