The Arsacids of Rome
Misunderstanding in Roman-Parthian Relations
Book •
Jake Nabel's The Arsacids of Rome examines Roman-Parthian interstate politics by focusing on Arsacid princes who lived at the Roman court; Roman sources label them 'hostages' while Iranian and Armenian evidence suggest Parthians saw them as foster-children.
Nabel argues that this divergent interpretation constituted a pragmatic misunderstanding that allowed each empire to claim superiority and maintain a stable, if ambiguous, order.
The book draws on Greek, Latin, Armenian, Middle Persian, and inscriptional sources to reconstruct fosterage practices and the role of aristocratic networks in returning Arsacids to Parthia.
It challenges neorealist state-centered frameworks by emphasizing dynastic, kinship, and cultural institutions as central mediators of ancient foreign relations.
Nabel argues that this divergent interpretation constituted a pragmatic misunderstanding that allowed each empire to claim superiority and maintain a stable, if ambiguous, order.
The book draws on Greek, Latin, Armenian, Middle Persian, and inscriptional sources to reconstruct fosterage practices and the role of aristocratic networks in returning Arsacids to Parthia.
It challenges neorealist state-centered frameworks by emphasizing dynastic, kinship, and cultural institutions as central mediators of ancient foreign relations.
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Michael O. Johnston
Jake Nabel, "The Arsacids of Rome: Misunderstanding in Roman-Parthian Relations" (U California Press, 2025)
