Battle of Mons Gindarus
| date | 38 BC Chr. |
|---|---|
| place | Kyrrhestica, Syria |
| output | Victory of the Romans |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Prince Pakoros † |
|
| Troop strength | |
| Eleven legions (target strength: 66,000 men) and long-range fighters | big army |
| losses | |
|
low |
heavy |
The Battle of Mons Gindarus or Battle of Kyrrhestika 38 BC Chr. Was an armed confrontation between the Roman and the Parthian empire in large Syrian district Cyrrhestica .
prehistory
After the Roman defeat under Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae , Parthian forces undertook a series of raids into Roman territory. The Proquaestor Gaius Cassius Longinus , a survivor of the battle, took over the defense of the border against these incursions.
40 BC The Parthians returned with an even larger force. The rebellious Roman Quintus Labienus was also in their service. This army defeated the governor of Syria and advanced to overrun the province. Many of the Roman soldiers in Syria were veterans of the civil war against Mark Antony , and many of them defected to their fellow Republican Labienus, further weakening Rome's position in the east.
In order to offset the Parthian profits, Antony handed the command of eleven legions to Publius Ventidius Bassus . Ventidius learned from Crassus' mistakes and made sure his troops had sufficient archers and slingshots to counterbalance the mobile Parthian mounted archers. He also realized that flat ground gave Parthian riders an advantage, while hilly terrain neutralized their advantage.
Ventidius Bassus defeated Quintus Labienus and the Parthian general Phranipates in 39 BC. In Asia Minor . Labienus tried to escape in disguise, but was captured and executed by Ventidius' forces. The Parthians were forced to retreat to the Amanus Pass , where they again faced Ventidius' forces. The Romans emerged victorious from the battle and the Parthians left Syria.
The battle
After this setback, the Parthians took action in 38 BC. Another invasion of Syria under the leadership of Pakoros , the son of King Orodes II . In order to gain time, Ventidius gave Pakoros false information, which suggested that he should cross the Euphrates at the usual ford . Pakoros did not trust the news and decided to cross the stream much further downstream; this enabled Ventidius to prepare.
The Parthians crossed the Euphrates unhindered and marched to the town of Gindarus in Kyrrhestika, believing that the Romans were too cowardly or too weak to face the fight because they had not tried to prevent their river crossing.
When the Parthians came to Gindarus, which was on a small hill, they found the Roman army set up in battle order on the slopes. The Parthians attacked hastily - it is unclear whether they stormed on the orders of the Pakoros or spontaneously decided to do so. In any case, Ventidius ordered his troops, who had the advantage of an elevated position, to attack the advancing mounted archers. The riders were involved in a scuffle with the legionaries and suffered heavy losses because they were not equipped for close combat. Eventually their fighting spirit broke and panic spread, many of the mounted archers were driven downstairs, where they clashed with their comrades in their hopeless escape. The Parthian heavy cavalry at the foot of the hill was surrounded by the legionaries. Instead of attacking directly, Ventidius used his slingshots to rain a hail of bullets on the cavalrymen, which Pakoros personally led. After the blockade was lifted, the legionaries moved in and were soon able to identify the prince because of his standard and expensive armor. Pakoros was slain along with his bodyguard, and the remaining Parthians tried to escape the circle, which not all succeeded. On the whole it was a complete victory for the Romans.
Aftermath
Ventidius had foreseen that in the event of defeat the Parthians would try to flee where they had come from, so he left infantry and cavalry waiting for them on their way back to the Euphrates. The fleeing Parthians were captured and destroyed. Ventidius had secured Rome's eastern provinces by defeating Pakoros' great army. He could have pursued the Parthians further, but did not want to attract Antonius' jealousy and instead subjugated the insurgents.
Individual evidence
- ↑ [1] accessed on May 4, 2018
- ^ Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology , p. 1239
- ↑ Dando-Collins, Stephen. Mark Antony's Heroes , pp. 36-39. Published by John Wiley and Sons, 2008
Coordinates: 36 ° 23 ′ 41 ″ N , 36 ° 41 ′ 20 ″ E