How the Roman Army Dealt with Horse Archers

The ancient Romans first encountered large masses of horse archers on the battlefield in 53 BC. Before this, the Romans had already faced individual cavalry units armed with bows, but these units were minor and did not play a significant role in battle. However, in the battle of Carrhae against the Parthians, led by Marcus Crassus, there were many horse archers, and they were primarily responsible for the Roman army’s defeat in this battle. The light Parthian cavalry, keeping their distance, relentlessly shot at the Roman infantry, wearing them down without giving them a chance to strike back.

A modern illustration of Parthian light cavalry.

The Romans were not the first to face such tactics from people with cavalry armed with bows. In antiquity, the ancient Greeks fought against the Scythians and Persians, who used weapons and tactics similar to those of the Parthians. Alexander the Great found a way to defeat such an enemy by striking at the enemy’s field command post.

A modern illustration of the Roman infantry under a barrage of arrows during the battle of Carrhae.

This tactic allowed him to defeat the Persians at the Battle of Granicus, where he personally killed the Persian commander Mithridates, son-in-law of Darius III, thereby decapitating the Persian army. This method was very effective, but it required two…