Battle of Ecbatana Antiochus then dispersed his army into their winter quarters. However, the cities soon revolted against their presence. Phraates exploited the situation and attacked him as he marched to reinforce a garrison, inflicting a crushing defeat upon him at the Battle of Ecbatana. During the battle, Antiochus VII was killed and his royal guard was annihilated. After this, the rest of his army was largely destroyed, and the remainder was captured and folded into Parthian ranks. This battle marked the decisive and final defeat for the Seleucid Empire by the Parthians and ended the Hellenistic period in Iran. Battle of Ecbatana
Balkh Its foundation is mythically ascribed to Keyumars, the first king of the world in Persian legend; and it is at least certain that, at a very early date, it was the rival of Ecbatana, Nineveh and Babylon. For a long time the city and country was the central seat of the dualistic Zoroastrian religion, the founder of which, Zoroaster, died within the walls according to the Persian poet Firdowsi. Armenian sources state that the Arsacid Dynasty of the Parthian Empire established its capital in Balkh. There is a long-standing tradition that an ancient shrine of Anahita was to be found