Sassanian Army

[PMBardunias]

THE RISE OF THE SASSANIAN ELEPHANT CORPS: ELEPHANTS AND THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE
MB CHARLES - Iranica Antiqua, 2007

[JP Vieira]

Hello
Thanks to all for the extra data on this matter.
I have made the preliominary drawings for this illustration and this data will help improve the accuracy of them.
Thanks again
Best regards

[Ioannes_Ahenobarbus]

I did not notice anyone else mention a book called "Shadows in the Desert: Persia at War" or some such. Written by the same man who authored the "Sassanian Elite Cavalryman" title. It has many pictures of relief sculpture and the like.

[JP Vieira]

Thanks, John, for the extra help on this.
Best regards

[sonic]

I did not notice anyone else mention a book called "Shadows in the Desert: Persia at War" or some such. Written by the same man who authored the "Sassanian Elite Cavalryman" title. It has many pictures of relief sculpture and the like.

It's by Kaveh Farrokh. It also has some of the drawings 'perrygray'
mentioned from the 'parade marking an important anniversary of Iran which included soldiers dressed in ancient garb. There were several units attired as Sassanian troops'.

Good Luck

[Sapor]

Farrokh has an unfortunate tendency to emphasise the positives about the Persians.

His Shadows in the Desert book provides a lot of references but many of the claims he makes about the Persian heavies (Asavaran) are based on his own Osprey book which is not referenced.

The Osprey itself is best avoided IMHO. The plates (by McBride) show very few military subjects, and those are dubious at best (Early Imperial style armour in Julian's campaign for example).

[Nectanebo]

Iwould recommend "Sassanian Armies" by David Nicolle, published by Montvert Publications. I was lucky enough to come across it in Foyles' Bookshop in 1998.

Many of the reconstructions are influenced by earlier Osprey books, but it's nice to have them all in one place. Unfortunately there is no reconstruction of an elephant armour. There is a line drawing of elephants from the Taq-i-Bustan reliefs, unfortunately these are unarmoured.

[Timotheus]

I did not notice anyone else mention a book called "Shadows in the Desert: Persia at War" or some such. Written by the same man who authored the "Sassanian Elite Cavalryman" title. It has many pictures of relief sculpture and the like.

It's by Kaveh Farrokh. It also has some of the drawings 'perrygray'
mentioned from the 'parade marking an important anniversary of Iran which included soldiers dressed in ancient garb. There were several units attired as Sassanian troops'.

Good Luck

He also has a rather fanboy like entry in Wikipedia.

[SMC]

Just thought I'd bring this new book to the attention of those on this thread.

Rome and Persia in Late Antiquity: Neighbours and Rivals by Beate Dignas and Engelbert Winter

I got it from Amazon last week but have only made it to the end of the first section. Its basically a sourcebook on Roman and Persian relations on the eastern frontier in Late Antiquity but has sections on the Sassanian army.
In general its pretty good and certainly has an extensive bibliography. Its a bit sweeping in places and could do with some more critical analysis of events but from what I've got through so far and having flicked through other sections, its well worth the money. Certainly its very readable.

[Sapor]

I thought it was not bad - but a little disappointing. Most of the content is available in the Dodgeon, Greatrex and Lieu source books. I was also surprised to see Osprey 'Romes Enemies 3' listed as a source. They also repeat the claim that Ctesiphon was captured by Galerius, which is unsupported by other evidence.

Of course - being Sapor, I may be a little biased...

[Roxofarnes]

Obviously the really exhausting book on Sasanian army, warfare and armament is still yet to be written. None of the titles mentioned so far can be found good scientific monograph of any aspect of Iranian army of the period. Except for Rance, who has a sound view of the elephant corps in Sasanian war machine. Quite recently was published another book in St Petersburg "Vsadniki v sverkayushchey bronye" which despite popular nature is quite good. Naturally I believe that if Author was allowed he could develop it into comprehensive study with full apparatus. IMO Nicolle's Montvert is also pretty good unlike any of Ospreys in the topic.

[Gäiten]

Another lamentable fact is that we know so less about the Sassanian infantry.

IMHO there could not have been as bad as they are described. I do not think of the Paighan (levy peasant militia), but of the heavy infantry and „special forces“ as the elite Daylami.

[Roxofarnes]

Another lamentable fact is that we know so less about the Sassanian infantry.

IMHO there could not have been as bad as they are described. I do not think of the Paighan (levy peasant militia), but of the heavy infantry and „special forces“ as the elite Daylami.

RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT!!!
They were inferior to the cavalry but not as bad as most of classical authors describe. Or at least not always they were like this.
Paighan, if I am correct means "footmen" so it does not necessarily mean "peasant militia". It means generally infantry.

[Gäiten]

RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT!!!
They were inferior to the cavalry but not as bad as most of classical authors describe. Or at least not always they were like this.
Paighan, if I am correct means "footmen" so it does not necessarily mean "peasant militia". It means generally infantry.

IIRC in the Shahname are a late Sassanian battle order and tactics described, that ferocious infantry charges were up to break up the enemy`s formation.
In Theophanes` report of the Battle of Nineveh (626 AD) (Theoph. A.M. 6118) is described that Heraclius`s horse was wounded by footsoldiers` weapons. That Sassanian infantry were capable in breaking up the Byzantine formation and could directly attack the emperor speaks of their battle acumen.

IMHO the Sassanians could recruit excellent infantry among many of their subjects and allied people. As the Arabs, the people of Afghanistan, Sughdia, Daylam, Tabaristan, Albania, Armenia, Iberia, Khurasan, Bactria, Kurds, Medes, India, Khwarazm and Transoxania.

Maybe we have gotten somewhat confused about the true importance of Sassanian infantry because most reports (especially those of the Byzantine-Sassanian Wars) tell us that in the battles only the Sassanian cavalry fought (for example at Dara 530AD) and when the cavalry was defeated the infantry fled. However, I think most of the Sassanian infantry forces at Dara were Paighan, supposed to do the siege-working. They were not supposed to fight direct confrontations with heavy enemy infantry nor cavalry.

Due the Paighan, you are correct about the meaning of.
IMHO I call so the levy peasant infantry. However I do not believe that they were just of cannon fodder quality, I think even in peace these armed people were responsible for most of the general maintaining of civil order. Therefore I called them “militia”.
The other, more professional foot soldiers could have belonged to the warrior caste, could have not they?

[Roxofarnes]

[quote="GäitenIIRC in the Shahname are a late Sassanian battle order and tactics described, that ferocious infantry charges were up to break up the enemy`s formation.
In Theophanes` report of the Battle of Nineveh (626 AD) (Theoph. A.M. 6118) is described that Heraclius`s horse was wounded by footsoldiers` weapons. That Sassanian infantry were capable in breaking up the Byzantine formation and could directly attack the emperor speaks of their battle acumen.
The other, more professional foot soldiers could have belonged to the warrior caste, could have not they?[/quote]
Shahname uses a form "splendid" or "glorious" infantry in on place. So your observations overlap my mine.
The paighan might be recruited from all-over the state I believe. Especially in dire straits the state was recruiting virtually everybody. If you consider Iranian armies of teh Arab conquest you might find them dominated by large units of infantry and elephants and diminished role of cavlry. This might result from losses in manpower of aristocratic descent and losses of mounts in Heracleian wars, civil wars and in initial phase of Islamic conquest. Anyway - nice to meet someone much into topic which has been my hobby for a while