What Happened in the Aftermath of Carrhae? (53 BC) DOCUMENTARY

What happened to the Roman Army in the aftermath of the Battle of Carrhae? Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: ow.ly/V8py30siJJK
The battle of Carrhae between the Roman Army and Parthian Army stands as one of the great military disasters of history. Justifiably, much attention is spent discussing the various factors of the campaign and battle which ultimately led to the defeat. However lost in this analysis is the human story of those who experienced the realities of war. In this video we walk in the shoes of the doomed Roman army to recreate the aftermath of Carrhae.
We begin by discussing what voices of the past have to tell us of the event in the first place. It turns out that many writings from antiquity discuss the battle but only two, the account of Plutarch and Cassius Dio, give us enough granularity to understand what happened on the ground level. It is these sources which serve as the narrative base for our episode but the viewer is warned of the potential biases involved in taking their words at face value.
Our history documentary provides a quick recap on how Crassus ended up at the Battle of Carrhae and the dilemma he was faced when general Surena surrounded the legions with his mounted force of Parthian Horse Archers and Cataphracts. We then cover the blow by blow unravelling of the Roman army as it is ripped apart and hunted across the deserts back to Syria.
Other related episodes on the Battle of Carrhae:
What Was Crassus Thinking? - The "fool" of Carrhae • What Was Crassus Think...
Roman POWs in China? - The Fate of Crassus's Lost Legions • Roman POWs in China? -...
Deadly Moments in History - Avenging Crassus • Deadly Moments in Hist...
Sources and Suggested Reading:
Plutarch, "Life of Crassus" Chapter 23
Cassius Dio, "Roman History Book XL" Chapter 20
Credits:
Research = Invicta
Writing = Invicta
Narration = Invicta
Artwork = Penta Limited
Editing = Penta Limited
#History
#Documentary
#Rome

[@InvictaHistory]

We flip sides and cover the history of the eastern horse archers on this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/iaW8qaZtf617m6c

[@Akeraton]

Hey Invicta, wasnt foot archers supposed to have a better accuracy and area of shoot tham mounted archers,

[@IranPrince]

You use the name Parthians instead of Iranians!!! This is wrong! We had in Europe Romans and in the middle east there was Iran. Using a wrong name could be confusing and missleading!!!

[@nenenindonu]

A collective series about the worst Roman defeats in history would be a great concept battles like Pliska, Yarmouk, Manzikert, Cannae are some catastrophic ones I can think of

[@InvictaHistory]

There's plenty of content along those lines but I think we can find a fresh take on it along the lines of these "aftermath" episodes

[@neutralfellow9736]

all people do is cover Roman defeats lol, they are far more popular already in pop history than Roman victories

[@TheSuperhoden]

There's a book called "enemies of Rome", its good book.

[@johnquach8821]

Don't forget Adrianople. That was the beginning of the Western Empire being overrun by the Goths.

[@flaviusstilicho397]

So as Adrianople Teutoburg forest Arausio Edessa Abritus Samarra

[@AndreLuis-gw5ox]

"Erro crasso", or "Crassus error" is a something we say in Brazil to point out a huge mistake or blunder

[@Juanhop]

In Spain too!!!, "Craso error"

[@Deridus]

"Cobras fumantes, Crassus!" The Parthians.

[@LOLquendoTV]

In Spanish too, Craso error, but this is coincidental. Craso just comes from the old latin word for big/fat.

[@murilovitale3135]

@@LOLquendoTV Yeah, it is the same in portuguese, i don't think it has any relation to Crassus

[@Cor6196]

In English too, the word “crass” means “gross” or “rude” (“He told me a really crass joke”) but as LordDarius points out, it’s derived from the Latin word “crassus,” meaning “thick” or “gross.” Since the Roman cognomen (the third name) was originally a nickname, I wonder if the family acquired it because an ancestor was obese or some kind of slob!

[@oldcity1954]

I read somewhere, an emissary from the Persian Surena, spoke with Crassus. It was asked "What do you want?" Crassus replied "You will get it at Ctesiphon". To wit the Persian replied "You will see Ctesiphon when hair grows on the palm of my hand"

[@ftahmasebi9059]

That is correct

[@ramtin5152]

Wasn't it Seleucia instead of Ctesiphon ?

[@ftahmasebi9059]

@@ramtin5152 No it was Ctesiphon or in Persian we pronounce it Teesphoon. Arabs call it Madaae'n. Crassus said I will answer your question in Ctesiphon and Surena told him " If you see a sting of hair in the palm of my hand then you'll see Ctesiphon " which means dream on

[@ramtin5152]

@@ftahmasebi9059 It was Seleucia Watch kings and generals video about battle of Carrhae It wasn't Surena who said that it was the envoy of king Orodes II

[@ftahmasebi9059]

@@ramtin5152 I know that , that’s the westerner version of the story but in Iran, among history instructors, they believe, it was the face to face meeting of Surena and Crassus before the beginning of the war. Apart from all that, Crassus mentioned the name of Ctesiphon to answer his question.

