Philobiblon

An email today reminded me of one of those wonderful “labour-of-love” websites that often don’t get the attention they deserve: Parthia.com.

It is a collection of varied resources about the ancient civilisation, with a particular focus on coins. And if you think that sounds rather dull, well check out this collection of images of horses from Parthian coins. I was reminded anew of just how fine the workmanship on ancient coins can be.

There’s also the inevitable collection of recipes – mainly arriving via the Romans. Pliny reckoned their bread would keep for centuries, if you consider that a recommendation.

The only Parthian (real) site I’ve visited is Dura Europos, on what is now the Syria-Iraq border; then it was the Rome/Parthian border. It is a magical, haunting place, set on a great bluff over the Euphrates. (The atmosphere is only magnified when you know that the actual archaeology of the final battle here was preserved in the bones of the defenders”).