Dr. Nikolaus Overtoom joins us to discuss the Parthians and the Arsacid dynasty, a group that emerged from the Central Asian Steppes to come into conflict with the Seleucids and Hellenistic kingdoms during early-middle 3rd century B.C.  We talk about Dr. Overtoom's work regarding early Parthian history, the adaptability of a steppe society ruling over a heavily urbanized Greco-Persian one,  and his upcoming book "Reign of Arrows: The Rise of the Parthian Empire in the Hellenistic Middle East", which seeks to answer the question of how the Parthians managed to turn from small nomadic tribe to one of the most powerful empires of the ancient world. Title Theme: Seikilos Epitapth with the Lyre of Apollo, played by Lina Palera (https://soundcloud.com/user-994392473) Show Links Website/Episode Notes: (https://hellenisticagepodcast.wordpress.com/2020/04/02/interview-on-the-parthian-empire-w-dr-nikolaus-overtoom/) Reign of Arrows: The Rise of the Parthian Empire in the Hellenistic Middle East – 30% Off Discount Code [AAFLYG6] for pre-orders through Oxford University Press (release date May 1st, 2020) – Link to page on Oxford University Press Website (https://global.oup.com/academic/product/reign-of-arrows-9780190888329?cc=us&lang=en&) Social Media: Twitter (https://twitter.com/HellenisticPod) Facebook (www.facebook.com/hellenisticagepodcast/) Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/hellenistic_age_podcast/) Discord (https://discord.gg/VJcyUcN) Show Merchandise: Etsy (https://www.etsy.com/shop/HellenisticAgePod) Donations: Ko-Fi (fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast">https://ko-fi.com/hellenisticagepodcast) Amazon Book Wish List (https://tinyurl.com/vfw6ask)