[@saeedbarkhordar5244]

Crassus : I came , I was blind , I got my ass kicked .

[@persian_tankman]

Lol🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@user-bs5ik9gh3t]

😂

[@SrJomba]

"Veni, caecus fui, culum verberatum est"

[@AsiniusNaso]

One of my favorite post-battle stories is that the battle of Waterloo caused a boom in the dental industry, as thousands of dentures were made from the fallen soldiers’ teeth. I imagine the looting of the Roman legions caused quite an economic stir in Parthia.

[@markanthony1004]

I like how you pointed this out. It’s something we tend to not think about, but is significant information

[@lkmjin]

I bet they used Roman shields as lunch plates

[@garrettelgin4742]

Lots of Parthian warriors were probably rocking looted Pugio daggers and Gladii after Carrhae

[@Dma112288]

Freaking out while reloading a musket..

[@mnk9073]

Ruining the arms trade for years, having to buy and sell swords and armour by weight... not to mention the flood of red and "red" dyed fabrics.

[@article1372]

Another thing was that in the beginning engagement of Carrhae, Surena ordered the charge of his cataphracts, thinking that they would make quick work of the legion's defensive positions, he quickly adjusted the strategy as he saw that the heavy cavalry was locked in battle and was quickly losing ground. In addition, in the aftermath of the battle, Surena was executed by the king of Parthia, as he feared the fame and power he had gathered with his military success (or so speculated)

[@ryansmith8345]

Although the story of his assassination by the order of the emperor is total speculation which is worth mentioning. Hence it might not be true !

[@article1372]

@@ryansmith8345 that too. but then again, most of the history we know has gone so back and forth because of how biased some sources appear to be. I would also leave it at speculation.

[@Kublaioi]

@Conquistador no

[@rockinflemingo3075]

@Conquistador House of Suren was a big clan at the time, if it's true,Romans might have killed a member and proclaimed him Surena

[@rashnuofthegoldenscales4512]

@Conquistador In Roman dreams, only 🤡

[@TimDyck]

An interesting note is that one of the survivors of Carrhae was Gaius Cassius Longinus also simply known as Cassius. He would go on to defeat a Parthian attempted invasion befor becoming one of the leaders of Caesar's assassination. He would lead the liberators until his death at the Battle of Philippi

[@florentinoariza4026]

Unfortunately for the Surena, this victory cost him his head. Fearing that this victory will increase Surena's popularity and threaten his kingship, King Orodes II had him executed.

[@burntbread6575]

Damn that is actually fucked up. I wonder how he would have affected things further in parthia and beyond if he lived.

[@Bubbles99718]

There's no pleasing some people

[@edward1676]

What a waste..

[@peterplotts1238]

Evidently, King Orodes was a proto-Stalin.

[@peterplotts1238]

@@Bubbles99718 Ambition should be unseen.

[@rick43pen]

Some people seem to think the Roman was this fantastic fighting army that never lost. The truth is that Rome lost many battles. What made Rome great was their ability to raise new legions quickly and re-engage the enemy. For them it was often victory by means of attrition.

[@davidcole2331]

Bit like the Russians then

[@neonknight-1522]

@@davidcole2331 thats one of the dumbest comparisons ive ever seen

[@robertgiles9124]

Making general statements about armies tha spanned several centuries is plain silly. Different armies and very different Leaders. It was all over the map literally and figuratively.

[@robertgiles9124]

@@davidcole2331 In some ways at some Battles...yes.

[@robertgiles9124]

@@neonknight-1522 Even though it's true in some Battles.

[@rjwohlman]

Well done. Such a wild story and you did a great job telling it! Excellent channel.

[@InvictaHistory]

Thanks again to all for your support! You can catch episode previews, vote on topics, and download awesome episode art on our Patreon: www.patreon.com/InvictaHistory

[@russellwilliams9487]

I was going to do it but I need my permission

[@fazi4632]

@@velstadtvonausterlitz2338 your hate is our pleasure hate us more

[@fazi4632]

@@velstadtvonausterlitz2338 that's good too because who hate their saviours show they are ungrateful and if ungratefull's hate us that's make us happier more thank you to notice that 🙏

[@kingstannisbaratheon7974]

Hey Invicta, do you happen to know the name of the song at 10:45 to 12:38 ?

[@UNKNOWN000247]

I would also add Adrianople

[@JamiesDay]

I'm always amazed at the artwork and animations you provide along with awesome story telling! Thanks so much ❤️😁

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

*62 years after the Battle of Carrhae* Augustus: "...And that was the story of how we lost a great amount of soldiers in Parthia" Germanicus: "Woah, grandfather. That Crassus man really messed up with the enemy, doesn't he?" Augustus: "Yeah, boy. Glad things have changed since then and our men are now much more efficent than..." Slave: "Excuse me, Caesar. But a soldier from Varus' division in Germany has brought you news. They're about something that happened in Teutoburg..."

