Quintus Labienus
Quintus Labienus Parthicus (died 39 BC) was a Roman general in the Late Republic period.
The son of Titus Labienus, he made an alliance with Parthia and invaded the Roman provinces in the eastern Mediterranean which were under the control of Mark Antony.
Both Labienus and the Parthians were defeated by Publius Ventidius Bassus, who recovered these provinces for Mark Antony.
They fought against Octavian and Mark Antony, two members of the Second Triumvirate, an alliance between the three leaders of the Caesarians.
Labienus remained in Parthia when he heard of the defeat at Phillipi for fear of reprisals by the victors.
When he saw that Mark Antony misruled his provinces in the east and that he went to Egypt, he persuaded Orodes to attack the Romans.
Orodes was persuaded to wage war and entrusted a large force to Labienus and his son Pacorus I.
[4] Justin thought the Parthians took the side of the Pompeians and allied with Labienus because they had formed a friendship with Pompey in the Third Mithridatic war (73-63 BC) and because they had defeated and killed Marcus Licinius Crassus, who was an ally of Caesar, at the Battle of Carrhae (53 BC).
[5] After Caesar's death in 44 BC there was civil strife in Syria and local tyrants took over the Syrian cities with the help of the Parthians.
He sent a cavalry force to plunder Palmyra, a rich city, but this was foiled by the townsfolk.
However, he won over all the Roman garrisons in Phoenicia without resistance because they were soldiers who had fought with Cassius and Brutus and were sent there when Mark Antony incorporated them in his forces.
Meanwhile, Pacorus subjugated Syria, except for Tyre, whose townsfolk supported the Roman soldiers who fled there.
[7] Josephus gave a detailed account of events in Judea when the Parthians invaded it.
He styled himself as Parthicus (conqueror of the Parthians), thereby taking a “title from those whom he was leading against the Romans, as if it were the Parthians and not his fellow-citizens that he was defeating.” [9] Plutarch wrote that Mark Antony was slow to respond to Labienus's invasions because he was caught up with the charms of Cleopatra in Egypt and a luxurious lifestyle, feasting, playing sports and engaging in other youthful pursuits.
He sailed along the coast all the way to Greece and then to Italy to support Fulvia in her war against Octavian.
Ventidius pushed him out of the Roman province of Asia and pursued him into Syria with his lightest troops.
Ventidius was worried about the large enemy cavalry and remained in his camp on a hill.
The latter, confident in the strength of their numbers, rode up the hill at dawn without waiting for Labienus’ forces to join them.
Ventidius used the stratagem of pretending to panic to get the enemy to come close to prevent them from using their arrows as they would not have room to shoot.
[17] Frontinus, like Florus, thought that Ventidius feigned fear to lure the Parthians into an unfavourable situation and then attacked them by surprise.
[18] In the Periochae, with his victory, Ventidius drove the Parthians out of Syria after Labienus had been killed.
[19] According to Plutarch, Labienus died in the battle, and so did Pharnapates, the most capable general of Orodes II.
Pacorus thought that the fugitive had drawn all the Romans in their pursuit and that their camp was unguarded.
