Description: The post-war excavations carried out at Nisa, the only capital of the Parthian empire known to us from excavations, and situated not far from Ashgabat, the modern capital of Turkmenistan, produced a mass of extraordinary results and a large amount of information on several aspects of Arsacid court life. A number of masterpieces stand out among the remains of the furnishing of the royal palaces. Representations of great interest decorated objects of various kinds: small sculptures and appliques of gilded silver or bronze were mounted on metal vessels, parade arms and other artefacts. These objects were probably manufactured in Central Asia by skilled artisans working for the court. Several of these works are products of purely Hellenistic art in their iconography and style, others show a close relationship with the animal art of the steppes. In all cases, they are highly original documents, showing that there was a lively interaction between Greek and Iranian culture at the court of the early Arsacids at Nisa.
