Armaments of Persian cavalry

[Sertorio]

Except that they did, and how! Their entire logistical system was merely an improved Assyrian one. Their troop equipment and tactics did differ a bit. For example, the Assyrians didn't have composite units of spearmen and archers, they had archers accompanied by a pavise bearer each, and infantry were a seperate contingent. The Assyrians also lacked nomadic or feudal cavalry culture, so they had to use civilized methods to acquire such a force - through centralized conscription and training.

So they didnt copy. I find it hard to believe that economy was the reason why the Persian Empire did not develop heavy armoured cavalry. They certainly had wider resources than their greeks and macedonians counterparts. By tradition cavalry were noblemen(i think that applys to Persia also) so they must have owned resources enough.

About 300....are you claming that an hollywood movie based on a comic book is not a historical depiction of Thermophilae ? I am shocked.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

I did not say they didn't have armored cavalry. I said the MAJORITY of the PERSIAN cavalry were light in equipment. You see, Persian cavalry was raised around noble's estates - each noble bringing with him a sizeable retinue of horsemen. While the noble and his closest retainers could be heavily armored, the same cannot be said about the mass of the cavalry. Also, the tribal components of Iran were conscripted to serve as such cavalry.

As far as tactics go, heavy cavalry charging their opponents down was invented in Macedon/Thessalia and, seperately, in Ionia and Syracuse. Even armored Persian cav were in fact skirmishers only. They carried long javelins that could theoretically be used in self defense but usually they'd act like Numidian cav - hit&run as well as harassment.

[Kitsunegari]

WTF, there is no such thing as tradition when it comes to military developments over hundreds or thousands of years. Do we see the Italian army fighting in legionary uniform? Did the medieval French fight as a mob of swordsmen breaking their enemies with a wild charge on foot?

The feudal organization was much more than a military system, and i don't see how it is related to the equipment of the actual soldiers?

[Kitsunegari]

I did not say they didn't have armored cavalry. I said the MAJORITY of the PERSIAN cavalry were light in equipment. You see, Persian cavalry was raised around noble's estates - each noble bringing with him a sizeable retinue of horsemen. While the noble and his closest retainers could be heavily armored, the same cannot be said about the mass of the cavalry. Also, the tribal components of Iran were conscripted to serve as such cavalry.

Yeah that's basically the same way the Parthian (and presumably other Iranian peoples') armies were raised, except the mass of cavalrymen would have been bowmen. Unlike the Parthians, the Achaemenids adopted some Mesopotamian traditions as seen in their infantry organization.