Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Get 4 months extra on a 2 year plan here: nordvpn.com/kingsandgenerals It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
Kings and Generals historical animated documentary series on ancient history and history of Rome and Iran, continues with a video in which we talk about the Parthian army and why Parthia is an often overlooked military powerhouse. Rome had no rival in the East like the Parthian Empire—yet we still know surprisingly little about how Parthian armies were organized. This video explains what newer archaeological finds and closer readings of ancient authors suggest: Parthia was not a loose “ad‑hoc nomad cavalry” horde, but a sophisticated military system under the Shahanshah. We break down the chain of command from the king’s elite guard (doryphoroi / gund ī Shahanshah) and mercenaries, to powerful landowning nobles (eleutheroi / azadan) and their retinues. You’ll learn how manpower also came from garrisons, governors (strategoi / marzban), client kingdoms, and older Seleucid and Achaemenid-style land-and-service institutions—creating a reserve that worked almost like a national guard. We also look at the underrated infantry: “Italian fashion” equipment, mixed formations, and evidence for siegecraft. Finally, we dive into Parthian battlefield methods—horse archers, a smaller core of cataphracts, and the coordinated envelopment tactics seen at Carrhae, where Crassus was annihilated and archers were resupplied by camels. The episode closes by asking why Parthia eventually fell despite its strengths: Rome’s bigger economic engine, slower mustering, social change, and internal conflict leading to the House of Sasan. Next, we continue the Rome–Parthia showdown under Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo in depth.
Rome vs Persia: An Unwinnable War: youtu.be/zCtQ_INPdhU
Roman Empire - Julio-Claudians: youtube.com/watch?v=iQOS1oJNGz8&list=PLaBYW76inbX5egSRNgWbadqMhVH7Z5p6P
Punic Wars: youtube.com/watch?v=wCxkNk1tjNw&list=PLaBYW76inbX5ip3365IenIvsq4RIolKMa
Vandals: youtu.be/-IpbeEW6I9Y
How Rome Conquered Greece: youtu.be/v5q1rerf-qw
Did the Trojan War Really Happen: youtu.be/12eHJL2yRtk
Demosthenes: youtu.be/ABS1iepXG0U
Ancient Greek Politics and Diplomacy: youtu.be/MVnp4NilDLI
Pyrrhic Wars: youtu.be/2QBA6ZPmj3Q
Eastern Roman Empire: Why So Many Civil Wars?: youtu.be/SK_yHooLu1s
Mos Maiorum: What led to the fall of the Roman Republic?: youtu.be/BNWfDWk6ohM
Caesar in Gaul: youtu.be/LRV185XaMIM
Animation: Michael Merc youtube.com/@MercenaryCamp, Kate Korolko
Artwork: Vadym Berkutenko
Script: Evan Schultheis
Narration: Officially Devin (youtube.com/channel/UCU0-VII-V376zFxiRGMeZGg & youtube.com/channel/UC79s7EdN9uXX77-Ly2HmEjQ)
✔ Merch store ► teespring.com/stores/kingsandgenerals
✔ Patreon ► patreon.com/KingsandGenerals
✔ Podcast ► kingsandgenerals.libsyn.com iTunes: apple.co/2QTuMNG
✔ PayPal ► paypal.me/kingsandgenerals
✔ Twitter ► twitter.com/KingsGenerals
✔ Facebook ► facebook.com/KingsGenerals
✔ Instagram ►instagram.com/Kings_Generals Production
Sources: docs.google.com/document/d/16x7BZo0EgYi7I318k_l7MAoki6yT9PuPJ0PmD_ILGdI/edit?usp=sharing
Music courtesy of EpidemicSound
00:00:00 - Parthia vs Rome: the mystery
00:02:28 - Steppe roots and early assumptions
00:04:29 - The Shahanshah’s forces
00:05:50 - Nobles, retinues, and numbers
00:07:41 - Garrisons and recruiting systems
00:12:56 - Carrhae and cavalry tactics
00:15:32 - Why Parthia ultimately fell
#Documentary #Rome #Parthia
Get 4 months extra on a 2 year plan here: nordvpn.com/kingsandgenerals It’s risk free with Nord’s 30 day money-back guarantee!
