03-26-2005, 09:17 AM
Just about 15-20 years after Crassus romans with<br>
Ventidius beat parthian butt in a paradigmatic way. Good mix of infantry, slingers, good ground (summarized in notion of good generalship) AND Parthians making foolish mistake of thinking that archers and heavy cavalry can beat Romans any day.<br>
<br>
Ventidius' lesson was learned by the romans and by the parthians. The former organized the eastern armies on campaign better, the latter (the parthians!) learned a healthy respect of a deployed roman army. After Crassus the parthians believed they could beat the romans in battle; after Ventidius the parthians avoided pitched battles as did, on average, the Sassanians. The romans looked for pitched battles and maybe this is what Hanson was aiming at.<br>
<br>
Both sides got soundly beat if they made the assumption the other side was easy! The lesson, my dear friends, needs still to be learned. Archers and cataphracts are not sure things. Archers can be kept at bay and cataphracts can be mangled.<br>
<br>
Over all I think the parthians and later sassanians had a more serious weakness than the romans. Rather than say the romans never developed a good cavalry I think it is more useful to say that the parthians and sassanians never developed a good infantry!<br>
<p></p><i></i>
Ventidius beat parthian butt in a paradigmatic way. Good mix of infantry, slingers, good ground (summarized in notion of good generalship) AND Parthians making foolish mistake of thinking that archers and heavy cavalry can beat Romans any day.<br>
<br>
Ventidius' lesson was learned by the romans and by the parthians. The former organized the eastern armies on campaign better, the latter (the parthians!) learned a healthy respect of a deployed roman army. After Crassus the parthians believed they could beat the romans in battle; after Ventidius the parthians avoided pitched battles as did, on average, the Sassanians. The romans looked for pitched battles and maybe this is what Hanson was aiming at.<br>
<br>
Both sides got soundly beat if they made the assumption the other side was easy! The lesson, my dear friends, needs still to be learned. Archers and cataphracts are not sure things. Archers can be kept at bay and cataphracts can be mangled.<br>
<br>
Over all I think the parthians and later sassanians had a more serious weakness than the romans. Rather than say the romans never developed a good cavalry I think it is more useful to say that the parthians and sassanians never developed a good infantry!<br>
<p></p><i></i>
Jeffery Wyss
"Si vos es non secui of solutio tunc vos es secui of preciptate."
"Si vos es non secui of solutio tunc vos es secui of preciptate."
