Parthia's economy rested on a pastoral base and its strategic control of the Silk Road. Horses, wool, and leather supported a powerful cavalry culture, while the empire profited by regulating the flow of high-value goods moving between East and West — silk from Han China, spices, spikenard perfume, incense, and precious stones. Its wealth came not from producing these goods, but from controlling their movement across regions.

During the height of Roman power under Trajan, the Eastern Han court sent the envoy Gan Ying westward in an attempt to reach Rome. Upon arriving at the "Western Sea" (likely the Persian Gulf), Parthian intermediaries discouraged him from continuing, claiming the voyage was too dangerous. By preventing direct contact between the two great empires, Parthia preserved its position as the indispensable intermediary of long-distance trade.