Kyros' Companions or: why not to trust Osprey et al.

[FliegerAD]

Ο̉ι Όμοτράπεζοι (“Companions of the Table”, Bodyguard)

You might know J.Warry's reconstruction of Kyros' Guard. Well, it is just wrong in some aspects and debatable in many other. It is a good chance to illustrate, why you should not trust reconstructions without checking it.


The main source for these men is Xenophon. Not only his ‘Anabasis’, in which he sees Kyros’ guard with his own eyes, but also other works, most notably the ‘Kyropaideia’. Although describing Kyros the Great, many of the descriptions have to be applied on Kyros the Younger, especially those about his companions’ arms and armour, representing early 4th cent.BC high-tech (cf. Gall: Das Reiterkampfbild in der Iranischen und Iranisch beeinflussten Kunst, p.73). Plutarch provides some info, too, but Diodor is rather worthless in comparison - as so often.

The rider is armoured with a bronze helmet and a cuirass (cf. Xen.Anab. I 8,6). The latter might be a Greek influenced type (cf. Diod. XIV 22,6), but has a throat guard (cf. Xen.Kyr. I 2,13). The Persian cavalry armour was very effective, often Greek spears simply could not penetrate it, but broke (cf. Xen.Hell. III 4,13; Plut.Aris. XIV 5). Missiles were stopped very effectively as well (cf. Plut.Arta.X 1f). The παραμηρίδια (cf. Xen.Anab. I 8,6) are not some kind of armoured trousers, as Warry reconstructs, but parts of the horse armour. A passage from the Kyropaideia is illustrating that: “Their horses were armed with frontlets, breast-pieces, and thigh-pieces (παραμηρίδια) of bronze; these served to protect the thighs of the rider as well” (Xen.Kyr. VII 1,2). We have the depictions of Persian Cavalry on two monuments in Asia Minor confirming that (Yeneskoy and Payavah, cf. Bernhard: Une pieces d’armure Perse, p.197-199). In defense of Warry: There is indeed some pictorial evidence for armored trousers in Greek vase painting, but this disappears before Xenophon’s age.
The question for the shield cannot be answered for sure, in fact, there are some passages in the Kyropaideia noting shields (cf. Xen.Kyr. I 2,9), but he seems to present them as something old-fashioned, while a new kind of armor is recommended therefore in his ‘Art of Horsemanship’: the laminated arm protectors called χείρες (cf. Xen.Equ. XII 5). Again, in the Kyropaidia, Kyros has arm protectors (cf. Xen.Kyr.VI 4,2).
The throat guard is another new protective equipment, which is reported to be shaped tightly on the neck (cf. Xen.Equ.XII 2; Kyr. I 2,13).


Grave monument of Payavah, early 4th century BC

Xenophon is reporting often purple (cf. Xen.Kyr.VII 1,2), seldom red (cf. Xen.Kyr. VIII 3,3) as the colour of the companions’ cloths, but never never yellow. Moreover purple surcoats were worn during the battle of Kunaxa (cf. Plut.Arta. XI 6), omitted by Warry. The only certified colour of the helmet’s plume is white (cf. Xen.Kyr.VII 1,2), not black. The form of the plume can be seen on the relief of Bozkir:



The offensive arms are a Greek saber called μαχαίρα (cf. Diod. XIV 22,6; Xen.Anab. I 8,6), two or three short spears called παλτά (cf. Xen.Anab. I 5,15; 8,3) for throwing and close combat (cf. Xen.Kyr. I 2,9; VIII 8,22; Anab. I 8,22; Plut.Arta. IXf), regarded as superior to the Greek cavalry spears for thrusting only (cf. Xen.Equ. XII 12).



This is a reconstruction I made with the help of Beee! (Models), using some parts of AR (head of Kyros, winged horse).

regards

[Sidus Preclarum]

Excellent post, and very nice model !