Persian archer equipment

[Sean Manning]

I've just had a play with my own quiver and arrows facing backwards on my left side - it's actually surprisingly quick. It takes a bit of getting used to but you can nock the arrow pretty much straight away. In pulling it out I also ended up twisting my body at the waist a little bit - useful for mounted archery shooting backwards quickly.

Hope this helps!

Looking at some depictions of Persian archers on Greek vase paintings (not a great source, but unfortunately we have few depictions of Persian archers in combat elsewhere), it appears that they did wear their gorytoi facing forwards in combat. If the Persians used the quiver hook to hang their gorytoi from their belts like all the contemporary nomadic peoples did, it wouldn't have been difficult to just lift the hook off the belt and flip the gorytus to face forward before entering combat. It was probably kept facing backwards because that was simply easier, and you didn't have the bow tip poking up right in front of you.

Interesting suggestion!

I do know of one image showing archers in combat with gorytoi pointing backwards. An Achaemenid-period cylinder seal depicts a battle between Persians and Saca in stylized fashion. (Two fighters are locked in combat in the center, while each is supported by an archer with drawn bow). The Saca grappling his Persian opponent, and the Saca archer preparing to shoot, both have gorytoi with the high end pointing behind them. The two Persians are in robes, so the archer has a shoulder quiver despite his Scythian bow. But Saca gorytoi are slightly different than Persian ones, judging by art, so it could be that Saca didn't reverse their quivers but Persians did.