Walter Hawkwood
RI Curator
While the scale armour looks decidedly Persian, the helmet and linen shoulder straps look very much as if taken straight off Boeotian hoplite (compare: http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/203/boeotianhoplitely5.jpg). The horseman in the picture attached to the first post is a later Persian development; I quote his description:
The horseman in the picture is from a later period. He is a member of the lifeguard of Cyrus the Young, and his clothing shows several Greek influences. His bronze helmet is decorated with a plume made of horsehair, and he is wearing a linen jacket reinforced with bronze plates. Just like the Greek cuirasses his jacket has two rows of plates at the bottom which were placed like roofing tiles, the so-called wings or pteruges. His legs are also protected by bronze plates, which resemble the chaparajos of the cowboys in the wild west. The Greek cavalry of the same period did not have these protections for the legs. On his feet he is wearing leather moccasins.
His horse comes from the Medic plains and is quite large and strong. His chest was protected by small bronze plate, while a larger bronze plate covered the front of his head. The bronze plate on the head was normally decorated and formed together with chains of small bronze rings the headstall of the horse. The horseman is holding two javelins in his right hand but most likely he would have had a Greek short sword as secondary weapon. The Persian cavalry was mostly used for throwing projectiles at the enemy, and not so much for charges like the Macedonian cavalry. Altogether he is well protected, and he formed the first of a new type of cavalry: the katafraktoi, or the completely armoured Persian knights.
As such, this horseman might altogether be a mercenary from Greek poleis in Asia Minor. This equipment design would be increasingly common after Alexander's conquest of Persia, and would last well until Persia fell to Parthians. Moreover, the cavalry type depicted, carrying several javelins, would likely be a mounted skirmisher, a very common cavalry role at the time (interestingly enough, there are NO javelin-throwing cavalry units made for Civ 4 at all), not shock cavalry.
More native design for heavy cavalry would likely look close to these pictures:
http://www.ghandchi.com/iranscope/Anthology/KavehFarrokh/300/image020.jpg
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/6395/persiannoblesgq4.jpg
http://www.atstoysoldiers.axxs.net/images/ZVD8008PersianCav.jpg
http://velizariy.kiev.ua/avallon/museum/pic/lic1.jpg
http://www.roman-glory.com/images/italeri-gallery/img08.jpg
The last picture is actually the closest when it comes to late Persian cataphracts; note the rider on the right with his left arm clad in scale mail used instead of a shield - the same can be said about the rider on the second last picture, but he is shown with only this arm facing us, so you can't see his other hand is unarmored.
If you'd like me to, I can aid you in search for unit concept artwork - I used to aid Chuggi a lot before his disappearance.
The horseman in the picture is from a later period. He is a member of the lifeguard of Cyrus the Young, and his clothing shows several Greek influences. His bronze helmet is decorated with a plume made of horsehair, and he is wearing a linen jacket reinforced with bronze plates. Just like the Greek cuirasses his jacket has two rows of plates at the bottom which were placed like roofing tiles, the so-called wings or pteruges. His legs are also protected by bronze plates, which resemble the chaparajos of the cowboys in the wild west. The Greek cavalry of the same period did not have these protections for the legs. On his feet he is wearing leather moccasins.
His horse comes from the Medic plains and is quite large and strong. His chest was protected by small bronze plate, while a larger bronze plate covered the front of his head. The bronze plate on the head was normally decorated and formed together with chains of small bronze rings the headstall of the horse. The horseman is holding two javelins in his right hand but most likely he would have had a Greek short sword as secondary weapon. The Persian cavalry was mostly used for throwing projectiles at the enemy, and not so much for charges like the Macedonian cavalry. Altogether he is well protected, and he formed the first of a new type of cavalry: the katafraktoi, or the completely armoured Persian knights.
As such, this horseman might altogether be a mercenary from Greek poleis in Asia Minor. This equipment design would be increasingly common after Alexander's conquest of Persia, and would last well until Persia fell to Parthians. Moreover, the cavalry type depicted, carrying several javelins, would likely be a mounted skirmisher, a very common cavalry role at the time (interestingly enough, there are NO javelin-throwing cavalry units made for Civ 4 at all), not shock cavalry.
More native design for heavy cavalry would likely look close to these pictures:
http://www.ghandchi.com/iranscope/Anthology/KavehFarrokh/300/image020.jpg
http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/6395/persiannoblesgq4.jpg
http://www.atstoysoldiers.axxs.net/images/ZVD8008PersianCav.jpg
http://velizariy.kiev.ua/avallon/museum/pic/lic1.jpg
http://www.roman-glory.com/images/italeri-gallery/img08.jpg
The last picture is actually the closest when it comes to late Persian cataphracts; note the rider on the right with his left arm clad in scale mail used instead of a shield - the same can be said about the rider on the second last picture, but he is shown with only this arm facing us, so you can't see his other hand is unarmored.
If you'd like me to, I can aid you in search for unit concept artwork - I used to aid Chuggi a lot before his disappearance.
).
