The Principles and Roots of King’s Legitimacy in Arsacid Dynasty

Arsacid dynasty was established in a tumultuous time. Seleucid Empire, as the successor of Alexander, had conquered a large part of Asia and Hellenism had spread into various aspects of life like politics, culture and art. It was under these circumstances that Arsacids with their robust tribal background tried their best to drive the Seleucids out of their motherland, Persia, and establish a new kingdom. Arsaces, the founder of dynasty, had a substantial and determining role. The newly founded kingdom needed political legitimacy and reputation, and given the difficult and tumultuous time Arsacids were living in, the principles and roots of king’s legitimacy were still in the making. The present paper tries to study the complex, interwoven political legitimacy of the Arsacid dynasty. According to results, the most important principles in this period were the tribal and dynastic traditions, the reflection of which can be found in Arsaces’ character, in Persia’s long-standing tradition—not least the kingship tradition of Achaeminds—and in Greek legitimating traditions or, more appropriately, Seleucid traditions.