04-25-2013, 03:29 AM
Marcus Antonius supposedly used Caesar's own campaign plan when he invaded Parthia himself. This could be true - it was quite a good plan, establishing treaties with the kingdoms around the northern fringes of the Parthian empire, who could supply cavalry and a secure left flank, then moving eastwards through the foothills of the mountains and dropping down into Media Atropatene.
Antonius's campaign was a disaster, probably because he left it too late in the year (he was spending time with Cleopatra instead), lost his siege train and got bogged down besieging Phraaspa. Caesar might have done a better job of it. Ventidius proved a short while later that Romans could defeat Parthians in battle, and successive emperors proved that Roman armies could invade and defeat Parthia. There's no reason why Caesar could not have been victorious.
The problem would be the situation back in Rome. Clearly the opposition to his rule was not dead, and would have burst into life as soon as he was away overseas. He would have found himself having to fight his way back west from the Parthian frontier, with the Parthians attacking his rear, and possibly ended up fighting the battle of Philippi in reverse, so to speak...
Almost nobody got away with invading Parthia/Persia. Even the successful ones either died on the way back, or shortly afterwards...
Antonius's campaign was a disaster, probably because he left it too late in the year (he was spending time with Cleopatra instead), lost his siege train and got bogged down besieging Phraaspa. Caesar might have done a better job of it. Ventidius proved a short while later that Romans could defeat Parthians in battle, and successive emperors proved that Roman armies could invade and defeat Parthia. There's no reason why Caesar could not have been victorious.
The problem would be the situation back in Rome. Clearly the opposition to his rule was not dead, and would have burst into life as soon as he was away overseas. He would have found himself having to fight his way back west from the Parthian frontier, with the Parthians attacking his rear, and possibly ended up fighting the battle of Philippi in reverse, so to speak...
Almost nobody got away with invading Parthia/Persia. Even the successful ones either died on the way back, or shortly afterwards...
Nathan Ross
