THE ARMIES OF ANCIENT PERSIA: THE SASSANIANS PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Kaveh Farrokh | 466 pages | 31 Oct 2017 | Pen & Sword Books Ltd | 9781848848450 | English | Barnsley, United Kingdom The Armies of Ancient Persia: the Sassanians PDF Book The chief weakness of the Persian army was its lack of endurance in close combat Ammianus Marcellinus Ammianus Marcellinus Curtius 3. The Vendidad gives Throughout most of the classical period, Persia was one of the great superpowers, placing a limit on the expansion of Western powers. The legacy of strong Persian women continued after Banu, however, and remains a source of pride in the present day. Best Selling in Nonfiction See all. Add to cart. Cilician Gates: Xenophon, Anabasis 1. He began to centralize power in order to consolidate his lands. These had variegated costumes A. Sell one like this. The shield was either small and crescent-shaped or large and rectangular; the latter could be planted in the ground allowing the archer to discharge his arrows from behind it Herodotus 9. The book is well researched, edited, organized and written. Additional Product Features Dewey Edition. The Parthian tactic was that of harassing the enemy by the hit-and-run action, dividing his forces by pretending retreat and enticing pursuit but then turning unexpectedly back and showering the foe with deadly arrows, and, finally when he was reduced in number and courage, to surround him, and destroy him with volleys of missiles. Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced, brand- new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. The Sassanians, the native Iranian dynasty that ousted their Parthian overlords in AD , developed a highly sophisticated army that was able for centuries to hold off all comers. Following his death, the Sassanian state weakened, and fell to the Arabs in Focusing on the armies of the Sassanians, this book is the first in a three-volume set intended to address that oversight. Slavery in the Parthian period followed the earlier paradigm to such an extent as to be almost non-existent when compared to how the institution was practiced in other civilizations. Military Weaknesses of the Spah; For more information on what data is contained in the cookies, please see our Cookie Policy. These refugees brought with them valuable Greek and Syrian works on medicine and philosophy that the king ordered translated. The Armies of Ancient Persia: the Sassanians Writer Earlier in his reign he had moved away from the Zoroastrian church and favoured Mazdakism , a new socioreligious movement that had found support among the people. Little by little it vanished from Iran, except for a few surviving adherents who remain to the present day in Yazd and a few other places. Women could choose their own husbands, however, and did so when they were not asked to marry for political purposes. Benveniste, Titres et noms propres en iranien ancien , Paris, , pp. Sell one like this. In sum, Dr. Last one. Infantry, Auxiliary Contingents and Naval Forces; 8. Gradually, they forced imperial states to adopt their military armament and costume. The organization of the Parthian army is not clear, and lacking a standing force, a strict and complicated organization was unnecessary in any case. It was against Artabanus V that a challenger arose in Persis. Hormizd was unable to display the same authority as his father, and he antagonized the Zoroastrian clergy by failing to take action against the Christians. A characteristic of the Achaemenid period is that commanders and dignitaries participated in actual fighting, and many of them lost their lives in action five of the eleven sons of Darius the Great fell on the front: Ariabignes [Herodotus 7. On tactical considerations, too, only the cavalry could be useful to the Parthians, for the nomads of the east could easily break through any infantry that the Parthians were able to muster, while no Parthian infantry could have matched the Roman phalanxes on the western front. These texts relate a significant number of transactions between the treasury and women who traveled on their own for business or pleasure. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. The Parthian period holds an important place in military history. Recommended For You. The commander-in-chief occupied the center, observing the lines and directing the actions from an elevated point, where he was best protected, and his orders were received by both wings at the same time. It seems, therefore, that a decimal grade was observed in the organization of the army. To accept cookies from this site, please click the Allow Cookies button below. This work is the first of three volumes though chronologically the last that will form the most comprehensive study of ancient Persian armies available. Stock photo. Knowledge of his teachings was greatly increased by the discovery in the early 20th century of many fragments of