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Crassus As A General.


WotWotius

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but they did get back the eagles?

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I may be wrong, but I think he was the last republican general to decimate a legion too.

 

Unless you count Caesar quelling the mutiny of the 10th. The nature of it depends on which source we use though.

 

Otherwise...

I don't recall Appian mentioning it.

 

Dio Cassius says that Antonius used it in the Parthian campaign.

 

He also claims that Octavian and Agrippa used it after the Illyrian campaigns. Suetonius confirms that Augustus ordered decimations during his tenure, but does not go into detail.

 

Despite that, I tend to agree that Crassus was the last true republican general to use it.

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Crassus commanded Sulla's right wing at the decisive battle of the Colline Gate in 82BC. While Sullas' left was driven back against the walls of Rome, Crassus' troops crushed the enemy opposed to them and won the victory.

 

As PP mentioned above. And this command occurred earlier than Spartacus, not between Spartacus and Carrhae, which is the time period in question. So, no--Crassus commanded nothing between Spartacus and Cannae, except his army of tax-farmers.

 

 

Quite right. A good ten years earlier. Undoubtedly he spent the time developing his political clout.

 

As to the standards lost at Carrhae, I believe Tiberius (the future emperor) negotiated thier return in 20 BC in exchange for the Parthian rebel Tiridates.

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I believe that the Romans did get the Eagles back. Can't say how or when, but it was honorable.

It was Augustus who got the eagles back. After Actium he went to Egypt to sort that out, once he'd done this Parthian abassadors approached him on his overland trip back to Italy, a low key non aggression pact was signed and the eagles handed back. This is depicted on Augustus' lorica musculata on the Prima Porta statue

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An official apology was never given.

 

The standards were not returned until the time of Augustus, and even then it one of the many 'agreements' of Marcus Agrippa's eastern settlement with the Parthians.

 

I do not really have the time to post any more details on the matter, but maybe someone else will.

 

Edit: sorry I just saw the ubove post.

Edited by WotWotius
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"Decimation"

According to Tom Holland (Rubicon) Crassus reintroduced the ancient tradition of decimation after a few legions performed badly against the Spartacus rebels.

Don't shoot the messenger! I'm only repeating what I read and you guys are far more informed than I am.

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"Decimation"

According to Tom Holland (Rubicon) Crassus reintroduced the ancient tradition of decimation after a few legions performed badly against the Spartacus rebels.

Don't shoot the messenger! I'm only repeating what I read and you guys are far more informed than I am.

 

That is indeed the true. However, this was only done to a cohort which fled too early in battle. Interestingly, in order to stop this from happening again, the self-made millionaire made his troops put a cash deposit on their weapons to discourage them from dropping them and fleeing in battle.

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I am not sure who made the allusion but Casear may have threatended to decimate the 10th, but he never carried it out....he needed them ....is there a source for this?

 

regards Crassus as a general , he was a legatus in Spain under Metallus (where he got rebuffed by Sertorius I think) ..he was hopelessly out of his depth in Parthia...his poor son who had done well with Caesar in Gaul paid the price too, he took several cohorts away from the main force to try and pin Surenus down but was overrun..its interesting, Julian faced generally the same tacitcs and did well ( exact details are poor)..until he got killed of course, not pausing to put on his amour etc...oh well...

Edited by Cohort
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I am not sure who made the allusion but Casear may have threatended to decimate the 10th, but he never carried it out....he needed them ....is there a source for this?

 

Dio Cassius. He is actually quite vague but I'll let his words speak for themselves rather than paraphrase.

 

Caesar put aside the turbulent spirits among them,
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Crassus didn't listen to the advice from the natives. If he would have listened and taken a different route like he was told, he probably would have won the war. Listen to the natives! You won't get gold poured down your throat!

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I am not sure who made the allusion but Casear may have threatended to decimate the 10th, but he never carried it out....he needed them ....is there a source for this?

 

Dio Cassius. He is actually quite vague but I'll let his words speak for themselves rather than paraphrase.

 

Caesar put aside the turbulent spirits among them,
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