Armoured Horse Archers?

**SquirrelP0acher** · April 28, 2016, 09:02 AM

I'm trying to take a more historical approach to my army compositions so I was wondering about what percentage of the horse archer favored factions, Parthia and Steppe factions, would actually be heavy cataphract bowmen compared to the light horse archers?

**KAM 2150** · April 28, 2016, 09:20 AM

If you take battle of Carrhae as an example then it is 9 light/medium units to 1 heavy/shock unit.

**SquirrelP0acher** · April 28, 2016, 11:09 AM

Thanks. I'll try to limit myself to 1-3 then.

**SquirrelP0acher** · May 01, 2016, 08:32 AM

Are cataphract horse archers even historically accurate? I can't seem to find any info that suggest such a unit existed in antiquity. All I've seen are mentions of Cataphract Lancers supported by light horse archers but not a unit that did both like depicted by the elite horse archer units in DEI.

**Southern Hunter** · May 01, 2016, 08:55 AM

They were definitely a thing. Armenia, Parthia, later Byzantine all had very heavily armoured mounted archers.

**gornoviceanu** · May 01, 2016, 09:03 AM

Cataphracts, as far as I know is a name reserved for the heavy lancers.

There were armored horse archers, but they were not called Cataphracts.

**SquirrelP0acher** · May 01, 2016, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by Southern Hunter

They were definitely a thing. Armenia, Parthia, later Byzantine all had very heavily armoured mounted archers.

Do you have a source for Armenia and Parthia? I do remember the Byzantines having eqites sagittarii from multiple documentaries. I don't doubt you its just that I can't find any information about them on the net so far.

Originally Posted by gornoviceanu

Cataphracts, as far as I know is a name reserved for the heavy lancers.

There were armored horse archers, but they were not called Cataphracts.

Understood regarding the cataphract reservation. I just cant seem to find info regarding armoured horse archers until the Medieval period.

**gornoviceanu** · May 01, 2016, 09:55 AM

Originally Posted by SquirrelP0acher

Do you have a source for Armenia and Parthia? I do remember the Byzantines having eqites sagittarii from multiple documentaries. I don't doubt you its just that I can't find any information about them on the net so far.

Understood regarding the cataphract reservation. I just cant seem to find info regarding armoured horse archers until the Medieval period.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mounted_archery

Under the "Apperance in history tab", 6th paragraph. It mentions heavy horse archery emerged during the 7th century BC, in the Assyrian army.