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

@The Philosoraptor "QUINCTILIUS VARUS, WHERE ARE MY EAGLES?! GIVE ME BACK MY LEGIONS!!!".

[@dembro27]

Augustus: *tears out hair and bangs head on doorpost*

[@OptimusMaximusNero]

@@velstadtvonausterlitz2338 Germanicus: "Ok, grandfather. C'mon, Gaius. We must lead our troops" 2 years old Caligula: "My zizter Druzilla iz pretty cute!" *Plays with a wooden sword*

[@alex_zetsu]

Well, at least the Romans would beat the Parthians after this, never suffering such defeats like Carrhae and in fact sacking many Parthian cities.

[@ramtin5152]

@@velstadtvonausterlitz2338 But the Parthians retaliated that by defeating Mark Antony

[@ImperiumRomanumYT]

Great narration, highly interesting and often overlooked topic and awesome artwork. Well done once again!

[@ChrisSnowman]

Perfect timing ! I was just wanting to watch one of your videos! :)

[@theicepickthatkilledtrotsk658]

That day was a great loss for Rome. Say what you want about Crassus but he played a crucial role in the Roman politics of the time and his son seemed to have a bright future ahead.

[@ryansmith8345]

Rome got wrecked & then humiliated by its own archrival which had the lower numbers & weaker equipments... It changed the entire future of Rome.

[@aaroncousins4750]

@@ryansmith8345 equipment doesnt really matter when your fighting with swords. If it pierces the skin it will do.

[@ryansmith8345]

@@aaroncousins4750 But it will not "do" if your enemy has a better armor ! At least it will not "do" as easy as you thought it would.

[@Constance_tinople]

@@ryansmith8345 they both wore chainmail, they’re pretty equally in quality

[@ryansmith8345]

@@Constance_tinople Rome had better shields & Armors & swords & bows ! This is undeniable.

[@GaudiaCertaminisGaming]

The novel 'Winter Quarters' by Alfred Duggan details the experience of a Gaulish cavalryman at Cannae. It’s very good. Gets right into the head of the man.

[@Archer-op9cp]

its Carrhae, mate, Cannae was Hannibal`s masterpiece, a couple of centuries before

[@akshaykumarjha9136]

Thanks. I'll look into it.

[@nsb8816]

@@Archer-op9cp I guess Gaulish cavalryman were used in both Cannae and Carrhae

[@braydenlovetere4545]

Great video! Keep it up. Love this channel.

[@yaboyed5779]

I get so excited whenever I recognize the references to the art used, love how u used them✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾

[@InvictaHistory]

Reenactors end up becoming ancient generals!

[@yaqubleis6311]

This battle is legendary

[@ramtin5152]

You know what else is legendary ? kzbin.infoPxupVBE7eTg?feature=share The Immortals

[@FirstOfTheMagi]

Really love this perspective and more nuanced view on the defeat. Please do more Aftermath videos!

[@danielbeita9277]

Fffg to proof of q

[@markanthony1004]

Rome, unlike many ancient militaries, actually learned from their defeats. Instead of sitting idle they changed and compromised. Outside of Carthage they knew when to offer mercy and diplomacy.

[@aryaa7069]

Unlike the Iranian empires unfortunately. We never learned from our defeats and our arrogance and underestimation of our enemies eventually let to our own downfall.

[@hammer86_]

Thank you for citing your sources.

[@amiirezashojaee5291]

- O fallen wretched one of Rome, Hair will grow at palm of my hand before you get the sight of Ctesiphon. Parthian ambassador to Crassus after being told that the answer will be given in the parthian capital

[@ramtin5152]

Wasn't it Seleucia instead of Ctesiphon ?

[@pablodesilvestro831]

Great job! Awesome and detailed explanation

[@erinaltstadt4234]

You are an excellent story teller, thank you

[@dawnsparrow4477]

A wonderful historical coverage video

[@szulu9]

Very good video. Exactly the angle i've been wondering about. "What about the immediate few hours and days after a big battle or siege?", has been something i've always wanted to know.

[@Bubbles99718]

Horror stories dotted thru history. And they're never told

[@ramtin5152]

2:49 Correction : 35,000 Legionaries Though the Parthians looked more like the Sassanid Aswaran or light Dehqan infantry, the video was great and unbiased and i loved it I'd like to see the battle of mount Gindarus and Mark Antony Atropatene campaign too

[@LookHereMars]

Great video. Thank you Invicta.

[@mikooou]

Absolutely Fantastic Content!

