heavy cavalry engaging heavy cavalry

[Alanus]

Assyrians are sometimes credited with developing first true heavy cavalry formations.

As far as I can tell there was no heavy cavalry employed by anyone that early. Even their chariotry didn't operate as heavy units. It isn't until the reforms of Cyrus that chariots operate like true heavy units and heavy cavalry doesn't appear until even later. The Assyrians are likely to have been the first to employ horse archery in the region though.

Dan's was the last post on a fairly dead thread. However, I'm not totally in agreement. Peter's statement places the credit of heavy cavalry to the Assyrians, who were actually light cavalry archers. Dan credits Cyrus the Great. However, back at the beginning of this thread we posited the Massagetae as the originators. Perhaps it doesn't matter since both are recorded at the battle of Araxes in 530.

What we should remember is this-- heavy cavalry could not exist until large well-bred horses were employed. And we know where the first large horses came from: the steppe of Eurasia. Cavalry as a warfare unit didn't exist until after 1,000 BC. Before that, it was chariot warfare. Perhaps then, we are left with two "heavy-weight" contenders. :whistle:

I'll leave you with a quiz. Who gets the honor as the first great heavy cavalry general?

Would you vote for Cyrus?
[attachment=9771]CyrustheGreat.JPG[/attachment]

Or would you vote for Tomyris?
[attachment=9772]Tomyriswithlong-swordakinakes-2.jpg[/attachment]