Persian Cataphract 259 AD

Persian Cataphract 259 AD

The Sassanid Empire of Persia was one of Rome's most fearsome enemies. They wished to bring the entire of the Roman Empire into their own as well as most other known lands. Their principal strength was in their noble cavalry. Whether Clibinari (not a coincidence that this word is so close to the Roman word for 'bake oven') or the even more armored Cataphracti the Persian noble cavalry were the forerunners of the middle ages. If infantry were absolutely necessary, the Sassanian Kings could raise levies of peasant spearman, archers, slingers and javelin men but the might was with their heavy cavalry. Oh, this was always supported by thousands of light horse archers, gaily dressed in bright colors and reasonable trained to shoot from the saddle this part of the force often made up well over 75% of most Sassanid armies.

It was their practice, like the Parthians before them to use the horse archers to shower formations to the unendurable breaking point with the hail of arrows and hold back the heavy horse until a time that it was unlikely to fail in a charge. When properly arranged there was little which could withstand such a charge. Indeed, Shapur the Great, King of Persia used just men and tactics to overwhelm the Roman Imperial Field Army and capture the first Roman Emperor (Valerian) ever taken alive in @259 AD.. It was not the last that the Empire had heard of the Persian Empire.

This Cataphracti wears one of the earlier style armors of his class. he fights without visible armor for his arms and without a mask for his face. The bronze armor would be as fully functional at that era as the iron or horn armor in use at the same time. His horse won't be easily wounded or felled either as it carries an equal measure of protection to its master and even has the 'strainer' eye protection, almost the highest form of armor for horses. As horses will simply not run into stationary objects, such as lines of shouting soldiers, our Cataphracti has also a bow to pelt the densly packed ranks of enemy infantry should they form an anti Cavalry square. The long lance, or Kontos, is our warrior's main weapon however and in mass these lances would strike fear into any opposing formation.