[@johnbockman6078]

I read in Robert Graves's "I, Claudius" that Augustus was pleased to get the eagles back but was somewhat taken aback at how few former POWs opted to return home. 33 years is a long time, and a lot of them already had children or even grandchildren. According to Wikipedia, "There is a myth that some of the modern-day residents of Zhelaizhai (now Liqian village, in Jiaojiazhuang township) are descendants of a group of Roman soldiers that were never accounted for... However, eminent Chinese authorities, modern genetic studies, and archaeologists have debunked this theory."

[@Hellston20a]

The "Chinese Romans" theory is likely a myth because no Roman artifacts were ever unearthed in any part of China. The most intriguing evidence for this theory is Chinese reports of encounters with phalanxes. But those could equally well have been hoplites from Greco-Bactrian or Indo-Greek kingdoms. This is not a partisan issue, since modern Chinese have great respect for Romans and Latin culture (in comparison, they absolutely piss on Germanic, especially Anglo-Saxon culture), and they would be honored by Roman heritage.

[@Emp6ft10in]

That was a great book, but in the end it was fiction. In real life I doubt the enemy let any of that Roman legion live. We will never know.

[@sina-alavi1962]

@@Emp6ft10in even to this day we have Latin speaking villages in Iran and city of Dezful in Iran is famous for being made for and by roman prisoners of war . there were other cities inhabited by roman captives and former soldiers like "Weh Antiok Khosrow" in sassanid era.

[@mikepette4422]

modern day chinese also believe by state decree that chinese are superior to everyone else.

[@johnbockman6078]

@@mikepette4422Therefore?

[@Amen-Magi]

Crassus called himself Alexander II.The Parthians thought that the Romans were as intelligent as Alexander and attacked from two points.king self went to Armenia with 50k and Sorena went west with10k.Imagine if the Romans met a king army

[@alixoxofr9232]

Alexander attack is lie. don't believe those bullshits.

[@DanMcLeodNeptuneUK]

Amazing video, the information and history is fascinating and the artwork sublime!

[@t.j.payeur5331]

Good work, thanks!

[@michaeldunne338]

Will there be a review of subsequent events like the Parthian incursions of Syria circa 52/51 BC; and actions of Cassius Longinus (and even of Cicero, from Cilicia)?

[@phyrr2]

Hands down, I always prefer Invicta's content and delivery compared to all the other channels covering similar content.

[@AJ-et3vf]

awesome video! Thank you!

[@Emerald_Wolf]

Fantastic work

[@Truly1Tom]

Gaius Cassius Longinus made good his escape and got away from the debacle which was the remains of the Roman army of Marcus Licinnius Crassus and wound up being the acting Governor of Syria 🇸🇾 province although he was only a mere Quaestor which was the Roman junior magistrate who handled the monies for the province. He by all accounts gave the Parthians a good trouncing in battle a year later when they sought to invade Syria province. In 54 BC, Cassius joined Marcus Licinius Crassus in his eastern campaign against the Parthian Empire. In 53 BC, Crassus suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Carrhae in Northern-Mesopotamia losing two-thirds of his army. Cassius led the remaining troops' retreat back into Syria, and organised an effective defence force for the province. Based on Plutarch's account, the defeat at Carrhae could have been avoided had Crassus acted as Cassius had advised. According to Dio, the Roman soldiers, as well as Crassus himself, were willing to give the overall command to Cassius after the initial disaster in the battle, which Cassius "very properly" refused. The Parthians also considered Cassius as equal to Crassus in authority, and superior to him in skill.[12] In 51 BC, Cassius was able to ambush and defeat an invading Parthian army under the command of prince Pacorus and general Osaces. He first refused to do battle with the Parthians, keeping his army behind the walls of Antioch (Syria's most important city) where he was besieged. When the Parthians gave up the siege and started to ravage the countryside, he followed them with his army harrying them as they went. The decisive encounter came on October 7 as the Parthians turned away from Antigonea. As they set about their return journey they were confronted by a detachment of Cassius' army, which faked a retreat and lured the Parthians into an ambush. The Parthians were suddenly surrounded by Cassius' main forces and defeated. Their general Osaces died from his wounds, and the rest of the Parthian army retreated back across the Euphrates.[1

[@liamcullen5105]

Crassus went to Parthia for gold, and well… he got it Just not in the way he planned

[@richardlilley6274]

Thank you for sharing

[@robbabcock_]

Great video!

[@Saurophaganax1931]

Part of me thought it a shame that the Romans couldn’t find the energy to rally at the city of Carrhae and hold out until messengers could bring reinforcements, but the other part of me remembers that they were the invaders in this scenario and, if their fortunes had been reversed, they’d have been just as merciless to their Parthian counterparts; if not more so.

[@TheColombiano89]

Amazing victory by the Parthians.

