Hellenic cataphracts

Help Forgot Password? Remember Me? Advanced Search.

A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalry that originated in Persia and was fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa. Historically, the cataphract was a very heavily armored horseman, with both the rider and mount almost completely covered in scale armor , and typically wielding a kontos lance as his primary weapon. Cataphracts served as the elite cavalry force for most empires and nations that fielded them, primarily used for charges to break through opposing heavy cavalry and infantry formations. Chronicled by many historians from the earliest days of antiquity up until the High Middle Ages , they may have influenced the later European knights , through contact with the Eastern Roman Empire. In Europe, the fashion for heavily armored Roman cavalry seems to have been a response to the Eastern campaigns of the Parthians and Sasanians in Anatolia , as well as numerous defeats at the hands of Iranian cataphracts across the steppes of Eurasia, most notably in the Battle of Carrhae 53 BC in upper Mesopotamia. Traditionally, Roman cavalry was neither heavily-armored nor decisive in effect; the Roman equites corps comprised mainly lightly-armored horsemen bearing spears and swords and using light cavalry tactics to skirmish before and during battles, and then to pursue retreating enemies after a victory.

Hellenic cataphracts

The limited availability of Greek conscripts in the east led to an increasing dependence on mercenary forces, whereas in the Hellenistic armies in the west were continuously involved in wars, which soon exhausted local manpower, paving the way for Roman supremacy in the region. The Diadochi were capable of deploying some of the largest armies of their day, and could easily outmatch the numerical strength of either Phillip II or Alexander 's Macedonian full strength contingents. However, the size of the armies participating in different campaigns could vary extremely, from a few thousand to over 70, soldiers. Of these armies, outside Greece, only a fraction would have been of Greek origin, the rest being allied contingents and conscripts from the local population. Lack of manpower was a serious concern for many Hellenistic rulers. The disparity between the manpower reserves available to Rome and to any other Hellenistic monarch had a profound influence on the way in which the opponents made war. Many states had to rely on mercenaries to bulk up their citizen forces: For example, the army of the Achaean League under Aratus of Sicyon was re-organized to contain a permanent corps of mercenaries that numbered 8, foot soldiers and on horseback, compared with the corps of picked Achaean troops, which numbered only 3, foot and horse. To take another example, by the mid-third century BC, the Spartan citizen population had decreased to a tiny fraction of what it had been at the time of the Persian Wars Cleomenes' army could only field about 5, men [3]. The inchoate reforms of Agis IV in the s BC had failed after a reaction by those opposed to the reforms. The problem of the lack of man-at-arms was then taken up by Cleomenes III of Sparta, who attempted to address it by his radical reforms. Cleomenes launched a coup against his rivals at home and used their demise to push forward a reform to increase Spartan manpower. In BC, Cleomenes cancelled all debts, pooled and divided the large estates and increased the citizen body by enfranchising 5, Perioikoi and ' metics ' resident foreigners. Before long, he increased the citizen body further by allowing Helots to buy their freedom for five minae and therefore he "acquired talents, some of which he used to arm 2, men in the Macedonian fashion as phalangites ".

It was unarmored and normally equipped with a shield and javelins, hellenic cataphracts, which it hurled at the enemy, evading any attempt to engage in close combat. This initially unexpected and humiliating defeat for Rome was followed by numerous campaigns over the next two centuries entailing many notable engagements such as: the Battle of Cilician Gates hellenic cataphracts, Mount GindarusMark Antony's Parthian Campaign and finally culminating in the bloody Battle of Nisibis in AD, which resulted in a slight Parthian victory, hellenic cataphracts, and Emperor Macrinus being forced to concede peace with Parthia.

EB1: The Hellenistic Kataphraktoi are armored in an expensive combination of lamellar armor and chain. They are to be used as heavy shock cavalry, but have staying power in melee because of the sheer weight of their armor. EB2: An evolution of the heavy cavalry, the kataphraktoi incorporate influences from the advancements of the cavalry nations to the east. If the hetairoi are the hammer of the "hammer and anvil", then the kataphraktoi are a sledge hammer. After suffering heavy losses to the Parthoi and Armenioi Kataphraktoi, the Seleukid and Baktrian empires produced their own versions of these heavy horsemen, both adapting the tactics and style of warfare to Hellenic technology and using superior metalwork to make them even more heavily armored. They are armored in an expensive combination of lamellar armor and chain, with heavy felt sandwiched in the middle. The resulting armor is tough and flexible, but offers outstanding protection.

