BETRAYAL AT CARRHAE!

CRASSUS;

THE PARTHIAN VIZIER;

&

ABGARUS OF EDESSA

An Ancient Parable for Modern Times

by:  CliffMickelson

cmicke1065@aol.com

(Prologue)

The Battle of Carrhea (53 B.C.) and how Marcus Crassus' trust was betrayed by:

Abgarus of Edessa, who delivered him and seven of Rome's best legions into the hands of the Grand Vizier of the Parthian! 

In this battle, the Romans were completely annihilated.

Crassus was killed in front of his own son.  The skin of Crassus was cured and used as a wall hanging in the Parthian sultan’s palace.

This defeat was perhaps the second worst loss ever suffered by the Romans.  The loss at Cannae to Hannibal in 216 BC being the worst!

Following his stunning victory over the Romans at Carrhae, the grand Vizier was subsequently executed by the Sultan of the Parthian due to an intrigue perpetrated by the Sultan's son who was jealous. 

The son incited the old Sultan's suspicions that the Vizier, who was an outstanding general, was plotting against the throne.  The Son was then put in charge of the army and immediately overthrew and executed his father.  He then marched against the Romans and was thoroughly defeated. 

He, in his turn was then killed by his own vizier, who took over the government of Parthia!

WHO WAS CRASSUS?

Marcus Crassus, the epitome of the Roman Nuevo rich aristocrat, lived at the same time as Julius Caesar.  Early on in his career, he became the richest man in Rome.  He dabbled in everything and was an entrepreneur of unparalleled creativity!

  He is credited with creating the first regular fire department. 

 In those days, Rome was built mainly of wood. (Marble came later, beginning with Augustus) Needless to say, there were many fires.  Crassus would show up at a fire with his tankers full of water.  The hapless homeowner did not receive a drop however until he agreed to pay what ever charge Crassus felt like making!  Needless to say, with every passing moment that he delayed in agreement, the distraught homeowner was subject to higher and higher charges.    

Crassus exhibited a great deal of talent in a variety of fields and proved to be an above average general as well.  He is credited with subduing the slave revolt of Sparticus, though in reality, it was the last minute arrival of Pompey and his legions from Spain that actually decided that contest.

Crassus was shrewd and impartially loaned money to everyone, no matter what the political persuasion they labored under.

  By doing so, he amassed a great deal of power due to the fact that all shades of the political spectrum were soon in his debt.  

 Being a very practical man, Crassus soon realized that following the death of Sulla, and the demise of the Sullan constitution; the winds of democracy were threatening the very foundations of the Roman State, (i.e., the oligarchic Senate's) power. 

 He cleverly allied himself with Julius Caesar and Pompeii’s, (AKA Pompey the Great) and they formed what came to be known as the first triumvirate. (The three headed beast)

 They were in effect the de factor kings of Rome.  The Republic was as good as dead and only lingered on in name only.  

Caesar had gained a great deal of fame and power via his conquest of Gaul and Crassus felt as if he were being eclipsed.

  In 55 BC, at the close of his appointment as consul, he therefore arranged to be appointed as governor of Syria.  His true goal was to war against the Parthian and reclaim the empire of Asia, which had been lost to the Parthian under the Seleucid, who inherited it out of the division of Alexander the Great's general Staff following Alexander's death in Babylon on June 10, 323 BC.

In fact, the war with Parthia (modern day Persia) had already begun.

  It had been instigated by the rather dishonest dealings of Pompeii’s who had broken the treaty regarding the frontier (the Euphrates) and had basically stolen several western provinces from the Parthian and given them to the king of Armenia. Following the death of the Parthian king, Phraates, his son Mithradates declared war upon Armenia.  This was for all intents and purposes the same as a declaration of war on Rome.  The yet to be replaced Roman Governor of Syria, Babinius, soon led his legions across the Euphrates.  Meanwhile however, Mithradates had been dethroned by the Parthian Oligarchy and Orodes now was Sultan.  Mithradates fled to the Roman camp for succor and troops with which to regain his throne.  It was at this point that a revolt occurred in Egypt.  The long suffering Egyptian nation had been mercilessly extorted by the Greek Ptolomii, who were obliged to tax the nation to ruin in order to bribe the Roman senate with enough gold to keep from being annexed to the empire outright!  At last the people rose in revolt and Ptolemy fled for his life.  The Senate ordered Galbinus to restore Ptolemy and this left Mithradates in the lurch.  He was soon reduced to surrender, and was captured in another one of the seemingly endless sacks of Babylon!  Mithradates was executed and the Parthia made overtures to Rome for peace.  Unfortunately for all concerned, it was now that Crassus arrived to relieve Galbinus of his command in Syria. Crassus had brought with him an ample war chest and an overweening ambition to eclipse Caesar! 

 In the early summer of 53 B. C, Crassus crossed the Euphrates and entered Parthia with seven legions, four thousand slingers and archers, and four thousand cavalry, (mostly Arab)  

He relied for his scouting and intelligence upon Abgarus of Edessa, an Arab tribal leader who professed great loyalty to Crassus.  Instead of following the Euphrates River down to the point where it is only 20 miles from the Tigris, and then following the Tigris to the Parthian capital. 

Abgarus persuaded Crassus to take a short cut by crossing the Euphrates and then cutting across the desert some 200 miles to the Tigris.    

A big mistake!

A score of days away from the river, a small detachment of Parthian showed up.  Abgarus begged to be allowed to pursue them, so permission was granted.  Abgarus never came back.  Puzzled, Crassus dispatched his remaining cavalry to go see what had happened.  They crossed the River Balissus and had progressed but a few miles from the Roman infantry when lo and behold, The drums of the Parthian were heard, and the entire Parthian army, with golden banners waving and mailed armor shinning in the hot sun, appeared in front of them.

 Standing next to the Parthian Vizier was Abgarus of Edessa and his Arabs!  

Crassus had been betrayed!

(End of part I)

To be continued:

-CliffMickelson