Description
Like the Companion cavalry of Macedon, these elite horsemen from the lands of Parthia and Pontus were recruited from among the nobility and social elite. Gradually they developed into a permanent and professional bodyguard force. Following both Hellenic and Persian traditions, they were armed with lances and armoured in a similar fashion to their Macedonian counterparts, but their mounts were armoured in eastern style. This gave their charges extra weight and meant that they were not only a counter to other cavalry forces, but could also be sent into the flanks of densely-packed infantry. The eastern influence also meant that the nobles were quite at home using the bow, as they had spent their formative years hunting from horseback.
