8144 Parthian Light Cavalry
Dated: September 1, 2006, updated December 2, 2006
The Parthian Empire was one of Rome's greatest eastern rivals. Founded in the third century BC by the Arsacid dynasty, it eventually stretched from Mesopotamia and Iran toward Central Asia. Rather than relying primarily on heavy infantry, the Parthians developed an army in which cavalry played the dominant role, ideally suited to the broad plains and open country of their empire.
Front cover.
Parthian light cavalry consisted largely of mounted archers. These horsemen wore relatively little armor, allowing them to move rapidly and remain beyond the reach of slower opponents. Their principal weapon was the powerful composite bow, compact enough to be used from horseback yet capable of delivering arrows with considerable force.
Test sprue.
Parthian tactics depended upon mobility rather than a direct collision with the enemy. Horse archers could approach an opposing formation, release volleys of arrows and then withdraw before infantry or heavier cavalry could catch them. They might repeat these attacks for hours, gradually exhausting and disrupting the enemy while refusing a decisive engagement until conditions were favorable.
Line drawings
This set is composed of:
5 light horse archers: one archer has an open hand which will allow drumsticks(?), bow and arrow or standard to be fitted into his hand.
5 horses one of which can be fitted with double kettle drums.
1 foot light archer.
Total of 15 mounted and 3 foot per box.
Separation of light and heavy troops will allow customer to vary proportions of light vs heavy in his army for added historical verisimilitude.
The maneuver most famously associated with them became known as the "Parthian shot." A mounted archer apparently retreating from the enemy could turn in the saddle and shoot backwards while his horse continued moving away. Real and feigned retreats could therefore be dangerous to pursue, as an enemy attempting to chase the horsemen might suddenly find itself exposed to renewed missile fire.
Parthian light cavalry worked especially effectively alongside the heavily armored cataphracts. The horse archers harassed and weakened enemy formations from a distance, while the cataphracts waited for an opportunity to charge with their long lances. Together, these two very different types of cavalry gave the Parthian army an effective combination of missile fire, mobility and shock action.
The most famous demonstration of these tactics came at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC. The Roman general Marcus Licinius Crassus invaded Parthian territory with a much larger army dominated by heavy infantry. Near Carrhae, the Parthian commander Surena surrounded the Romans with horse archers supported by cataphracts. A train of camels continually supplied the archers with fresh arrows, preventing the Romans from simply waiting for their ammunition to run out. The Roman army was eventually shattered and Crassus was killed, making Carrhae one of the most celebrated Parthian victories and one of Rome's worst defeats.
Rome and Parthia continued to struggle for control of Armenia and Mesopotamia for centuries afterward. Roman armies sometimes penetrated deep into Parthian territory and even captured the capital at Ctesiphon, but Rome never permanently conquered the Parthian Empire. Parthian cavalry therefore remained a familiar and dangerous opponent until the Arsacid dynasty was replaced by the Sasanian Persian Empire in the third century AD.
This set contains 18 men and 15 horses in six human poses and two horse poses. Most of the warriors are shown using or carrying bows, with poses suitable for shooting forwards, sideways and backwards from horseback. Other figures carry spears or swords, giving the mounted force additional variety and reflecting the fact that light cavalry could also use hand weapons when necessary.
The figures can be combined with our Parthian Heavy Cavalry to reproduce the two principal mounted elements of a Parthian field army. Together, the sets are especially suitable for Carrhae in 53 BC and the long series of Roman-Parthian wars that followed, allowing the lightly equipped horse archers to harass the enemy while the armored cataphracts provide the decisive heavy cavalry support.