The Battle of Carrhae (53 BC): Parthians vs. the Roman Empire

but the sixth of may of the year fifty three before christ, carrae became synonymous with catastrophe. that day, in the arid plains surrounding this mesopotamian city, forty thousand roman soldiers, the most disciplined and feared legions in the world, were massacred in one of the most humiliating defeats in military history. the sun fell without mercy. thousands of arrows cut the air in endless waves, piercing shields, penetrating armor, embedding themselves in the flesh of men who until a few hours ago considered themselves invincible. the screams of pain mixed with the deafening sound of the parthian drums. the famous roman heavy infantry that had conquered from the coasts of hispania to the mountains of greece now stood trapped, motionless, being annihilated by an enemy they could not touch. marcus licinius crassus, the richest man in rome, had marched east seeking the ultimate military glory.