heavy cavalry engaging heavy cavalry

[Michael Kerr]

Peter wrote:

What is the rough timeframe of existence of heavy cavalry types typical for Antiquity? For example cataphracts - when this cavalry formation was born, when was it disbanded.

Philip Sidnell in his book “Warhorse" mentions that Scythians & Massagetae used small numbers of heavy cavalry, made up of their nobility & their assorted retainers supported by swarms of horse archers to fight & kill Cyrus II of Persia in 530 BC.

“They differed from the usual horse archer in that they were well protected by heavier armour. As well as bows they carried sword, lance & the axe like sagaris for punching through armour. Spears found in Scythian graves were initially identified as short javelins, it only being realised later that they were so long between 10 & 12 feet that they had been broken in half to fit in the tombs. Such long spears could only have been used in shock combat."

Don't know if that is the first instance of appearance of heavy cavalry in warfare but Massagetae or their neighbours, probably developed heavier “shock cavalry to work in combination with their own horse archers to attack, break up, isolate & kill or drive away enemy horse archers on Steppes.
Regards
Michael Kerr