Lost Ancient Armies: From Cambyses' 50,000 Persians to Rome's Ninth Legion
Ancient military forces frequently scattered instead of succumbing to sandstorms. In 524 BC, King Cambyses II of Persia dispatched 50,000 troops to obliterate the Oracle of Amun; while Herodotus suggested they were engulfed by a sandstorm, archaeologist Olaf Kaper contends they were halted by the Egyptian rebel Petubastis III. In AD 9, three Roman legions led by Publius Quinctilius Varus were annihilated in the Teutoburg Forest due to Arminius's treachery, resulting in the loss of nearly 20,000 soldiers; Germanicus sought retribution in AD 14. Hannibal's crossing of the Alps in 218 BC resulted in the loss of around 20,000 men, yet all 37 elephants survived. The Ninth Legion's vanishing in Britain was likely due to its transfer to Europe, possibly disbanding during the Bar Kokhba revolt (AD 132-136). Following the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC, Parthians seized Roman troops. LiDAR surveys have uncovered numerous Roman structures.
Key facts
- In 524 BC, Cambyses II sent 50,000 Persian soldiers into Egypt's Western Desert to destroy the Oracle of Amun at Siwa; Herodotus blamed a sandstorm, but Olaf Kaper attributes their loss to forces of rebel Petubastis III.
- Three Roman legions under Publius Quinctilius Varus were destroyed in the Teutoburg Forest in AD 9 after Arminius betrayed them, with nearly 20,000 Roman casualties.
- Hannibal lost about 20,000 men—nearly half his army—during the 15-day crossing of the Alps in 218 BC, but all 37 war elephants survived.
- The Ninth Legion's disappearance is debunked by inscriptions and stamped tiles found in Nijmegen, showing it was transferred from Britain to mainland Europe.
- The Ninth Legion was likely disbanded or destroyed during the Bar Kokhba uprising between AD 132 and 136.
- After the 53 BC Battle of Carrhae, Parthians captured thousands of Roman soldiers, some of whom may have reached China.
- LiDAR surveys have revealed the Antonine Wall, Hadrian's Wall, a Roman camp at Graubünden over 7,000 feet above sea level, and a 2nd-century camp at Hoog Buurlo.
- Scipio Aemilianus built a 9-kilometer siege wall around Numantia in 134 BC, which LiDAR has helped map.
Entities
Artists
- Herodotus
- Olaf Kaper
- Publius Quinctilius Varus
- Arminius
- Germanicus
- Cambyses II
- Petubastis III
- Darius I
- Hannibal
- Crassus
- Scipio Aemilianus
- Hadrian
- Cassius Dio
- Angelo Castiglioni
- Alfredo Castiglioni
- Martin Disteli
- Adrien Guignet
- Francisco Goya
- Giambattista Pittoni
- Lancelot Blondeel
- Lucius Duccius Rufinus
Institutions
- Oracle of Amun
- Roman legions
- Legio IX Hispana
- Parthians
- Allobroges
- Caledonians
- Yorkshire Museum
- Louvre Museum
- Museo del Prado
- Galleria dell'Accademia
- Groeningemuseum
- Antonine Wall
- Hadrian's Wall
- Reading Museum
Locations
- Egypt
- Western Desert
- Siwa
- Dakhla Oasis
- Teutoburg Forest
- Rome
- Alps
- Italy
- Nijmegen
- Netherlands
- Britain
- Judea
- Carrhae
- Parthia
- China
- Graubünden
- Switzerland
- Hoog Buurlo
- Numantia
- Spain
- Silchester
- Eboracum
- Northumberland
- Alston
- Watling Lodge