Battle of Carrhae
From Freepedia
| Carrhae | |
|---|---|
| Image:Augustus Carrhae standard.jpg A Parthian returning X Legion standard captured at Carrhae, on a Roman coin struck in 19 BC | |
| Conflict: Unofficial | |
| Date: 53 BC | |
| Place: Near Carrhae (Harran) | |
| Outcome: Decisive Parthian victory | |
| Combatants | |
| Roman Republic | Parthia |
| Commanders | |
| Marcus Licinius Crassus | Surena |
| Strength | |
| 44,000-52,000 | 10,000 |
| Casualties | |
| 4,000 wounded, 20,000 dead, 10,000 captured | Minimal |
The Battle of Carrhae was a decisive battle fought in the year 53 BC near the town of Carrhae (now the present-day ruins of Harran, Turkey) between the Roman Republic under the Roman general Crassus and the Parthian Empire under the Parthian general Surena. It was one of the greatest defeats the Republic ever suffered. The Parthians, while overwhelmingly outnumbered, used 1000 heavily armed and armored horsemen, called "cataphracts," in conjunction with 9000 horse archers to defeat the Roman heavy infantry. The horse archers shot endless volleys of arrows into the densely packed formation of the Roman legionnaires, literally pinning them to the ground and to their shields. To sustain their barrage, the Parthians employed camels to carry additional loads of arrows.
When the Romans attempted to charge the horse archers, the Parthians followed their custom of feigning retreat, shoot arrows at the enemy while fleeing (known as the "Parthian shot"), wheel back, and crush the enemy with their cataphracts. If the Romans tried to form into a protective testudo, the cataphracts would charge, and the legionnaires would be unable to fight effectively due to their tight formation. The Romans' large scuta gave them some measure of protection against the volleys of arrows, but some soldiers even collapsed from thirst and heat exhaustion although unwounded. The Parthian arrows were devastating, "When Publius urged them to charge the enemy's mail-clad horsemen, they showed him that their hands were riveted to their shields and their feet nailed through and through to the ground, so that they were helpless either for flight or for self-defence."
During the battle, Crassus' son Publius was slain and his head was put on a pike for the legionnaires to see. Crassus himself was slain after the battle. His head was sent to the Parthian king, Orodes II.
An important implication of this battle was that it opened up the European continent to a new and beautiful material: silk. The Romans that managed to survive the battle reported seeing brilliant, shimmering banners (apparently made of silk) used by the Parthians as they slaughtered the fleeing legions. As interest in Europe grew for this material, the Silk Road was extended from China to Western Europe, beginning one of the greatest and richest trade routes in history.
One result of the disaster for the Romans was the endurance of a myth that legionary armies could not successfully fight Parthian cavalry - a myth that even the sacking of the Parthian capital three times in the 2nd century could not end.
See also
The only two records of the battle:
- Plutarch's Life of Crassus, 23-27 (Online)
- Cassius Dio's Roman History, 40:21-4 (Online)
An in-depth description:
A useful summary:
