The Rulers of Pars during the Seleucid and Parthian Periods

Pars region had a critical importance to the Achaemenid Empire. There are few historical evidences about this geographical area،after the fall of Achaemenid kingdom and before the rise of the Sassanid empire. The only solid evidences about that era to rely on are the coins issued by its local rulers. These discovered coins gave us a little knowledge about the power and independence of the rulers. In the era of the Seleucid empire، the province of Pars was governed by rulers who called themselves «Frataraka”. After gaining more power during the reign of Parthians، these local rulers used» Shah«(king) as their title. They considered themselves as the rightful heirs of Achaemenid Empire and had a semi-independent government. They tried to preserve their ancient Iranian culture and customs against Hellenism and then transferred them to the Sassanids.