Kings and Generals historical animated documentary series on ancient history and history of Rome and Iran, continues with a video in which we talk about the Parthian army and why Parthia is an often overlooked military powerhouse. Rome had no rival in the East like the Parthian Empire—yet we still know surprisingly little about how Parthian armies were organized. This video explains what newer archaeological finds and closer readings of ancient authors suggest: Parthia was not a loose “ad‑hoc nomad cavalry” horde, but a sophisticated military system under the Shahanshah. We break down the chain of command from the king’s elite guard (doryphoroi / gund ī Shahanshah) and mercenaries, to powerful landowning nobles (eleutheroi / azadan) and their retinues. You’ll learn how manpower also came from garrisons, governors (strategoi / marzban), client kingdoms, and older Seleucid and Achaemenid-style land-and-service institutions—creating a reserve that worked almost like a national guard. We also look at the underrated infantry: “Italian fashion” equipment, mixed formations, and evidence for siegecraft. Finally, we dive into Parthian battlefield methods—horse archers, a smaller core of cataphracts, and the coordinated envelopment tactics seen at Carrhae, where Crassus was annihilated and archers were resupplied by camels. The episode closes by asking why Parthia eventually fell despite its strengths: Rome’s bigger economic engine, slower mustering, social change, and internal conflict leading to the House of Sasan. Next, we continue the Rome–Parthia showdown under Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo in depth.
Rome vs Persia: An Unwinnable War: youtu.be/zCtQ_INPdhU
Roman Empire - Julio-Claudians: youtube.com/watch?v=iQOS1oJNGz8&list=PLaBYW76inbX5egSRNgWbadqMhVH7Z5p6P
Punic Wars: youtube.com/watch?v=wCxkNk1tjNw&list=PLaBYW76inbX5ip3365IenIvsq4RIolKMa
Vandals: youtu.be/-IpbeEW6I9Y
How Rome Conquered Greece: youtu.be/v5q1rerf-qw
Did the Trojan War Really Happen: youtu.be/12eHJL2yRtk
Demosthenes: youtu.be/ABS1iepXG0U
Ancient Greek Politics and Diplomacy: youtu.be/MVnp4NilDLI
Pyrrhic Wars: youtu.be/2QBA6ZPmj3Q
Eastern Roman Empire: Why So Many Civil Wars?: youtu.be/SK_yHooLu1s
Mos Maiorum: What led to the fall of the Roman Republic?: youtu.be/BNWfDWk6ohM
Caesar in Gaul: youtu.be/LRV185XaMIM
Animation: Michael Merc youtube.com/@MercenaryCamp, Kate Korolko
Artwork: Vadym Berkutenko
Script: Evan Schultheis
Narration: Officially Devin (youtube.com/channel/UCU0-VII-V376zFxiRGMeZGg & youtube.com/channel/UC79s7EdN9uXX77-Ly2HmEjQ)
✔ Merch store ► teespring.com/stores/kingsandgenerals
✔ Patreon ► patreon.com/KingsandGenerals
✔ Podcast ► kingsandgenerals.libsyn.com iTunes: apple.co/2QTuMNG
✔ PayPal ► paypal.me/kingsandgenerals
✔ Twitter ► twitter.com/KingsGenerals
✔ Facebook ► facebook.com/KingsGenerals
✔ Instagram ►instagram.com/Kings_Generals Production
Sources: docs.google.com/document/d/16x7BZo0EgYi7I318k_l7MAoki6yT9PuPJ0PmD_ILGdI/edit?usp=sharing
Music courtesy of EpidemicSound
00:00:00 - Parthia vs Rome: the mystery
00:02:28 - Steppe roots and early assumptions
00:04:29 - The Shahanshah’s forces
00:05:50 - Nobles, retinues, and numbers
00:07:41 - Garrisons and recruiting systems
00:12:56 - Carrhae and cavalry tactics
00:15:32 - Why Parthia ultimately fell
#Documentary #Rome #Parthia
