What was the Parthian shot, and how did it defeat a Roman army?
Parthian archers turned in the saddle and fired backwards while riding away. At Carrhae, that trick helped destroy a Roman army.
▶ Start the storyThe Parthian shot was a trick of horse archers: ride away at full gallop, real or feigned, then twist around in the saddle and shoot the heavier, slower pursuers behind you. It helped the Parthians destroy a Roman army at Carrhae in 53 BC.
It was hard to do. The rider's both hands held the and his body was turned around. As the had not been invented at the time of the Parthians, he relied solely on balance to stay mounted and guide the horse.
The Parthians were an Iranian power that ruled ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD, taking over from the Seleucids. Their empire lay on the Silk Road between Rome and Han China and became a centre of trade. Their kings took the title "King of Kings", claiming the inheritance of the Achaemenid Empire.
At Carrhae, seven Roman under Crassus were lured into the desert. Facing them were Surena's 1,000 armoured and 9,000 horse archers, outnumbered about four to one. A baggage train of about 1,000 camels kept the archers supplied with arrows. On the flat terrain the legion had no viable tactics against the mobile horsemen, and the Roman formations were surrounded, exhausted and crushed. Crassus was killed when a parley turned violent.
Step 1: Horse archers ride at the Roman square
Fast, with plenty of arrows
Step 2: They retreat, real or feigned
At full gallop
Step 3: They turn in the saddle and shoot
Both hands on the bow, no stirrups
Step 4: Camels bring fresh arrows
So the volleys never stop
The trick was not only Parthian. It was characteristic of most Eurasian steppe nomads, such as the Scythians, Huns, Turks, Hungarians and Mongols, and the Comanche used it too. And today a "Parthian shot" is also a barbed insult delivered as the speaker leaves.
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Recap
The Parthian shot used speed, retreat and a steady arrow supply to defeat heavy infantry on open ground.
💡 A trick to remember it · Run away to win: the Parthians fled just far enough to turn around and shoot.
Surprising fact · Parthian riders used it without stirrups.
Connects to
- 🌍 How did Alexander conquer Persia, and what did his empire leave behind?
- ⚔️ How did Sasanian Persia and Rome fight for four centuries, and who won?
- 🛣️ How did the Persian Empire keep control of a land stretching from the Balkans to the Indus?
- 🏹 Why were the Mongol horse archers so hard to beat?
- 🐫 How did the Silk Road carry ideas, not just silk?
Sources (3)
No source, no claim. Every fact in this lesson (17 claims) cites at least one of these.