Infant doll; Parthian Empire, 247 BC- 224 AD.

Infant doll; Parthian Empire, 247 BC- 224 AD.
Polychrome terracotta.
It has movable legs joined with modern metallic thread.
Measurements: 20 x 6 x 3 cm.
Child doll made of terracotta with movable legs joined with modern metallic thread. The piece belongs to the Parthian Empire, also known as the Arsacid Empire. It was an important Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 B.C. to 224 A.D. Its last name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in the conquest of the Parthian region in northeastern Iran. At its height, the Parthian Empire stretched from the northern end of the Euphrates, in what is now east-central Turkey, to what is now Afghanistan and western Pakistan. The empire, located on the Silk Road trade route between the Roman Empire in the Mediterranean basin and the Han dynasty of China, became a center of trade and commerce. The Parthians largely adopted the art, architecture, religious beliefs and royal regalia of their culturally heterogeneous empire, which encompassed Persian, Hellenistic and regional cultures. For about the first half of its existence, the Arsacid court adopted elements of Greek culture, although it eventually saw a gradual revival of Iranian traditions.