Bret Devereaux

Antony, while he has been musing a Parthian campaign, has left that frontier under-defended in the mean time and in 40, the Parthians, with some pro-Pompey dead-enders, invade. Antony is off partying with Cleopatra. The only man in their way? P. Ventidius Bassus. 21/xx

The Roman governor of Asia, L. Munatius Plancus, runs off and the Parthian/Pompeian force moves in. Ventidius meets their army at the Cilician gates in 39 and wrecks it. Labienus, the dead-ender Pompeian, is killed. 22/xx

The following year, the Parthians are thinking, "Well, that hurt a little, but surely we win round 2." NOPE. Battle of Cyrrhestica, 38 BC, Ventidius completely ruins a Parthian army, the Parthian crown prince Pacorus killed in the battle. Get wrecked, its BASSUS TIME. 23/xx

Now Ventidius here is clever - he knows that Antony wants all of the glory of a victorious Parthian campaign and that stealing that glory from Antony would be unwise. So instead he secures the frontier and then hands the army over to Antony for his big campaign. 24/xx

Ventidius wasn't there to save that disaster because he was busy being back at Rome celebrating his triumph for having utterly ruined two Parthian armies and re-secured Rome's eastern frontier. He's the first Roman to triumph over the Parthians. 26/34

The previous guy having tried, Crassus, ended up very dead in 53 having over-extended, failed to guard his supply lines and lost all of his army. And of course as Ventidius is celebrating his triumph, Antony is busy doing his best Crassus impression, minus dying himself. 27/34

Ventidius is going to be the only Roman to triumph over the Parthians until Trajan more than a century later. Turns out the muleteer-consul really was a portent! It's pretty clear that Ventidius was an individual of exceptional ability. 28/34