[@fazi4632]

as Iranian I must say we don't write our history, our enemy and foreigners write about us .

[@ShayaN9776]

Thank you. Surena was a great general we proved of him.

[@persianguy1524]

Persians whooping Romans happened pretty frequently

[@Ahmetivren]

@@ShayaN9776 And your orodes ll the king executed him after this war

[@servantofsusa]

​@@persianguy1524they were parthain not Persian

[@diogohipolito560]

I really love your content! For real, thanks for the amazing video as always. If I can just give you some constructive criticism, it's about the name pronunciation. I would love to hear you pronounce it in the original latin sound when making these videos. Specially "Dio", hearing people saying "Die-o" kinda bothers me, it's pronounced "Dío".

[@Gibbinifuggs]

So flipping epic! Grim& astounding - taking intellect to next-level.

[@kamelanbidar3920]

Parthian horse archers are one of my fav ancient warriors

[@dillonblair6491]

You should look into Battle of the Echinades in 1427, as far as I can tell, it was the last Byzantine victory that wasn't a siege

[@tylerellis9097]

Ngl that Victory is depressing.

[@KingOfDust]

No such thing as Byzantine. It's never been a real thing.

[@HellenicWolf]

great video man

[@tropics8407]

Great perspective 👏👏

[@ryansmith8345]

A very well done narrative 👏 👍 You tried your damnest to stay out of personal biases as a true historian should be :) This is why I like your channel, plz never be tempted to any personal biases & always try to see from different perspectives & check out all the accounts. A small note that most don't know & you forgot to mention : *Carrhae was from far a desert !!! Actually it's located in north western Syria & more closer to modern day Turkey ; the battlefield was actually a vast plane of grass with a good climate not a desert* !

[@Bubbles99718]

Centurion was a great movie about this topic. A small group survives a battle and simply tries to survive their way out. History most definitely stops rt has the battle does but holy smokes, to live it, what a nightmare

[@gandalfstormcrow2486]

Awesome topic!

[@ImCorey40]

Favorite history channel !

[@yllbardh]

Crassus: "I'm the richest man on the world, let me buy an army" World to Crassus: "Just because you can buy an army that doesn't make you a general"

[@whitneydylan1]

a video about the real reach of the roman empire would be amazing. like whats the farthest place a roman ever traveled, or was taken as prisoner. what did those cultures think about them ect.

[@damionkeeling3103]

There's a difference between the Roman Empire and the farthest a Roman traveled. They engaged with trade across Asia and it's likely that some would have visited the Greek-based kingdoms (set up after Alexander the Great's campaigns) around what is now northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.

[@thyweebo]

excellent work m8

[@edwardgriffin7229]

This was awesome I heard about this in high school. That was 32 years ago. Thanks for that memory and it was a real good story better than when I heard about it when I was in high school "good job on the information, and the video. It was pretty cool to hear again.

[@denizen9998]

It's hard to feel sorry for Crassus, himself, who had crucified Spartacus and his followers.

[@damionkeeling3103]

He was an opportunist hoping to get a military victory to make himself look good. He wasn't there protecting some weak tribe. Why would anyone feel sorry for his defeat. People should instead celebrate Surena's victory which saved the people of Parthia from Roman looting and enslavement.

[@a_l7515]

@@damionkeeling3103 Sadly, Surena was executed by the Iranian King Orodes due to jealousy.

[@avalle4493]

Surena get so little recognition that is amazing. Yes Crassus make mistakes but i dont think of other comander that could've pull such a total victory in that conditions.

[@avalle4493]

@علي ياسر Yes but Surena had only 10,000 men. I doubt that another persian general was as outnumbered as Surena.

[@photodom2000]

I love the graphics used in this video.

[@michaellewis5200]

That would be a very interesting video, to chart to movements of captives from Parthia to other local empires at the time.

[@Larckening]

I'm curious to know how this battle affected future Roman strategies in case of been surrounded by horse archers.

[@ryansmith8345]

They learned from their mistakes very late.

[@InvictaHistory]

Basically all future eastern campaigns brought along more light troops. Eventually the eastern Roman forces would also field their own horse archers and cataphracts

[@MithradatesVIEupator]

Example: Should have learned from the Seleucids earlier.. They reformed their Cataphracts into Cataphract Horse Archers and utilized horse archer mercenaries from Armenia and the far East. Romans always found a way to adjust their tactics obviously, but at the cost of numerous lives/battlefield blunders.. The famed Bucellarii centuries later would be just what the Romans needed.

[@Fuhrerjehova]

@@InvictaHistory It feels like horse arachers could be countered by... Arachers. Archers should have better aim and range.

[@juanzulu1318]

Interestingly, the crusaders, many centuries later, also faced horse archers. But they were able to adapt rather quickly.

[@ahmarelvirgio823]

The most disaster is Parthian King excecuted his general Surena for defeating Crassus

[@rjweiss1]

Awesome content as always!

