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TheParthian shot is alight cavalryhit-and-run tactic used byhorse archers. By making areal orfeigned retreat at fullgallop, the riders turn their bodies around to shoot the often slower, heavier armored pursuing enemies. First used by theParthians, an ancientIranian empire, it continued to be used by multiple civilizations especially those ofEurasian nomadic origins throughout themedieval period.

"Parthian shot" is also usedmetaphorically to describe a barbed insult delivered as the speaker departs.

The maneuver required significantequestrian andarchery skill, since the rider's both hands held theircomposite bow and their body was turned around. As thestirrup had not been invented at the time of the Parthians, the rider relied solely on balance to stay mounted and guide the horse.

TheParthians used the tactic to great effect in their victory over theRoman generalCrassus in theBattle of Carrhae (53 BCE). After them and their successors, theSasanians, the Parthian shot was characteristic ofmost nomads of theEurasian Steppe, such as theScythians,^[1]Xiongnu,Huns,Turks,Magyars (Hungarians),Koreans, andMongols, but was not limited to them, having also been used by theUrartians and theComanche.^[2]

A tactic similar to the Parthian shot was attributed to thePhoenicians fromSidon bySilius Italicus.^[3]

In themedieval period, the Parthian shot was used by the Hungarians in their victory inBattle of Lechfeld (910 CE) against the combined forces ofEast Francia andSwabia; by theSeljuk Turks underAlp Arslan at theBattle of Manzikert (1071 CE) against theByzantine Empire; by theGhurid Empire underMuhammad of Ghor at theSecond Battle of Tarain (1192 CE)^[4] againstwar elephants, heavy cavalry, and infantry from theRajput confederacy; by the Mongolian generalSubutai at theBattle of Legnica (1241 CE) against thePolish; and later by theAfsharid Empire at theBattle of Karnal (1739 CE) against theMughal Empire.

"Parthian shot" is used as ametaphor to describe a barbed insult, delivered as the speaker departs.

You wound, like Parthians, while you fly,
And kill with a retreating eye.

With which Parthian shot he walked away, leaving the two rivals open-mouthed behind him.

• Feint
• Caracole, a similar cavalry maneuver
• Cantabrian circle
• L'esprit de l'escalier, also called staircase wit

• Overtoom, Nikolaus (2020).Reign of Arrows: The Rise of the Parthian Empire in the Hellenistic Middle East. Oxford:Oxford University Press.ISBN 9780197680223.
• Colburn, Henry P. (2021)."A Parthian Shot of Potential Arsacid Date"(PDF).Dabir.8 (8). University of California, Irvine: Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture:35–40.doi:10.1163/29497833-00801004.

Look upParthian shot orparting shot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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• Diversionary tactics
• Maneuver tactics
• Military history of the Parthian Empire
• Cavalry
• History of archery
• Metaphors referring to war and violence

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