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Less well reported are the triumphs of the later Sassanid Persian Empire over Rome, culminating in the crushing defeat of Emperor Valerian at Edessa. "A great battle took place beyond Carrhae and Edessa between us and Caesar Valerian," reads the inscription carved on a rocky outcrop at Naqsh-e Rustam in Iran.
The Battle of Carrhae (Latin pronunciation:) was fought in 53 BC between the Roman Republic and the Parthian Empire near the ancient town of Carrhae (present-day Harran, Turkey). An invading force of seven legions of Roman heavy infantry under Marcus Licinius Crassus was lured into the desert and decisively defeated by a mixed cavalry army of ...
- 53 BC
- Parthian victory [a] [1]
- Near Carrhae ( Harran ), Upper Mesopotamia
Jul 2, 2019 · The Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE was one of the greatest military catastrophes in all of Roman history when a hero of the Spartacus campaign, Marcus Licinius Crassus (115-53 BCE), initiated an unprovoked invasion of Parthian territory (modern Iran).
- Donald L. Wasson
- What happened at the Battle of Carrhae?The Battle of Carrhae was an unprovoked attack on Parthia and proved significant because it was one of the greatest military catastrophes of all Ro...
- What was different about the Parthian army?The Parthian army was different, unlike anything the Romans had ever seen. They did not have an infantry, depending completely on their cavalry who...
- Who were the cataphracts?The cataphracts were armored camels with lightly-armored lance-carrying mounted archers. They were swift-moving and rapid-firing. They emphasized m...
- How was the Roman legionary equipped?The Roman legionary was equipped with the pilum (a heavy javelin) and the gladius Hispaniensis (a short stabbing sword). He wore a bronze helmet, s...
- Why did the Romans lose the Battle of Carrhae?The Romans lost at Carrhae Crassus' greed and ambition, which blinded him to the realities of war in the east. At Carrhae he showed the failure of...
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Mar 23, 2023 · These two visions appeared destined to clash. They finally came to blows with Crassus and Carrhae. Spare a thought for the Hellenistic kingdoms caught between these two growing superpowers. The once mighty Successor kingdom, the Seleucid Empire, became sandwiched between them – its demise ensued.
- Tristan Hughes
Feb 22, 2023 · Unnamed daughter (by Fulvia Plautilla) (RIC IV Caracalla 367) Death: Caracalla was killed by his soldiers on April 8, 217 CE on the road between Edessa and Carrhae (in modern-day Turkey). (Cassius Dio, Roman History, 79.6) (Herodian 4.13) Bust of Caracalla, Altes Museum, Berlin, February 2023.
The Roman emperor Caracalla was assassinated on the road from Edessa to Carrhae (now Harran) by one of his guards in 217. Edessa became one of the frontier cities of the province of Osroene and lay close to the border of the Sasanian Empire .
On April 8, 217, he was ignominiously murdered on the road between Edessa and Carrhae (modern Urfa and Harran, respectively, in southeastern Turkey) on order of his Praetorian Prefect Macrinus, who, for good reason, feared his suspicious and capricious imperial master.
