CAVALRY

In the Caucasus region, during the early Hellenistic period, military equipment retained many aspects of
Persian custom while continuing to incorporate some Hellenic traditions. Among the cavalry, the heavy
armor (parapleuridia) that was for a short time popular among the nobility of Cappadocia and Anatolia
carried on in a limited zone for a generation or two before giving way in Cappadocia to the cataphract in
the last quarter of the third century. In Anatolia itself the Persian heavy cavalry model quickly gave way
to that of the Greeks. In the Caucasus region, and around Armenia, the Hellenizing tradition among
Persian cavalry had caught on most quickly, and continued, until influence from Sarmatian tribes across
the steppe and the spread of cataphract warfare instigated changes there as well.

The most common types of cavalry in Anatolia and the Caucasus at the close of the Persian period, aside
from the heavier cavalry of the satrapal bodyguards, were a light and medium cavalry. The latter,
already heavily influenced by the Hellenes, likely changed little in the first part of the Hellenistic era.
They carried two or more multipurpose spears, wore an akinakes at their side and perhaps a sword or
sagaris, and bore for armor a helmet and some form of tube-and-yoke corselet, such as the padded and
quilted types depicted on the Issos mosaic. It is unclear whether they carried a shield. The light cavalry
at this point did, while the heavy cavalry did not. In fact, at this point, few medium to heavy cavalry
carried any sort of shield at all. The light cavalry were able skirmishers, the heroes of their tiny villages’
small wars, and carried a bundle of javelins along with a sagaris or sword. The heavy cavalry adopted
Hellenic tradition most quickly. The Armenian king and his guards likely continued to wear scale-
reinforced tube-and-york corselets of varying quality, though it is certainly possible—even likely—that
the muscled cuirass had also made its way into the courts of Armavir, if the proliferation of muscled
cuirasses among the elites of the Sarmatians is any indication. They wore a mix of good quality helmets,
and wielded long and sturdy lances designed for the charge, along with swords and other melee
weapons at their side, and a ceremonial akinakes on their thigh. Their horses too wore some armor,
though almost certainly not the parapleuridia slowly dying out in the Cappadocian highlands at that
same time.

Cavalry fighting in the Caucasus underwent a major change between the last quarter of the third century
and the midpoint of the second, due to influence from both the steppes and the east. The king and his
retinue returned to a style of fighting more reminiscent of the heavy cavalry of ancient Persia: the
heavy-armored horse and rider, the latter wielding a strong spear overhand. The king and his retinue
likely carried the recurve bow and gorytos like many other heavy cavalry, as well as a good quality sword
or mace. As for armor, scale seems to have persisted as the most popular type in this region. As for the
other cavalry, the medium cavalry seems to have transitioned to a two-handed lance, wielded atop a
fleet-footed horse. The riders, based on a bone plaque of the second century, wore scale coats covering
the upper shoulders, chest, and extending down to mid-thigh. Others continued much as they had in the
previous century, but borrowed from the Sauromatae the cavalryman’s thureos: one either shrunk in
general, or of normal size but with the top and bottom lopped off to make it more manageable from
horseback. Of these thureophoroi cavalry, some wore comparable armor to the lancers, but retained the
multi-use spears of earlier days. Still others, first attested from Armenia in the first century BC, used the
smaller thureos and served as mounted archers, equipped with recurve bow and a sword. There is no
evidence for any considerable change on the part of the light cavalry. The Armenian cataphract likely
made the switch to under-hand lancers in the first century, after borrowing the saddle from the
Sauromatae.

Stage 1: Stage 2: (c. 220) Stage 3: (c.100)

Light cavalry -- --

Medium cavalry Thureophoroi Medium --

Lancer --

Thureopherontes Toxotai Hippeis

Heavy cavalry Overhand cataphracts Lancer cataphracts

INFANTRY

As the level of organization and centralization decreased, so to did the level of Hellenization. So while
the highest level echelons of the Armenian infantry wielded the newly introduced thureos shield early in
the second half of the third century and the highest level guards retained the aspides they had wielded
since the second half of the fourth, the levies continued to carry the peltai and gerra shields that had
been pervasive in previous centuries. The weapons of the region were the bow, the shortened sagaris
axe, the spear, the javelin, and the shortsword, usually a type of the akinakes. Among the troops
retained from the old days of Persian influence were Persian-style archers, equipped with the sagaris or
akinakes, who had constituted a sizeable segment of the royal forces in the Armenian satrapy. Levies
from the lowland cities and the region of Lake Van were more likely to form the infantry wall of an
Armenian force, equipped with the gerron and wielding a short spear and akinakes dagger, suspended
from their side. Though little information exists regarding weaponry, it would be consistent for some
proportion of these troops to wear light body armor. The mountain levies differed little from Phrygia to
the Caucasian gates: they carried round peltai of wicker and wood, covered in leather, and some
combination of javelins, spears, swords and axes.

Among the regular troops, where Hellenism was steadily taking greater effect, helmets at least regularly
accompanied the shield, and body armor was most likely commonly worn, following the tube and yoke
design popular in both Hellenic and Persian armies, featuring quilted and padded cloth, leather, and
scale. Based on a 3rd century gem, the mainstay thureophoroi infantry of the armies of Armenia and
Sophene carried long spears at least 10 feet long. These may have represented an attempt to counter
cavalry and compete with Macedonian phalanxes. If not at the same time, at least by a later date some
of the Armenian thureophoroi were equipped with javelins and swords, eliciting comparisons to Roman
legionaries. Based on archaeological finds, the palace guard likely wore scale armor, and may have
retained the aspides used in former times, though it is also conceivable they too carried the thureos.
Based on the coins minted to celebrate the capture of Armenia, the palace guard may also have
included an imitation of the Persian immortals: professional soldiers wearing heavy armor under
expensive clothes, carrying a high quality bow and melee spear.
Regional: Royal:

Archer Spear Thureophoroi (upgradeable)

Javelin + Spear Sword Thureophoroi (upgradeable)

Javelin + Axe/Sword Palace Guard 1 (imit. Hypaspistai)

Spear Palace Guard 2 (imit. Immortals)