Carrhae (68 page)

Vagises’ men kept shooting their arrows as they emptied the spare quivers they had been issued with, mounds of dead Armenians being created in front of the legions as the missiles easily found unprotected flesh. But as quickly as spearmen were killed or wounded others behind them ran forward to get to grips with Domitus’ men.

Vagises’ archers could only fire over the heads of the centuries in front of them, which meant that their killing ground stopped two hundred paces out from the front rank of legionaries. Those spearmen who had emerged unhurt from the strip of ground that was saturated by arrows now formed up in front of the legions. They had been badly unnerved by seeing hundreds of their comrades being killed by Parthian arrows, but now their officers cajoled and threatened them to reform their ranks and charge the white shields sporting red griffin wings that stood in front of them. And their courage was fortified as the arrow volleys lessened and stopped as Vagises’ men ran out of ammunition and more and more additional spearmen came forward to swell their numbers. As they formed their ranks to charge many raised their weapons and shook them at the silent legionaries, spitting curses and threatening to send them to the next life on the end of their spears. Then as one they issued a blood-curdling scream and hurled themselves forward at the legions, and to fresh horror.

When they were fifty paces from my men there was a blast of trumpets and then the whole first line charged forward, the first five ranks in each century hurling their javelins against the Armenians. Once more hundreds of the latter were cut down by this fresh missile storm and then the legionaries were among them. The ranks that had thrown their javelins drew their short swords and sprang at the stunned spearmen, smashing their shield bosses into faces or bodies to push opponents over, stabbing
gladius
points into groins, necks and eye sockets as they hacked their way into the enemy.

Now it was the turn of the legionaries to cheer and shout as the Armenian ranks buckled under this terrifying onslaught. They had already been shaken by the arrow storm but had managed to salvage some of their discipline and courage, but now these part-time soldiers collapsed under the unrelenting assault of the Durans and Exiles. Within minutes thousands of spearmen had been cut down, those still living being trampled and stamped on by the advancing legionaries. Hobnailed sandals were smashed down onto windpipes, arms and groins and the air was rent with high-pitched screams. Some Armenians lying face-up had their heads severed as legionaries slammed their metal-rimmed shields down hard on their necks.

Whistles and trumpets sounded and the front-line cohorts halted and reformed as the Armenian spearmen fled in headlong retreat. I nodded with satisfaction. Our centre still held and that attack had cost the Armenians thousands of casualties. The ballistae had been abandoned during the assault of the spearmen but now their crews, who had sought sanctuary behind the first-line cohorts, ran forward to retrieve their machines before the next attack.

I looked over to the right wing to see Gafarn’s horse archers still in their companies adjacent to the right flank of the Durans, but on the left it was a different story. Though Peroz’s men were still extant in their companies there was a large gap between them and the left flank of the Exiles. The Armenian horse archers facing him had obviously enticed him further away from our centre and now there was a yawning gap that could be exploited by the enemy.

I turned and pointed at Zenobia. ‘Ride forward immediately and find Vagises. Tell him to mount his men and bring them here.’

She saluted and shouted at her horse to move, the beast jerking forward as it sped across the ground.

I pointed at the gap. ‘The enemy had lured Peroz further over to the left, you see?’ Gallia nodded.

Vistaspa had also noticed the gap and was manoeuvring his heavy horsemen to meet whatever threat came through it. But as yet nothing appeared and while I was absorbed with what was happening on the left the Armenians launched a fresh assault against our centre.

Perhaps up to ten thousand levy spearmen had been killed or wounded by Vagises’ archers and Domitus’ legionaries but to the Armenian commander they were expendable: farmers and townsfolk who had a minimum of training and deficient weaponry. They were chaff and Armenia would not weep for their lost souls. A far tougher proposition was now approaching the legions: heavy swordsmen.

As Vagises drew up his horse in front of me his men flooded the ground to the rear of the Amazons and then companies peeled away to make the trip to the camel train to replenish their stocks of arrows.

‘They are just toying with us,’ he said, nodding to Gallia beside me. ‘But I have a feeling that the real battle is just beginning.’

