03-10-2013, 09:04 PM
Eduard - I suggest you copy-paste (quote) the actual excerpts, rather than describing them.
Because what Macedon wrote above proves, that short description of what the source says, written by some forum user, can often considerably differ from the actual source...
And I have not enough time for this discussion to search for every excerpt you mention.
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BTW - yesterday I've bought a new book "Amida 359" from the Polish "Historical Battles" series written by Tomasz Szeląg and the author describes there the tactics and composition of the Sassanid army from the 4th century (basing also on some books which I already have - such as "Sassanian Elite Cavalry" by Farrokh or Wilcox's "Rome's Enemies (3)", but also on books which I don't have like Woźniak's "Armie starożytnej Persji"). He quotes Ammianus Marcellinus and Marcellinus confirms that the Sassanids relied on the bravery of their heavy cavalry shock charges in most battles. The author says that heavy cavalry (such as the Savaran) were deployed in the first line of the battle and usually in the center (while light cavalry on both flanks). Infantry and war elephants were deployed behind the heavy cavalry.
Apart from "regular" heavy cavalry units, there were also elite ones - such as the Zhayedan (the Immortals - 10,000 heavy cavalry), Royal Guards - the Pushtighban (between 1,000 and 6,000 strong regarding its heavy cavalry component) and also the Gyanavspar / Peshmerga (elite heavy cavalry unit consisting of chosen horsemen who showed extraordinary bravery in previous battles).
Because what Macedon wrote above proves, that short description of what the source says, written by some forum user, can often considerably differ from the actual source...
And I have not enough time for this discussion to search for every excerpt you mention.
================================
BTW - yesterday I've bought a new book "Amida 359" from the Polish "Historical Battles" series written by Tomasz Szeląg and the author describes there the tactics and composition of the Sassanid army from the 4th century (basing also on some books which I already have - such as "Sassanian Elite Cavalry" by Farrokh or Wilcox's "Rome's Enemies (3)", but also on books which I don't have like Woźniak's "Armie starożytnej Persji"). He quotes Ammianus Marcellinus and Marcellinus confirms that the Sassanids relied on the bravery of their heavy cavalry shock charges in most battles. The author says that heavy cavalry (such as the Savaran) were deployed in the first line of the battle and usually in the center (while light cavalry on both flanks). Infantry and war elephants were deployed behind the heavy cavalry.
Apart from "regular" heavy cavalry units, there were also elite ones - such as the Zhayedan (the Immortals - 10,000 heavy cavalry), Royal Guards - the Pushtighban (between 1,000 and 6,000 strong regarding its heavy cavalry component) and also the Gyanavspar / Peshmerga (elite heavy cavalry unit consisting of chosen horsemen who showed extraordinary bravery in previous battles).