[@MsDubstepFTW]

love the total war attilla soundtrack in the background 💯

[@seanpour6742]

As a student of history, after reading some of the comments here about the Parthian soldiers looting the Romans after the battle of Carrhae, I had to clarify something here. First of all, one of the reasons Rome attacked the domain of Parthian Empire was because of Parthia´s legendry treasures of gold and also the desire to reach the Silk Road trades. It is very naive to say that parthian soldiers looted the Romans after the battle of Carrhae since the typical Roman soldier had not much to offer in terms of personal wealth. In the other hand, the typical Parthian soldier would wear gold jewelry such as rings, bracelets and necklaces even when going into battle, a tradition left from the time of Achaemenid Persia. Second of all, Parthians were not nomadic hordes like the Mongols of Genghis Khan. At this period of time, Parthians were not nomadic tribes but a civilized people who settled in great cities having a professional, disciplined and well equipped standing army. Parthian army´s weaponry was better than the Romans in terms of quality which is due to the great advancements in Persian metalworking industry at that period. Roman and also Greek historians testify to this fact by stating that the Parthian heavy lances could run through two Roman legioners at the same time and a Parthian barbed arrow could penetrate Roman metal breast plates and shields or legioner´s skin, flesh and bone with the same ease. Also, unlike what the British or folks in Hollywood portray in the movies as the native Indian Braves greedily going for the American rifles after wiping out the U.S seventh cavalry regiment in the battle of The Little Bighorn or the disciplined Zulu warriors stealing the British muskets after destroying the British first and second infantry battalions in the battle of Isandlwana, Parthians did not have the need to loot the Roman dead soldiers for any reason... or at least there is no mention of this sort of thing in any recorded history.

[@DanFromIran]

Thank you for sharing your insight

[@nervsouly]

As a gamer, I can confirm that looting of your defeated enemies should come natural as in most cases the corpses will despawn after a certain period of time and you might find a use for the items later on in your playthrough.

[@LegoSwordViedos]

Hmm their is metal and gold there. will I take it? parthian.... nah....

[@seanpour6742]

@@LegoSwordViedos Why do the Parthians need the Roman metal for?!

[@Jhajjasj]

I do not know if this was a military blunder, it was the first time the Romans faced another empire that could rival them.

[@Spiderfisch]

No one loses to an army 1/4th its size without doing any major mistakes

[@Jhajjasj]

@@Spiderfisch not really, roman have many battles where they were 1/4 of their size. I think this is West versus East bias if west lost it was a mistake versus if the east lost it was a loss not a mistake. I have seen this many times.

[@Historyfan476AD]

Carthage.

[@tommylawton6253]

“Walk a mile in the sandles of the Romans” love that 😂 I was expecting you to say “shoes”

[@kurtlovef150]

I love these aftermath videos

[@thebackyard7661]

if you ever played mount & blade II: bannerlord you would know how painfull it is to fight horse-archers as a contingent of heavy infantrymen...

[@profesorstevabakmaz4822]

Or any Mount & Blade game :)

[@jemzbundzdobo7310]

the parthians fought rome to a stalemate, everytime rome capture small parts of parthian territories the parthians retook it back, parthians and sassanids cavalry armies make the classic legion obsolete, late roman armies later copy eastern cataphracts and re-introduce the spear as the main weapon of the roman army.

[@arshamthedefiler4006]

Cataphracts are the early version of full iron clad Meadival knights.

[@Historyfan476AD]

Scary thing is even in many modern armies today, many officers and higher ups are also not that talented either.

[@ap9812]

That is why I don't get people looking down on Marcus Antonius for failed Parthia invasion at least he got out alive and took Armenia, no other roman was able to conquer Parthia

[@celter.45acp98]

12:00 those city walls bust have been the most beautiful thing those roman soldiers had ever seen

[@markuhler2664]

So, anyone want to speculate that if Crassus had kept his legions in the line instead of changing to the square, that things would have gone better? Or was this just going to be a failure? I don't see Rome doing much against the horse archers at this time period. And I think withdrawal would be more difficult. This was one of those situations where the only winning move is not to play.

[@BH-wq6mc]

Crassus ego got boosted so much after he defeated Spartacus. He thot other armies were easy meat as well. There's no way this battle not taking place at all.

[@fullsendcirca9255]

Fun fact: Persian Cataracts were fully armored men mounted on an armored horse. Europe would not field any such technology for another 700 years. That’s how far ahead they were. For some who find it hard to believe: In Europe, the fashion for heavily armored Roman cavalry seems to have been a response to the Eastern campaigns of the Parthians and Sassanids in the region referred to as Asia Minor, as well as numerous defeats at the hands of Iranian cataphracts across the steppes of Eurasia, most notably in the Battle of Carrhae in upper Mesopotamia (53 BC)

[@widowmines231]

cataphracts were protected against sling shots and crudely made bows, by the standard of medival times they were basically light cavalry

[@Historyfan476AD]

that's a bogus claim since Roman began deploying cataracts as well.

