The Parthian shot was a tactic employed by ancient Persian horse archers. The horsemen would feign retreat at full gallop, then suddenly turn their bodies around and fire arrows at the pursuing enemy.

This tactic was successfully used by the Parthians and other Iranian civilizations utilizing cavalry extensively to disrupt, harass, maim, and kill enemy forces, especially infantry.

A notable battle where this tactic was employed was the Battle of Carrhae.

You wound, like Parthians, while you fly, And kill with a retreating eye. Samuel Butler, A Heroical Epistle of Hudibras to His Lady (1678).^*

The modern term "parting shot" is probably a bastardization of "Parthian shot", which itself was used up to the 20th century to describe a barbed insult or bon mot given as the speaker departed:

With which Parthian shot he walked away, leaving the two rivals open-mouthed behind him. Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet (1886).

See also

• Caracole, a similar cavalry maneuver
• Cataphract, a type of armored cavalry soldier employed by the Parthians
• Feint

Military tactics

Tir parthe | Tirang Parthian