Battle of Carrhae

The Battle of Carrhae was the first War fought between the Roman Republic under Crassus and the Parthian Empire.
It was a crushing defeat for the Romans, with only 10,000 men returning from an army of up to 44,000.

Crassus was a member of the First Triumvirate, along with Pompey and Julius Caesar. He was known as the richest man in Rome, so acquisition of wealth through Battle was not his motivation, unlike Julius Caesar.
However, his main success in Battle had been against Spartacus, and it appears he wanted personal prestige to rival that of Caesar’s success in the Gallic Wars.
Crassus left Rome for Syria on the 14th November 55 BCE, despite Cicero condemning the war as ‘nulla causa’, meaning without justification. Crassus used his own fortune to raise the armies for the war.

Winner:
- Surena, due to his brilliant Cavalry based strategy.
Loser:
- Crassus who outnumbered Surena, but was expecting an infantry Battle, but was defeated and killed.

7 Legions: 34-44,000 men, 4,000 light infantry
Auxiliaries and Allies:
Allied Cavalry:
- 4,000 cavalry which included 1,300 of Rome’s best horsemen, the Gallic cavalry, under his son Publius Crassus.
- 6,000 cavalry supplied by Artavasdes II.
Losses: 20,000 dead, 10,000 taken prisoner, only 10,000 survivors returned to Syria.

Crassus ignored an offer by the King of Armenia, to pass through Armenia and fortify it. Instead he marched his Army directly through the Desert of Mesopotamia.
Orodes II, the Parthian Emperor, then divided his Army, half going to conquer Armenia and half under Surena, with orders to delay Crassus in the region of Carrhae, until the two forces could combine.

Surena’s strategy was to prevent the superior numbers of Roman Infantry from engaging his own smaller Army. He therefore relied on the tactics of fast cavalry strikes and arrow showers from a distance.
Surena was completely successful in preventing a full frontal confrontation. Few of the Roman casualties were from hand to hand fighting. Roman armour was insufficient against arrow attacks.
The bulk of Roman losses and casualties were the result of the disorganised retreat to Syria, which turned into a rout. Once the Army turned and fled, it became easy prey to be hunted down by bands of cavalry.
The majority of wounds were inflicted by arrows not by swords, and the majority of the losses occurred after, not during the Battle, from loss of blood from these wounds, often by multiple arrow hits.

It was the first Battle between the Roman Empire and the Parthian Empire.
The Battle resulted in a loss of prestige for Rome, and ended any future Roman attempt to expand to the East. Instead the Romans fortified Syria and always kept eight legions in the east.
A Balance of Power was established between the Ancient World’s two greatest Empires, Rome and Parthia, based on a combination of Diplomacy and War. Each side attempted to control the neighbouring Client Kingdoms. The Roman Armies were to make ten attempts to capture Ctesiphon, the Capital of the Parthian Empire. But Parthia was always confident it could repeat the success of the Battle of Carrhae.

The War led to the Loss of Armenia as a Roman Ally under Artavasdes II King of Armenia:
Previously Armenia had been loyal to Rome after Pompey had invaded the country and forced Tigranes the Great, father of Artavasdes II, to submit.
But during the Battle of Carrhae, Parthia had invaded Armenia and it became a Parthian vassal state.
Later, in 36 BCE Mark Anthony invaded Armenia and Artavasdes II again became a Roman Client King. But when Mark Anthony left to invade Atropatene, in Parthia, Artavasdes II reverted to his alliance with Parthia. Mark Anthony then had to retreat from Parthia, through Armenia, where he lost a quarter of his men.
In 34 BCE Mark Anthony invaded Armenia again, captured Artavasdes II. He was brought back to Alexandria and paraded through the streets in chains with his family, in a copy of a Roman Triumph.
In 31 BCE Artavasdes II was executed by Queen Cleopatra VII after the Battle of Actium.

In 20 BCE Augustus negotiated with the Parthian Emperor Phraates IV. In exchange for the return of his son, and the acceptance of an Italian wife who became Queen Musa of Parthia, the lost Eagles of the Legions and surviving prisoners were returned.

This was 33 years after the Battle of Carrhae and Augustus celebrated their return by housing the Eagles in a specially built Temple, minting new coins, and declaring that Parthia had submitted to Rome in his Res Gestae Divi Augusti.

Harran (Carrhae), Turkey