Surena
Surena or Suren, also known as Rustaham Suren (c. 84 - 53 or 52 BC) was a Parthian spahbed ("general" or "commander") during the first century BC. He was the leader of the House of Suren and was best known for defeating the Romans in the Battle of Carrhae. Under his command, the Parthians decisively defeated a numerically superior Roman invasion force under the command of Marcus Licinius Crassus. It is commonly seen as one of the earliest and most important battles between the Roman and Parthian empires and one of the most crushing defeats in Roman history.
Surena | |
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Native name | Rustaham Sūrēn |
Died | 53 BC Parthia |
Allegiance | Parthia |
Rank | Spahbed |
Battles/wars |
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"Surena" remains popular as a name in Iran and it is sometimes pronounced as “Sorena”. "Surena" is the Greek and Latin form of Sûrên or Sūrēn. As "Suren", the name remains common in Armenia. Suren means "the heroic one, Avestan sūra (strong, exalted)."[d]