Warriors of the late BC centuries (part 2) image - Ancient Weapon Lovers Group

Spâhbâdê Pahlavânig (Early Parthian Bodyguard)

The Spâhbâdê Pahlavânig, literally ”Parthian general”, rode out to war with a bodyguard retinue consisting of fiercely loyal men, accustomed since early childhood in the skills of riding the horse and practical archery. These are the finest men mustered by the Pârnî tribe, and naturally the harsh steppes produced men of certain toughness, these being the handpicked champions emphasizing the martial ardour of the Pahlavân. They ride the most magnificent Nisaean chargers, ideal for the shock cavalry task, and they are beyond their famed skills in horsemanship armed with the finest equipment of the nomadic Pahlavân armies. Their primary weapon, the kontos or literally a “barge-pole” in Greek, was a devastating lance, thicker and longer than the Hellenic xyston, held with two hands and in the hands of a skilled cavalryman could easily penetrate armour. Other than the kontos they are also armed with a Scythian-style longsword, and composite bows. They are magnificently clad in the long “Web-like” cataphract armour of lamellar, extending from the neck and shoulders down to the lower calves, effectively covering almost the entire body. Their heads are adorned by a modified Greek-style helmet, carrying the torch of an infamous earlier Scythian practice of capturing enemy equipment. Their strong mounts are armoured by the classical Massageto-Persian style of chamfrôn and peytrel, though also lamellar rather than scale. Though the equipment was by no means strictly uniform, being the retinue of a wealthy, and influential general, it is reasonable to believe that the appearance of the regiment was kept at the very least somewhat consistently.

Artwork from Europa Barbarorum (a mod for Rome:Total War)