73 - Crassus III: Battle of Carrhae

10/28/23 • 86 min

Crassus' famous campaign against the Parthians - what motivated it? What happened at Carrhae? What can we learn from it?

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Key Figures
Marcus Licinius Crassus - The Protagonist
Gaius Pompeius Magnus - Pompey, the Rival
Lucius Licinius Crassus - the Orator
Publius Licinius Crassus - Crassus' father
Publius Licinius Crassus - Crassus' Son
Publius Clodius Pulcher - The Playboy Mobster
Titus Annius Milo - Anti-Mobster
Marcus Tullius Cicero - The Mentor
Gaius Julius Caesar - The Triumvir
Marcus Porcius Cato - The Nemesis
Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus - The Challenger
Ptolemy XII "Auletes" - The Piper King
Aulus Gabinius - Pompey's Crony in Syria
Trebonius - Willing Tribune
Ateius (Capito) - Unwilling Tribune
Gaius Cassius Longinus - The Assassin
Octavius - The Junior Officer
Orodes II - King of Parthia
Mithradates IV - Parthian Usurper
Surena - the Parthian Commander at Carrhae

Key Places
Rome
Ravenna - City in Northern Italy (cisalpine Gaul)
Luca - City in Northern Italy (Etruria/Cisalpine Gaul)
Curia - The Senate house
Syria - Roman Province
Mesopotamia
Iraq
Seleucia
Babylon
Ctesiphon
Carrhae
Euphrates River

Italian quote at the beginning: Dante, Purgatorio XX

Crassus' famous campaign against the Parthians - what motivated it? What happened at Carrhae? What can we learn from it?

Thanks to our Sponsor!

Ancient Language Institute:
https://ancientlanguage.com

Italian quote at the beginning: Dante, Purgatorio XX

Previous Episode

72 - Crassus II: Puppet Master

Marcus Licinius Crassus, Richest Man in Rome. The plot thickens in the contest with Pompey, and Crassus takes on new allies: Catiline and Julius Caesar.

In this episode:
-How to defuse the resentment of opponents you've beaten
-The power of debt at Rome
-Fighting for the hardest prizes, but playing it like a game
-Cicero's mortgage and homeowner headaches

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https://ancientlanguage.com

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Next Episode

74 - Crassus Aftermath, Takeaways, Sources

What happened to Crassus' captured soldiers? To his family? What can we learn from his successes and his world-historic failure?

ANNOUNCEMENT! Cost of Glory Men's Leadership Retreat in Rome - July 2024. Reach out to [email protected] if you're interested.

Buy the books:

-Penguin edition of Plutarch including Life of Crassus
-Sallust's war with Catiline
-Tom Holland's Rubicon
-Barry Strauss' book on Spartacus
-Edward Watts's Mortal Republic
-Gareth Sampson, "The Defeat of Rome" on Parthian Expedition
-Peter Stothard, The First Tycoon

See also Gruen, Last Generation of the Roman Republic; Ward, Crassus and the Late Roman Republic; Rawson, Crassorum Funera (in journal Latomus).

Pictured: Roman Soldier next to a Han noble, statue group in Liqian, China. Photo: Natalie Behring