Manichaean literature in eastern Turkistan. He has written three previous books on Persian military history. About a new nation, that of the Turks, had emerged in the east. A Babylonian document dated to the second year of Darius II lists the requirements of a horseman as follows: a horse along with its girdle? Provisions were stored at various magazines along the route of the army, and were also brought with it in baggage-trains Rawlinson, op. See also Zoroastrianism. It was the most formidable rival to the Roman Empire for centuries, until Persia, by then under the Sassanians, was overwhelmed by the Islamic conquests in the seventh century AD. The Armies of Ancient Persia: the Sassanians Reviews Brand new: Lowest price The lowest-priced, brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. From his time dates a new and more equitable adjustment of the imperial tax system. Rostovtzeff and A. They continued the Parthian's famous winning combination of swift horse archers with heavily-armoured cataphract cavalry, also making much use of war elephants, but Kaveh Farrokh interestingly demonstrates that their oft-maligned infantry has been much underestimated. Although Zoroastrianism continued to be the state religion, many other faiths were practiced in Sassanian lands, including Buddhism and Judaism. For the latter task, heavy cavalry cataphracti was formed, which wore steel helmets Plutarch, Crassus 24 , a coat of mail reaching to the knees and made of rawhide covered with scales of iron or steel that enabled it to resist strong blows ibid. Battles were usually decided by the shock cavalry of the front line charging the opposite ranks with heavy lances while archers gave support by discharging storms of arrows. Stock photo. See also Zoroastrianism. At the beginning of the 3rd century ad , the Arsacid empire had been in existence for some years. From the third century the Romans also formed units of heavy cavalry of the Oriental type Rundgren, Orientalia Suecana 6, , pp. Fortified gates were set up in narrow passes leading into various provinces not only for custom checks but also for stopping the advance of an enemy e. New New. He draws on the latest research and new archaeological evidence, focusing on the organization, equipment and tactics of the armies that dominated the ancient Middle East for so long. Over more than three centuries the two powers fought a number of major and minor wars, conflicts that weakened both, until the armies of Islam overran the Sassanians. It was known for its libraries, vast centers of learning, and soaring achievements in monumental art and architecture. Taking power in A. The lowest- priced, brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging where packaging is applicable. She is probably best known for supporting her son Cyrus the Younger d. Gradually, they forced imperial states to adopt their military armament and costume. The Armies of Ancient Persia: the Sassanians Read Online At the turn of the seventh century, Khosrow II continued to fight against Byzantium. The Sassanians, the native Iranian dynasty that ousted their Parthian overlords in AD , developed a highly sophisticated army that was able for centuries to hold off all comers. You may also like. The author, born in Athens, Greece, and expert in ancient Persian languages and military history, has been researching the military history and technology of Persia for a quarter of a century. Additional Product Features Place of Publication. Source materials for a study of pre-Islamic Iranian military concerns fall into four categories: textual evidence; archeological finds of actual specimens of martial equipments; documentary representations on monuments and objects of art ; and philological deductions for organizational matters. Make an offer:. Yet, the armies of ancient Persia have received relatively little detailed attention, certainly in comparison to those of Rome. The shield was either small and crescent-shaped or large and rectangular; the latter could be planted in the ground allowing the archer to discharge his arrows from behind it Herodotus 9. The Parthian Period. They continued the Parthian's famous winning combination of swift horse archers with heavily-armored cataphract cavalry, also making much use of war elephants, but Kaveh Farrokh interestingly demonstrates that their oft-maligned infantry has been much underestimated. Since the carrying of the shield on the left made a soldier inefficient in using his weapons leftwards, the right was considered the line of attack, each side trying to outflank the enemy from that direction, i. The Fall of the Spah and the Empire; This website requires cookies to provide all of its features. Although there were many conflicts between Rome and Parthia, a local revolt is what took down Parthian power in A. Recommended For You. Martial Ardour, Origins and Missions of the Spah; 2. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser.