Carrhae, the Eagles Lost

The account

Crassus, richest man in Rome, marched seven legions into the Mesopotamian desert chasing glory, and Parthian horse-archers and cataphracts cut them to pieces under a merciless sun. Twenty thousand Romans died, ten thousand were taken, and the legionary eagles fell into Parthian hands, a wound to Roman pride that took a generation and a treaty to undo. Augustus won the standards back in 20 BC without a battle.

Leads, where the trail points now

• The field is at Near Harran (Carrhae), southeastern Turkey, and arms, shot, and relics still come out of the ground there.
• Detecting or digging needs landowner or park permission, and any significant find should be recorded; many battlefields are protected.
• Work the documented account of Carrhae, the Eagles Lost to learn where the fighting, the camps, and the rout actually ran before you look.