A cataphract was a form of armored heavy cavalry that originated in Persia and was fielded in ancient warfare throughout Eurasia and Northern Africa. Historically, the cataphract was a very heavily armored horseman, with both the rider and mount almost completely covered in scale armor , and typically wielding a kontos lance as his primary weapon. Cataphracts served as the elite cavalry force for most empires and nations that fielded them, primarily used for charges to break through opposing heavy cavalry and infantry formations. Chronicled by many historians from the earliest days of antiquity up until the High Middle Ages , they may have influenced the later European knights , through contact with the Eastern Roman Empire. In Europe, the fashion for heavily armored Roman cavalry seems to have been a response to the Eastern campaigns of the Parthians and Sasanians in Anatolia , as well as numerous defeats at the hands of Iranian cataphracts across the steppes of Eurasia, most notably in the Battle of Carrhae 53 BC in upper Mesopotamia. Traditionally, Roman cavalry was neither heavily-armored nor decisive in effect; the Roman equites corps comprised mainly lightly-armored horsemen bearing spears and swords and using light cavalry tactics to skirmish before and during battles, and then to pursue retreating enemies after a victory.

Hellenic cataphracts

By the 7 th and 8 th centuries B. Some were armed lightly and were used to harass the enemy from afar with missiles or to pursue routing troops. Other types of cavalry units were heavily armed, and were used as shock troops to break enemy formations. The most heavily armed cavalry unit in the ancient world was the greatly feared cataphract. It has been pointed out that one of the earliest known depictions of the cataphract can be found in Khwarezm, a region in Central Asia near the Aral Sea. This image portrays a warrior clad in armor, armed with a lance and bow, and mounted on an armored horse. It has been estimated that these cavalrymen were used in the region as early as the 6 th century B. Apart from the Seleucids, various other Central Asian nations also had cataphracts in their armies. The figure on top in the middle is believed to be Khosrau II.

Topeka movie theater showtimes

Expansion could secure "the great reservoir of available man-power" [5] that lay north in Thrace. Their use is considered more harmful than beneficial in the Greek tactical manuals, yet they could have a frightening effect on badly trained, inexperienced opponents, such as Asiatic tribal armies. The name, however, was kept alive and formed into a corps of the Seleucid army. Against them, the enemy would use his own elephants, a necessity, since cavalry would never be able to conquer them. Indian War Elephants. Numerous individual units of the phalanx infantry are attested in use during the Hellenistic period. These warhorses, sometimes referred to as "Nisean chargers", [10] were highly sought after by the Greeks , and are believed to have influenced many modern horse breeds. It goes without saying that any sword-fighting in the vicinity of the phalanx's front was complicated by the sarissai projecting from the 2nd-5th ranks around the 1st rank combatants. The various Agemata pl. This article has multiple issues. Description Discussions Comments Change Notes.

Iranians deploying cataphracts at some time in their history included the Sarmatians, Parthian dynasty, Sassanid Persians, Armenians, Pergamenes, and later Romans, Byzantines and others. The Romans and Byzantines adopted this type of unit from Iranians, especially from Parthians, after the Battle of Carrhae. Cataphracts were the heavy assault force of most nations that used them, acting as shock troops supported by light or heavy infantry and foot or mounted archers.

They're still very powerful, as few units could break roman infantry from the front like they did in Magnesia. The Parthians, who wrested control over their native Persia from the last Seleucid Kingdom in the East in BC, were also noted for their reliance upon cataphracts as well as horse archers in battle. Hitti trans. Missile Penteres - Persian Light Archers. Although initially successful, the Romans soon developed ways to crush the charges of heavy horsemen, through use of terrain and maintained discipline. According to Arrian, when Alexander faced the Indian tribe of the Malli, he did not dare assault them with his, by now, veteran Heteroi or Thessalians , but he followed the customary cavalry tactics of attacks and retreats perispasmoi. From these texts, we can safely deduce that, during Hellenistic times, the term "Tarantines" no longer bore a geographical significance [34] [35] and was used purely as a tactical term. Kremasmata, or thigh guards The majority of Byzantine corselets of all the types seen in images of the warrior saints are often depicted by a range of short skirt made up of loosely hanging strips or iverted lamellae, which covers the groin and the tops of the legs above the knees. This retreat marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Judea. The Ptolemies also deployed heavy armored lancers, never cataphracts, probably because of the high temperatures prevalent in their empire. The title of Hekatontarch appeared around the s BC. July 04, , AM 3. They also suffer from having less morale compared to the Hetairoi Companion Cavalry and the Cataphracts of the Eastern Factions and may be more prone to flee if their fortune weighs heavily against them and as such the commander must think twice to what they must do. It was customary for the Hellenistic warlords to name individual units of phalangites according to the color of their shields.