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 outnumbered, used heavily armed and armored horsemen, called "cataphracts," in conjunction with horse archers to defeat the Roman heavy infantry. The horse archers would shoot 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 would feign 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.

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.

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)

A useful summary:

• Battle of Carrhae