Carrhae: Rome's Catastrophic Defeat by Parthia (53 BCE)

53 BCE · Carrhae (Harran, Türkiye) · military

The triumvir Crassus attacked Parthia with 35,000 Roman soldiers; the light horse archers and cataphracts under the command of Surena annihilated the heavy, unarmored Roman infantry.

Crassus was beheaded and seven legionary aquilae passed into Parthian hands. Ten thousand Roman captives were settled in Margiana. | One of Rome's heaviest defeats; the introduction of Parthian mounted-archer tactics to the West; the Gladiator Ovidianus myth.

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Frequently asked questions

What was Carrhae: Rome's Catastrophic Defeat by Parthia (53 BCE)?
The triumvir Crassus attacked Parthia with 35,000 Roman soldiers; the light horse archers and cataphracts under the command of Surena annihilated the heavy, unarmored Roman infantry.
When did Carrhae: Rome's Catastrophic Defeat by Parthia (53 BCE) happen?
53 BCE
Where did Carrhae: Rome's Catastrophic Defeat by Parthia (53 BCE) take place?
Carrhae (Harran, Türkiye)