Persian archer equipment

[MeinPanzer]

Atarn gives a description of a scythian gorytos - it's not hooked on but rather strapped onto the belt by slots in the side of the quiver.

No, their description is a little confused. The strap with the quiver hook attached to it which hung from the belt was sewn onto that part of the gorytus (oftentimes onto its "spine," if it had one, of wood). You can see what I mean here. This is the quiver from the Urumchi museum referred to on that page, from Subeixi, 5th-3rd c. BC:

http://www.antiquemilitaryhistory.com/images/quiver.jpg

You can see the hook, which is found among all peoples who regularly used the gorytus, at the end of the strap. Persian reliefs seem to show the same sort of setup, though obviously with a different length of strap and a different style of gorytus.

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.

That is the only Persian representation of the gorytus being worn in close combat by infantry that I could think of. The new painted battle scenes from that tomb found in Asia Minor show cavalrymen wearing gorytoi, but I would expect the situation with cavalrymen to be different.