‘Your men did well, Vagises,’ I said.

He moved his horse to take up position on my left side and pointed at the widening space between our centre and left flank.

‘I don’t like the look of that.’

‘No,’ I agreed, ‘take two dragons of your men and seal the gap. The rest will stay here with me as a reserve. I have a feeling we may need them.’

He peeled away to consult his officers as there was a great tumult in the centre and the Armenian heavy swordsmen attacked. Just as I had modelled my foot on Rome’s legions so had the Armenians based their heavy swordsmen on the Roman model. Protected by conical helmets with cheekguards, mail shirts and oval-shaped wooden shields faced with bronze or iron, these men carried two short throwing spears that they now hurled at my frontline cohorts before drawing their swords and charging. These men were professional soldiers who were recruited from the Armenian heartlands. They were well paid, well equipped and highly motivated and they numbered at least twenty thousand men.

Just as Dura’s legions were trained to hurl their javelins and then charge at an enemy with their swords drawn, so the Armenians threw their missiles and launched themselves at the legions. Three things prevented them breaking our line. Firstly, they faced soldiers who were even better trained and motivated than they were, which meant that that the first-line cohorts were able to withstand the hail of spears that were thrown at them. Though dozens of legionaries were killed or wounded the line did not break. Secondly, the first-line cohorts that received the Armenian charge were actually the cohorts that had begun the battle as the second line. In the aftermath of the defeat of the levy spearmen Domitus had brought up his fresh second line to take the place of those cohorts that had battled the spearmen. Thirdly, and perhaps decisively, the ground in front of the legions was literally carpeted with dead spearmen, which broke up the momentum of the heavy swordsmen’s charge as enemy units negotiated their way through and over piles of dead men.

The awful din of a huge mêlée erupted as the swordsmen finally got to grips with the Durans and Exiles, the front ranks of both sides stabbing and hacking at opponents with their swords. The frenzy of sword strikes produced fewer casualties than expected, though, as men kept their shields tight to their torsos and tucked their chins into their chests to protect their necks. The reality was that a small number of men in the front ranks of both sides duelled with each other as the ranks behind them waited for the breakthrough that never came.

The centre was a scene of deadlock but on the left a disaster was unfolding.

Vagises was leading two thousand of his horse archers towards the gap between Peroz’s rapidly fading horsemen on the left wing and the left flank of the Exiles when groups of enemy horsemen suddenly began pouring through said gap: a seething wedge of horseflesh made up of mounted spearmen in green tunics, scale armour cuirasses and helmets. They were moving fast towards the cataphracts that stood motionless in front of them.

There were dozens of dragon windsocks fluttering among the Armenian horsemen, each one being the standard of a company of around a hundred men. From my position I could not determine how many enemy horsemen there were but a guess would put the figure at fifteen thousand or more.

Horse archers are not able to engage in a close-quarter battle with enemy horsemen who are armoured and equipped with lances and shields. Their most effective tactic is to shoot at an enemy from a safe distance, like a swarm of hornets, arrows being their deadly sting. But now Vagises led his men directly towards the Armenian swarm, his companies deploying into a long line of wedge formations, each one four ranks deep. His horse archers were galloping towards the right flank of the Armenian mass and began loosing arrows at a range of seven or eight hundred paces from them.

Shooting around four arrows a minute, two thousand missiles landed among the Armenians every fifteen seconds. They struck horses and their riders, sending animals careering to the ground where they thrashed around in agony. Dozens of injured beasts, wild-eyed with terror and pain shooting through their bodies, collided with other horses and knocked them off-balance. Riders were thrown from saddles and trampled under hooves as Vagises’ men inflicted carnage on the Armenian flank.

When they were around two hundred paces from the enemy the companies of Dura’s horsemen wheeled their horses to the right and then right again as they about-faced and retreated, twisting in the saddle and shooting arrows over the hind quarters of their animals as they did so.

