06-25-2020, 12:43 PM
Salvete omnes,
can someone help me finding out about Parthian cavalry archers´ secondary weapons of the 1st centuries BC/AD?
I´m not interested in the heavy cavalry: I just need to understand if the horse archers had anything besides the bow to attack/defend.
That I know, there are no representations of archers´ swords found (so far?) but to me it seems plausible to have another weapon of choice in case of contingency. Moreover, in the battle in which Ventidius Bassus destroys the horse archers first and then the renegade infantry from Quintus Labienus, the horse archers (and the cataphractii) are led into a suicidal attack uphill: would they have attacked/charged with bow only?
As for the type, I think that probably a longsword or a sabre would be too big/clumsy to bring with them in battle, so I am more propense to think about something like an Akinakes. Problem with the Akinakes is: that I know, there are only 2 findings which are dated to the period of interest and one of them is in bronze, thus causing me problems with accepting the attested period.
Is there anyone who can help me?
can someone help me finding out about Parthian cavalry archers´ secondary weapons of the 1st centuries BC/AD?
I´m not interested in the heavy cavalry: I just need to understand if the horse archers had anything besides the bow to attack/defend.
That I know, there are no representations of archers´ swords found (so far?) but to me it seems plausible to have another weapon of choice in case of contingency. Moreover, in the battle in which Ventidius Bassus destroys the horse archers first and then the renegade infantry from Quintus Labienus, the horse archers (and the cataphractii) are led into a suicidal attack uphill: would they have attacked/charged with bow only?
As for the type, I think that probably a longsword or a sabre would be too big/clumsy to bring with them in battle, so I am more propense to think about something like an Akinakes. Problem with the Akinakes is: that I know, there are only 2 findings which are dated to the period of interest and one of them is in bronze, thus causing me problems with accepting the attested period.
Is there anyone who can help me?
Valete
Claudio Magnatti
Titus Clodius Picens
