Nikolaus Leo Overtoom is the Assistant Professor in Ancient History at Washington State University. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on subjects such as the image of Alexander the Great, ancient imperialism and propaganda, ancient international relations, ancient militarism, the formation of the Parthian state, and Parthian interactions with the Greeks and Romans. His current research focuses on the historiography of the Parthian Empire, Parthian militarism and logistics, and the chaotic international relations of Hellenistic states within the Near East in the first century BCE.

• Preface


• Acknowledgements


• Timeline


• Greek and Roman Literary Sources


• Genealogical Table of the Early Arsacids


• Parthian Kings and Select Coins


• Maps


• Introduction


• Chapter 1 - From Migrants to Masters of the Middle East


• Chapter 2 - The Emergence of the Parthian State


• Chapter 3 - The Empire Strikes Back


• Chapter 4 - The Fall of Bactria, the Rise of Parthia


• Chapter 5 - The Climax of the Seleucid-Parthian Rivalry


• Chapter 6 - Parthian Hegemony


• Bibliography


• Index

From minor nomadic tribe to major world empire, the story of the Parthians' success in the ancient world is nothing short of remarkable. Reign of Arrows provides the first comprehensive study dedicated entirely to early Parthian history and the first comprehensive effort to evaluate early Parthian political history since 1938.