This city may have been the largest in the world for a period before it was eclipsed by the growth of nearby Baghdad. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this ancient city on the bank of the Tigris. This major commercial center was the capital of both the Parthian and Sassanian empires.
ANSWER: Ctesiphon (tess-eh-FON) [or al-Mada'in; prompt on Seleucia or the Cities]
[10m] Originally part of the main palace in Ctesiphon, a structure of this type is the most conspicious building in what remains of the ancient city. A first-century structure of this type in Rome commemorates victory in the First Jewish-Roman War, and is named for Titus.
ANSWER: arches [or archways or arco or arcus or Arch of Titus or Arco di Tito or Arcus Titi or Arch of Ctesiphon or Arch of Chosroes or Tāq Kasrā or Ayvān-e Kesrā or Iwan of Chosroes]
[10h] Ctesiphon was captured by the Rashidun caliph Umar in 637, shortly after this battle. This decisive defeat for the Sassanian army saw the death of their commander, Rostam Farrokhzād.
ANSWER: Battle of al-Qadisiyyah (KAHD-ah-see-yah)
<Alexandra Hardwick , History - Other - Ancient>