The Role of the Arsacids in the Battle of Talas (36 BC)

In 36 BC, a unit of the Han Empire's army attacked and defeated the Xiongnu, who were one of the local powers in Central Asia and on the banks of what is now the Talas River. More recently, the Chinese from East Asia and the Parthians from West Central Asia had been trying to expand their influence in the region, and the nomadic tribes of the region could play the role of enemy or ally for both powers. A group of Roman soldiers, captured by the Arsacids during the war with the Romans, were present among the Xiongnu forces. The main question of this article concerns the role the Parthians played in the Battle of Talas. The findings of this study show that in the period under discussion, the Arsacids were trying to expand their influence through direct or indirect military operations as well as political intervention in Central Asia. On the other hand, their conflicting interests with the Han Empire in Central Asia and their enmity with the nomadic tribes of the region forced them to intervene in the political relations of this region. Therefore, they deliberately sent a group of their troops to the region to prevent the Chinese from advancing, which ended in failure.