THE SASSANIANS: The Armies of Ancient Persia

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First of three volumes on ancient Persian armies. The Sassanians, the native Iranian dynasty that ousted their Parthian overlords in AD 226, developed a highly sophisticated army that was able for centuries to hold off all comers. They continued the Parthians' famous winning combination of swift horse archers with heavily-armored cataphract cavalry, also making much use of war elephants but their oft-maligned infantry has been much underestimated. Focuses on the organization, equipment, and tactics of the armies that dominated the ancient Middle East by drawing on the latest research and new archaeological evidence.