Hellenic cataphracts

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Military Saints is a common representative art theme in every Eastern Orthodox project of religious decoration of menologia, psalters, minitures, frescoes,manuscripts or secular iconography numismatics,seals. This iconographical tradition is rooted in Hellenistic culture and fully grew during the Roman Empire. Kings, Generals, Emperors and Gods dressed in armors in order to defend their earthly and celestial realms. This tradition survived during Late Antiquity. We should assume that the attires of Military saints have heavily based on traditional defensive weaponry in use at the time the icons were created.

Hellenic cataphracts

Help Forgot Password? Remember Me? Advanced Search. Results 1 to 5 of 5. July 03, , PM 1. Hellenistic Cataphracts - More Expensive, Weaker? So I am playing Parthia was doing a bit of a run through the Nomadic factions, and decided to stick with them , and Cataphracts have been quite valuable for my all cavalry army, so I got interested in the unit and decided to check other cataphracts in the game. Basically, there's a handful: Sarmatian pseudo-cataphract, but cheap , Sakan pretty good , Parthian apparently the best , Hay pretty good , and Hellenic pretty good. Now, the the matter at hand is, despite the Hellenic cataphract not being from my point of view the best, it is as expensive as the Parthian one. They are even stated to have better armor, but all real cataphracts have the same value, So maybe it was an oversight when applying the cost calculation formula? Because as far as I know, the formula only takes account the attributes and tactical characteristics of the unit -- availability or campaign access don't weigh at all.

According to Arrian, when Alexander faced the Indian tribe of the Malli, he did not dare assault them with his, hellenic cataphracts, by now, veteran Heteroi or Thessaliansbut he followed the customary cavalry tactics of hellenic cataphracts and retreats perispasmoi.

The Iranians and Persians pioneered armoured cavalry and the Seleucids were the first western, Hellenised power to see their merit for battle. His Egyptian enemies, led by Skopas of Aetolia, placed cavalry on the army's flanks to shield the infantry in the centre. They were unable to defend themselves against the next mighty charge; the entire Egyptian army broke, and Skopas fled to Sidon. This retreat marked the end of Ptolemaic rule in Judea. Seleucid Shock Cavalry Hellenic Cataphracts Incredibly heavy cavalry who can turn the tide of battle with their thunderous charge! Requires Buildings Lv. Faction Availability Grand Campaign Baktria.

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.

Hellenic cataphracts

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. The adoption of cataphract-like cavalry formations took hold among the late Roman army during the late 3rd and 4th centuries. The Emperor Gallienus r. The origin of the word is Greek.

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Ekklesia Ephor Gerousia. Category : Hellenistic armies. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. Numerous burial seals, military figurines, murals, and official reliefs from this period testify to the great importance of armored cavalry in warfare. Meanwhile, the Tibetan Empire used cataphracts as the elite assault force of its armies for much of its history. List of ancient Greeks. Cataphracts were heavily armed and armoured cavalrymen. Also, I seem unable to add images at this time for some reason. Its flanks would be protected by units of infantry, which ideally would be more trustworthy in case of disorder. In between the Second and Third Macedonian Wars, Philip V embarked on a major reform and re-organization of the kingdom. The Ptolemies also deployed heavy armored lancers, never cataphracts, probably because of the high temperatures prevalent in their empire. Median Cavalry.

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.

The phalangite's shield - long misconstrued thanks to its description as a "buckler" by several writers - was a 2-foot 0. Agema Cavalry. Heavy Armored and with a powerful charge, they should be used to bore a hole into the enemy lines, provided that they are properly weakened and their formation is disorganized. They'll be up soon as possible. By the end of the 3rd century BC, the 'Macedonian' phalanx had become the dominant fighting style even for states such as Sparta [ citation needed ]. 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. Of these some, who were armed with pikes, stood so motionless that you would think them held fast by clamps of bronze. Missile Ship Philopoemen, in the late 3rd century, having already reformed the foot soldiers into a Macedonian-style phalanx, also reformed the cavalry. Hellenistic cavalry is more expensive, and there are few more such adjustments.