[@fullsendcirca9255]

@@Historyfan476AD do your research, you are mistaken. Try not to take history personally. Call ya self a history fan? Now that’s bogus. Read more. Well I did your HW for you below

[@fullsendcirca9255]

In Europe, the fashion for heavily armored Roman cavalry seems to have been a response to the Eastern campaigns of the Parthians and Sassanids in the region referred to as Asia Minor, as well as numerous defeats at the hands of Iranian cataphracts across the steppes of Eurasia, most notably in the Battle of Carrhae in upper Mesopotamia (53 BC) @HistoryFan476AD

[@Historyfan476AD]

@@fullsendcirca9255 Your the one saying 700 years later, when that is not true and you know it. The Romans began deploying their own versions of heavy Calvary in the third century crisis.

[@jamesbulldogmiller]

Most interesting !!

[@edward1676]

THANKS MUCH...

[@aslamazmoon2999]

I am proud of my ancestors we are of surviving Parthian tribe in Iran

[@truearyan7880]

کجا؟

[@aslamazmoon2999]

@@truearyan7880 طرف ها خراسان و سیستان بلوچستان

[@persian_tankman]

بلوچها از باقیمانده های پارتیان هستند

[@damionkeeling3103]

Not sure I'd call an invading army getting their arse handed to them a human tragedy.

[@LegoSwordViedos]

I can only imagine what it would be like to be in that situation. if it was my friend crying or begging, but knowing if you stay all would die. And it is not possible to have a no man left behind when there are to many wounded, I wonder how many tried to carry the wounded, how fast could they travel.

[@RemusKingOfRome]

Excellent

[@Somewhat-Evil]

Was there any mention of Gaius Cassius Longinus (One of Julius Ceasar's killers) leading the survivors back to the city of Antioch?

[@robman102]

No not in this video but in his previous video talking about the battle he mentions him.

[@schoolofgrowthhacking]

Amazing how Alexander dominated the Persians in battle after battle with his armored infantry but the Parthians completely dominated the Roman infantry formations. Maybe if Alexander had faced the Parthians instead of the Achaemenids he would have met a similar fate?

[@HedgeYourPosition]

The Achaemenids were over 200 years old and overstretched when they were replaced, although the Parthians where around 200 years old as well by the time of this battle, what they weren't was overstretched, so that probably accounts for their 471 year existence

[@fazi4632]

as a Iranian i must say axmchaemenids was defeated before Alexander governmental corruption made peoples angry , when peoples don't like their governments that's happened you can see same result about last days of sasanis

[@HejMeeeen]

I think so..... this war tactic defeated the Seleucids.....

[@schoolofgrowthhacking]

@@fazi4632 that's a good point, I think the Achaemenids lost because of the cowardice of the leader Darius who was always fleeing in battle. They could have easily beaten Alexander several times, even at Gaugamela Alexander's left flank was on the verge of collapsing.

[@schoolofgrowthhacking]

@@HedgeYourPosition but the Parthians had only 9,000 men and literally zero infantry... And we're talking about BC here.. a thousand years before the armored knight and 1300 years before Genghis Khan...

[@brokenbridge6316]

Nice video

[@jackiereynolds2888]

Regarding the thumbnail, the painting, the illustration, or the 'plate' giving the viewer a picture of what indeed happened at Carrahe, I never expected any real confusion about the message given in the depiction. The job - neigh, the joy of the victor throughout history, was the mutilation, the defilement, the dismemberment of the enemy. Indeed, - the job of those sent out into the field after success in battle was not to relieve the vanquished of any valuables, rather - it was the delivery of a coup De grace, and shame, humil- iation, ignominy, and profound dishonor was even worse than actual loss. The treatment of both the dead as well as the dying in past wars was truly horrible. Complete mutilations (with particular methods and designs on destroying hopes and reasons), dismemberment was also common; ears, scalps, organs, and heads were all favorite 'gifts' from the both dead and dying, relieving the prostrate of clothes, teeth, jewelry, weapons, vestment and Standards - AND THEN DISPATCHING THEM, and if anyone actually lived - slaves. But this is what I believe was actually going on: like the more recent old-west in America (Custer will make you grimmace), - like the knight laying helpless out upon the field of battle during Europe's tumultuous middle ages, - I don't think it was any different in antiquity. Those people you see out among the dead and ESPECIALLY THE DYING, weren't out there for sandles or gold or weapons, they were out there doing what their descendants would also do for the next 2000 plus years - the denial of the spirit, the humiliation of the living and any memory, and the CERTITUDE of death. It was a specific title and task to lift the visor or vestiture and use a small very sharp blade to assure dispatch by severing the vein alongside the neck. "Thank God someone's finally here to stop the bleeding, stop this horrific pain, stop a certain impending demise and receiving some MUCH needed rest in any hospital" ! !🙂🙂. 😐

[@kaloarepo288]

Carrhae was supposed to have been the place where Abraham lived for a long time after he left Ur in Mesopotamia -originally called "Haran."

