The Battle of Ecbatana was fought in 129 BC between the

Seleucids The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, ...

led by Antiochus VII Sidetes and the Parthians led by

Phraates II Phraates II (also spelled Frahad II; ''Frahāt'') was king of the Parthian Empire from 132 BC to 127 BC. He was the son and successor of Mithridates I (). Because he was still very young when he came to the throne, his mother Rinnu initially ru ...

, and marked the final attempt on the part of the

to regain their power in the east against the Parthians. After their defeat, the territory of the

was limited to the area of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Battle

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, initiating a campaign in 130 BC to retake

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

. The Parthian general Indates was defeated along the

Great Zab The Great Zab or Upper Zab (; or ; ; ) is an approximately long river flowing through Turkey and Iraq. It rises in Turkey near Lake Van and joins the Tigris in Iraq south of Mosul. During its course, the river collects water from many tributar ...

, followed by a local uprising where the Parthian governor of

Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...

was killed. Antiochus conquered Babylonia and occupied

Susa Susa ( ) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh River, Karkheh and Dez River, Dez Rivers in Iran. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital o ...

, where he minted coins, and advanced his army into Media.; ; After losing three successive battles, Phraates sent a delegation to negotiate a peace agreement. Antiochus refused to accept unless the Arsacids relinquished all lands to him except Parthia proper, paid heavy tribute, and released his brother Demetrius II from captivity. Arsaces released Demetrius and sent him to

, but refused the other demands. Antiochus then dispersed his army into their winter quarters. By spring 129 BC, the

Medes The Medes were an Iron Age Iranian peoples, Iranian people who spoke the Median language and who inhabited an area known as Media (region), Media between western Iran, western and northern Iran. Around the 11th century BC, they occupied the m ...

were in open revolt against Antiochus, whose army under Athenaeus of Macedonia had exhausted the resources of the countryside during winter. The cities 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, causing some of Antiochus's generals like Athenaeus of Macedonia to flee. Phraates inflicted a crushing defeat upon the Seleucid forces at the Battle of

Ecbatana Ecbatana () was an ancient city, the capital of the Median kingdom, and the first capital in History of Iran, Iranian history. It later became the summer capital of the Achaemenid Empire, Achaemenid and Parthian Empire, Parthian empires.Nardo, Do ...

(modern

Hamadan Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...

). During the battle, Antiochus VII was killed and his royal guard was annihilated. His body was sent back to Syria in a silver coffin; his son Seleucus was made a Parthian hostage and a daughter joined Phraates'

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

. After the Battle of Ecbatana, the rest of the

Seleucid The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, a ...

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 classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

in Iran.

Protagonists

The Battle of Ecbatana was fought between the

led by Antiochus VII Sidetes and the

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

ns led by

. File:Antiochos VII Drachm 2390199 (cropped).jpg, Drachm of Antiochos VII File:Coin_of_Phraates_II_(cropped),_Seleucia_mint.jpg, Coin of

References

Notes

Sources

* . * . * . * . * . * . * . {{coord, 34.7961, 48.5158, display=title 129 BC 2nd century BC in the Seleucid Empire 2nd century BC in Iran Ecbatana 129 BC

History of Hamadan province

Ecbatana