Originally posted by Sikander
Huuummm, that Takabara issue is quite interesting... perhaps they could be either medium or light infantry, just like the peltephoroi (or peltast)...
Here follows what I have being doing these last few days - Cv means Cavalry; Bw means Bowmen; Ed means Edge (swordbearers); Sp is for Spearmen; Cm means camelry; L is light, H is heavy, M is medium, A is (horse) archer, e is elite.
I would realy thank if anyone could correct me or just say anything bour it:
Sikander
II/XX Achaemenid Persian 560 BC 329 BC
All Reg Co; Hilly/Aridchemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />>>
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Huvakan asabāran retinue C vMe/CvHe 0-1 0-2 0-3>>
Convert the above to mounted archers CvMAe/CvHAe any>>
Huvakan asabāran CvMe 0-3 0-6 0-10>>
Convert the above to mounted archers CvMAe up to >>
Persian, Median, Paphlagonian and Armenian asabāran CvM 2-5 4-10 6-15>>
Convert the above to light cavalry CvL up to >>
Convert the above to mounted archers CvMA/ CvLA up to >>
Bactrian and Arachosian asabāran CvM/CvL 1-2 2-4 3-6>>
Convert the above to mounted archers CvLA any>>
Bactrian and Arabian ushabāran CmM/CmL 0-2 0-4 0-6>>
Artibāran retinue SpMe 0-1 0-2 0-3>>
Amrtakan SpMe/BwMe 0-2 0-4 0-6>>
Thanuvabāran BwM 4-10 8-18 12-24>>
Convert the above to Thanuvabāran w/ Sparabāran BwH any>>
Kardakan mercenaries BwM/EdM/SpM 2-6 4-12 6-18>>
Downgrade the above to light infantry SpL/BwL any>>
Assyrian, Egyptian and Ionian heavy infantry SpHi 0-2 0-4 0-6>>
Phoenician, Saka, Median and African marines SpM/EdM 0-2 0-4 0-6>>
Scythed chariots Ex 0-1 0-2 0-3>>
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a) from 519 BC>>
Saka cavalry CvL/CvLA 0-4 0-8 0-12>>
Convert the above to elite mounted archers CvLAe up to >>
Indian Kshatryas SpM/EdM 0-2 0-4 0-6>>
Indian bowmen BwM/BwL 0-4 0-8 0-12>>
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b) from 401 BC>>
Convert the Huvakan to cataphract CvHe 0-1 0-2 0-4>>
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c) Between 401 BC 332 BC>>
Hellenic hoplite mercenaries SpH
Hellenic peltephoroi mercenaries SpM/SpL 0-2 0-4 0-6>>
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d) Between 375 BC 370 BC>>
Convert the peltephoroi to Iphikratean peltephoroi PkM any>>
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This list covers the armies of the Achaemenid (or Hakhmaniiya) Dynasty begining with the rule of Cyrus the Great, until the Empires conquest by Alexander and his Mecedonian/Hellenic army. In spite of the weakness shown at the Thermopilai, Platea, Marathon, Issus and Gaugamela, to name just a few battles, the fact is that, under the Achaemenid Dynasty, chemas-microsoft-comfficemarttags" />t="on">Persia became the biggest and richest Empire on earth, stretching from the Mediterranean to the Indus and from t="on">Bactria to lace wt="on">Arabialace>.>>
One of the main problem when dealing with the Persians is that most of what we know has been given to us by foreigners, namely the Hellenes. And even though a foreign look may notice otherwise neglected details, nonetheless its still misleading due to lack of information and bad interpretations. That is why we, for instance, know more about the Applebearers and the Immortals, a noticeable minority, than we know about the rest of the army.>>
The Persians organized its military in a decimal structure by which a regiment of a thousand men (hazarabam) was divided into ten satabam of a hundred each, these being also divided into ten databam. Ten hazarabam would in turn compose a baivarabam. Needless to say, the paper strength of each unit was not always maintained.>>
The Persians tactics employed great masses of cavalry in order to break the enemys opposition, and every nobleman was expected to be both a good horseman and a good bowman. The option for converting the cavalry into mounted-archers reflects this training, even if in later years the bow was progressively substituted by the javelin. The ShaanShas (King of Kings) mounted retinue and the elite cavalry baivarabam were made of nobles. After Cyrus defeat at the hands of the Scythians, part of the cavalry seams to have adopted armor, both for the riders and for the horses.>>
