I was reading a book recently that gave an account of Marcus Licinius Crassus (famous for defeating Spartacus). Often called the wealthiest man in Rome, that accolade didn't seem to be enough for him. He was a member of the First Triumvirate along with Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus and, even when given Syria to manage, he apparently still felt overshadowed by the military prowess of his two allies and so he invaded Parthia to help glorify his name but was where he met his end.
The Parthians were excellent horse archers and liked to harry their opponents by riding in close, firing a volley of arrows and then running away. Sometimes, they would feign a retreat but were adept at turning in their saddles to fire an arrow back at the chasing enemy. It should be noted that the stirrup had not yet been invented and, during this manouver, the Parthian archers stayed mounted and controlled the horse purely by the pressure of their legs.
This manouver became known as The Parthian Shot and is believed to be where we acquired the phrase The Parting Shot from.
I love learning useless information like this.
Any other historical trivia welcome
The Parthians were excellent horse archers and liked to harry their opponents by riding in close, firing a volley of arrows and then running away. Sometimes, they would feign a retreat but were adept at turning in their saddles to fire an arrow back at the chasing enemy. It should be noted that the stirrup had not yet been invented and, during this manouver, the Parthian archers stayed mounted and controlled the horse purely by the pressure of their legs.
This manouver became known as The Parthian Shot and is believed to be where we acquired the phrase The Parting Shot from.
I love learning useless information like this.
Any other historical trivia welcome
