Armor versus archery

[Alexandr K]

I doubt Orodes trusted Surena enough to entrust him with his own personal retinue. You have to keep in mind that the king only had a relatively small force, and giving it to a potential rival would be a bad idea.

Actually we have absolutely no information about the forces Orodes had at his disposal. Anyway, while the house of Suren was the most powerful after the Arsacids in Parthia, it was not the only powerful clan in Parthia. We know of several other clans and individuals with their vassals, who most probably mostly accompanied Orodes to Armenia. We can mention at least Sillaces, a satrap in Mesopotamia and certainly a significant man with forces at his disposal, who campaigned with Surenas.

Also Orodes certainly trusted Surenas enough to send him against the usurper Mithridates just a short while before Crassus' invasion. He trusted him enough to entrust him with the defence of Parthia itself, while the king attacked Armenia (I don't think Orodes would leave for Armenia, had he not been convinced about Surenas' loyalty). It seems to me that the execution of Surenas was the result of the prestige and increased influence he gained thanks to the victory over Roman forces, rather than some suspicion before the battle.

Greetings
Alexandr