Carrhae 53 BC

Rome's Disaster in the Desert

Nic Fields, Seán Ó’Brógáin

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English

Osprey
01 November 2022

History; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Battles & campaigns

Series: Campaign

Explores the critical battle of Carrhae, a fascinating tale of treachery, tactics, and topography in which Rome experienced one of its most humiliating defeats.

The Battle of Carrhae is from a heady moment in Roman history – that of the clever carve-up of power between the ‘First Triumvirate’ of Caius Iulius Caesar, Cnaeus Pompeius Magnus and Marcus Licinius Crassus (the Roman general who had famously put down the Spartacan revolt). It is a fascinating tale of treachery, tactics, and topography in which Rome experienced one of its most humiliating defeats at the hands of the Parthians, not far from a trade-route town hunkered down on the fringes of the arid wastes of northern Mesopotamia, sending shock waves through the Roman power structure.

In this work, classical historian Dr Nic Fields draws out the crucial psychological and political factors (including Crassus’ lust for military glory and popular acclaim) that played a key role in this brutal battle. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Parthian general Surena's horsemen completely outmanoeuvered Crassus' legionaries, killing or capturing most of the Roman soldiers. The detailed battlescene artworks reveal the tactics and techniques of the Parthian horse archers, and Roman and Parthian equipment and weaponry, and the approach to battle is clearly explained in 2d maps and 3D bird's-eye views.

By: Nic Fields
Illustrated by: Seán Ó’Brógáin
Imprint: Osprey
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 248mm, Width: 184mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781472849045
ISBN 10: 1472849043
Series: Campaign
Pages: 96
Publication Date: 01 November 2022
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dr Nic Fields started his career as a biochemist before joining the Royal Marines. Returning to university, he completed a BA and PhD in Ancient History at the University of Newcastle. He was Assistant Director at the British School at Athens, Greece, and then a lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh. Nic is now a freelance author and researcher. Sean O'Brogain lives and works in Donegal, Ireland. He has a BA (Hons) in Scientific and Natural History illustration from Lancaster University and has provided illustrations for a wide range of clients, including the University of Manchester, An Post, the National Museum of Ireland, the Irish Office of Public Works, and a variety media companies, museums, councils, and private individuals.

Reviews for Carrhae 53 BC: Rome's Disaster in the Desert

The author has produced a thoroughly researched profile of this humiliating defeat of one of the Triumvirate and the loss of most of a Roman army. He combines a knowledge of the classical sources (as usual, few in number and reliability) with a grasp of the military issues at both strategic and tactical level. -- Chris Jarvis * Miniature Wargames *