The swift-shooting Parthians, led by an unknown military genius called the Surenas (leader of the clan Suren), not only defeated the Romans – they obliterated them. Subsequent Roman armies would also fail against the Parthians, but Crassus’ forlorn force was the worst Roman military disaster on land since the massacre inflicted by Hannibal at Cannae in 216 BC.
In the spring of 53 BC, Crassus’ army of nearly 38,000 men, of which 30,000 plus were Roman legionaries, crossed into Parthian territory. His Syrian and Arab scouting cavalry chased the all-cavalry Parthian force out into the arid flatlands. The legions followed as Surenas’ cavalry forces goaded Crassus onward. After days of marching in the sandy plains, the Romans’ Arab scouts fled, and suddenly 10,000 Parthian horsemen appeared out of the heat haze.
