At its height in the 1st century CE, the Parthian Empire controlled approximately 3–4 million km², dominating the Iranian plateau and much of Mesopotamia as a major rival to Rome in the ancient world. Its territory stretched from Mesopotamia and the Euphrates frontier in the west to eastern Iran and parts of Central Asia in the east, from the Caucasus and Caspian regions in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south. Positioned along the Silk Road, Parthia served as a critical bridge between East and West, combining powerful cavalry warfare with strategic control of long-distance trade networks.