Crassus is a strong contender for richest-person-to-ever-live. A member of the first Triumvirate, he found success at every turn, amassing power and wealth beyond the wildest dreams of most mortals. Taking personal control of the vast province of Syria, he soon grew concerned by the glory won by Caesar and Pompey, his co-rulers of Rome. He assembled an army and marched East, intending to conquer the ancient enemy of the Romans, Parthia, modern Iran. The campaign was a disaster; tens of thousands of Roman soldiers were slaughtered in the desert, and Crassus fell into the hands of the Parthian commander Surena. It was he who famously quenched Crassus' thirst for gold by pouring it down his throat.