Ancient Battlefields

[cmacq]

Battle of Carrhae/Harran; Rome vs Parthia 53 BC.

Provided is a general map with the location of Carrhae/Harran (from the Akkadian Harranu meaning, 'The Roads') marked with a green arrow. At this point Carrhae/Harran was a large town within the vassal kingdom of Osrhoene. However, this particular battle transpired in three phases, over a wide expanse, which included several days. The battlefield of the first phase and first day appears to have occurred about 14 miles southeast of Harran, near a modern village called Aslanli, along the road leading towards Seleucia.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...23911&t=p&z=11

Below is a map of the probable Carrhae/Harran battlefield of the first phase and first day located near Aslanli. This modern village is centered in a relatively flat valley nearly surrounded by a series of low ridges.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...,0.130978&z=13

This view is of the probable Carrhae/Harran Battlefield, corner right foreground, from the south looking north with Harran in the distant background left corner.

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=...cl=1&encType=1

The second phase of the battle on the first day, most likely occured several miles west and slightly south of the Aslanli Locus. These low hills and ridges appears to be the general setting for the tragic end of the ill-fated Publius column. The actual battlefield site seems to have been somewhere between the modern villages of Duzce and Zenginvoa.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...=13&iwloc=addr

This is a view of Carrhae/Harran where the third and final phase of the battle occured on the second day and night.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...,0.065489&z=14

The actual site of the final phase of the battle may have occured about 2 miles south of Carrhae/Harran within the area near the Selgelen/Ballisur stream.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=e...,0.187283&z=13