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

This is funny to see now because I was watching a paranormal/supernatural/high strangeness channel a couple days ago and apparently, a guy saw the ghost of a Roman while in Vietnam who actually spoke to him, saying "Memento mori". In his search for answers, supposedly a professor at Oxford apparently believes the Romans made it to Vietnam. It's a bit of a long story and I'm not sure how much I believe it but it was still interesting. If you want to take a look and a listen, it's the video "A Soldier's Ghost in Vietnam" on the channel Wartime Stories.

[@joaofranciscobento00]

I'm sure it was Biggus Dickus ghost

[@LuanMower55]

Watched it as well, really friggin cool and kinda scary to think about.

[@mitch8072]

i have a theory, there was trade between the 2 so probably a hand full of soldier or ex soldiers went a long with the traders for protection. and some settled an died in vietman

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

@@mitch8072 That's pretty much my theory. That or somehow, one or more of the men captured at Carrhae made their way into Vietnam.

[@marcosdenizatrailhiker2037]

Great story and narration. The soldier appeared to be floating in the air. Nice piece of information considering how much it rains in Viet Nam.

[@colinharbinson8284]

In the book "outside the Empire" the author (who's name escapes me!) Records that soldiers employed by a Chinese war lord were seen to form a testudo in battle. I shall have to find it and read it again!!

[@phantomwolf5468]

Always loved this story no matter how many times I hear. I seem to get more details every time I hear it😊I think it would make a good movie

[@foreverblue1646]

I never understood how Rome conquered so much without a cavalry force (They later hire Gauls but in small #'s). I guess once they were next to Steppe civilizations, no longer could expand.

[@Archer-op9cp]

There was always a small cavalry force within the legion's ranks, roughly the 10% of all the forces. Nevertheless, that was not an issue, even when they were dealing with elite numidian light horsemen, or the technologically superior seleuchid heavy cataphracts. Romans weren`t a horseriding culture anyways, and the fact they won againts such a foes with heavy reliance on cavalry arm might have contributed to made them less than prone to paid a little bit more of attention to the topic

[@db.sarvestani6554]

Also the Parthians did not hunt and slaughter the sick , the wounded and those who surrendered. In fact many were taken captive and relocated to live in relative peace in Far Easter locations of iran . Many also served as engineers helping Parthia by building bridges and other military structures

[@InvictaHistory]

It's hard to know for sure unfortunately. Based just on the accounts of Roman authors that survive they say that the Legions left behind the wounded in camp during their retreat and that when the Parthians came the next morning thousands were captured and killed. In the pursuit of the main army we then hear of more cases where units were cut down in large numbers. Again it's unfortunate that we have no other records to go on for this series of events. Even if the slaughter here is to be believed that doesn't mean it extended to other situations. As far as we can tell the Parthians were NOT known for a reputation of such indiscriminate savagery.

[@shanewoody4232]

It's important to point out that both Rome and Parthia were pre elightment societies therefore they don't have the same value on life as we do. Typically lower the life expectancy the more Savage people become.

[@PhatCunt]

of course, why kill useful slaves especially educated ones. The injured cant be put to work so they killed them

[@SH19922x]

I have no idea why you Arabs always blindly support any Arab based person or power no matter the circumstance, westerners cover all sides of every war and highly criticise their own ancestors but you people are not at that level yet nor will ever be and it's sad and pitiful.

[@nicrave6874]

What is the name of the soundtrack starting at 03:04?

[@Svensk7119]

I had heard about a Roman legion lost to Pathia, and later to China, but I did not know the battle.

[@Hellserch]

I’ve said it before but I think as much as Romans were shocked at the scale of the loss, can you imagine all those who had debts to Crassus the Lean felt when they heard about his death? Secretly overjoyed I think.

[@thijsjong]

A force mainly consisting if heavy infantry vs horse archers in open ground. What was Crasus thinking. Later expenditions had more archers and slingers.

[@InvictaHistory]

He wasn't as crazy as is made out to be. We did a whole video on "The Fool Of Carrhae" kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYqye5yYjdCXppo

[@martinarreguy2984]

In the words of Napoloen Bonaparte "History is nothing more, than lies agreed upon" Having studied both side I am incline to believe that! But we'll done, love the caveat in the introduction, that should be said about it all.

Very interesting

[@maxbiggtluffy4955]

In my opinion this is arguably far worse than the defeat at teutoburg