Now Vistaspa led his cataphracts forward and the ground began to shake as two and half thousand armoured horses and their riders broke into a canter and then a gallop, hundreds of
kontus
shafts lowered as they were held two handedly on the right flank of the animals. It took my breath away as I beheld the steel-encased horseflesh of Dura and Hatra race across the ground and then smashed into the Armenians. I punched the air as I heard the sickening scraping noise that told me that
kontus
points were going through shields and armour.

‘Pacorus!’ Gallia shouted.

‘I know, it is a magnificent sight. Hail victory!’

‘No, Pacorus, Look!’

I turned away from admiring the unstoppable charge of the cataphracts to see with horror Gafarn’s horse archers fleeing from a great number of Armenian heavy horsemen who were now dividing into two parts: one that continued to pursue Hatra’s horsemen, and another that was riding towards our position. The Armenian commander had timed the charge of his horsemen with perfection – on one wing unleashing them into an inviting gap; on the other committing his mailed fist to smash through the horse archers on our right flank. I stared open-mouthed as at least three thousand heavy horsemen, followed by Armenian horse archers, galloped after Gafarn’s men who were shooting arrows over their horses’ hind quarters as they retreated back to Hatra. The army’s right wing had evaporated.

The Armenian horsemen who had peeled away and who were now bearing down on us wore steel arm armour, scale armour cuirasses and green plumes on their helmets. Each man carried a long lance and no doubt was also armed with a sword and perhaps also a mace or axe. One thing was certain: the thousand horse archers with me plus the Amazons would not be able to withstand them.

The Armenians had now halted and were dressing their lines preparatory to a charge to destroy us. Frantic and frequent trumpet blasts to my front indicated that the legions’ commanders had also witnessed the collapse of Gafarn’s wing.

‘The legions are forming square,’ I said to no one in particular.

‘What are we going to do?’ asked Gallia.

I peered at the Armenians horsemen and saw that though their horses wore scale armour, the suits covered the animals’ bodies only, not their heads or necks. I called forward the company commanders.

I pointed at the Armenian horsemen beginning to walk their animals towards us.

‘The horses’ heads and necks are vulnerable. We are therefore going to charge them and drop as many of the beasts as we can before taking refuge in the square being formed by the legions. Go!’

They saluted and rode back to their commands, horns sounded and then the Duran dragon and Amazons slowly swung right to face the Armenians. The latter had now broken into a canter as they closed the gap between them and us, their lances lowered to skewer Parthian flesh. I raised my hand and signalled the advance and we too broke into a trot and then a canter. Gallia leaned forward in her saddle and without thinking pulled an arrow from her quiver and nocked it in her bowstring. Horns blew and we broke into a gallop, Remus straining his muscles to outrun Epona beside him. I strung an arrow and released it, then nocked another and another and another as missiles flew at the Armenians and scythed down their front ranks. Horses pulled up and collapsed as arrows hit them, catapulting their riders onto the ground.

Then, just as we had done a hundred times before on the training fields, fresh horn blasts signalled a wheel to the right and then right again as we about-faced and retreated from the Armenians. I twisted in the saddle and shot an arrow at the oncoming enemy, and then a second before turning away and shouting at Remus to move faster to escape our pursuers.

Then I diverted him right and the others followed as we headed towards one side of the square that had now been formed by the Durans and Exiles.

I pulled up Remus as the cohorts opened to allow my riders to enter the square as Gallia pulled up beside me, the Amazons grouped around us while Vagises’ dragon flooded into the square. The Armenian heavy horsemen had not pursued us and were content to form up into a long line around five hundred paces away.

‘Why don’t they charge?’ asked Gallia.

‘There is no need,’ I answered. ‘They have succeeded in swatting away one of our wings and have got into our rear. We are now surrounded, my sweet, like sheep in a pen.’

I pulled on Remus’ reins and walked him into the square with my wife and her warriors as the cohorts closed ranks and faced their shields towards the Armenians. Gafarn was gone, Vistaspa and Vagises had been separated from the main body of the army and I had no idea where Peroz was. As the sun descended in the west I was facing certain defeat in front of the city of my birth.