The ShaanShas foot retinue were the Artibāran, or Applebearers, because their spears butt resembled a golden apple. The Amrtakan, or Immortals, were an elite baivaraban that was always kept to 10 000 men strong.>>
The main body of the foot were the thanuvabāran (bow-bearers), who were employed en masse to deliver showers of arrows onto the enemy, thus weakening his defences against the Persian cavalry. Sometimes the thanuvabāran put themselves under the protection of the sparabāran (shield-bearers), armed with a short sword or falchion and a spara, a large pavise-like shield. Since the was only one sparabāra for every 10 men in a archer unit, we have given the option for converting the thanuvabāran into BwH. >>
The Kardakan were presumably non-Persian mercenary infantry recruited either to act as garrison troops or as part of the standing field army. Its origins were many: Assyrian, Egyptian, Ethiopian, Indian, Lycian, Median, Phoenician, Semitic, and Saka (although this later origin may also include Bactrians and Sogdians as well) among many others. They seem to have been armed with bows, spears, short swords, falchions, sickles and war axes, and also with shields. The Egyptian and Assyrian are recorded to have used armor.>>
The Hellenes started to be employed right after the conquest of Ionia by the Persians, but their widespread use as mercenaries only started after the First Persian War. These mercenaries became famous after the Ten Thousand led by Xenophon. By 379 BC, the Athenian general Iphikrates led a 20 000 strong contingent of Hellenes, most of whom seem to have been nothing more than peltasts (or peltephoroi). In order to remedy this situation, Iphikrates issued them linen cuirasses, a big, round peltai, and a 3,6m long spear, thus making them the first sarissophoroi in History.>>
After the conquest of Bactria and the submission of the Sakas (a Scythian-like people), contingents of these peoples were widely employed. The Bactrians were famous for their horses and they also used camels as war mounts. The Sakas fought both as horse-archers and as foot soldiers, although this later fighting style could point to a more sedentary kind of life typical of a Bactrian or Sogdian origin.>>
The last 50 years of the Achaemenid Empire saw it ravaged by internal strife in the way of satrapal rebellions, province secessions, dynastic struggles, regicides and constant palace conspiracies. At this stage, the Empire was ready to pick, and Alexander III of Macedon took charge of this. Against the Hellenic wave, Darius III trusted in his asabāran, his mercenaries and in sheer numbers. But to cope with this, Alexander used to good effect an outstanding army with a sarissophoroi hedgehog and a formidable cavalry, but most of all, he used is unparalleled genius.>>
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Main references:>>
Burns, Paul. The question of Persian cataphract cavalry; Slingshot n 74, November 1977, p. 53>>
Hamblin, William. Whats in a name?: Old Persian military terminology; Slingshot n 109, September 1983, p. 32>>
Head, Duncan. Xerxes Army in Greece, 480-479 BC; Slingshot n 181, September 1995, pp. 12-19>>
Nayker, Adrian. Lost and found in Anatolia; Slingshot n 201, January 1999, pp. 28-29>>
Nikonorov, Valerii. The Armies of Bactria, 700 BC 450 AD; Montvert Publications, 1997>>
Sekunda, Nicholas; McBride, Angus (ill.). The Army of Alexander the Great; Osprey Publishing (Men-at-Arms 148) 1997>>
Sekunda, Nicholas; Chew, Simon (ill.). The Persian Army 560-330 BC; Osprey Publishing (Elite 42) 1992>>
Jvid-moshref, Rmin. The Achaemenid Army; Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies at the School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London>>
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