The Parthian military was the main institution whereby the Parthians rose to power and maintained their defiant independence of Rome. During the Achaemenid period the army was mostly composed of infantry units fighting in phalanx formation. The Parthians, being descendants of nomadic herders, created an army that revolved entirely around the cavalry.
One of the new developments of the Parthians was the cataphract, or heavy cavalry. In guerilla campaigns versus the Macedonians and Seleucids the Parthians learned that the use of heavily armed cavalry allowed greater mobility on the battlefield, yet enough strength to damage the enemy (who chiefly used heavy infantry). The political system at the time bore a resembleance to feudal societies in medieveal Europe. Thus often the strategm for raising an army would be for the local nobles to conscript able males into the light cavalry. The job of these soldiers would be to carry out guerilla and flanking attacks, taking advantage of their mobility. Their most famous tactic was the so-called 'Parthian Shot,' in which the cavalry would feign a retreat and quickly twist their waists and fire volleys of arrows. This caught the enemy by surprise. The more professional soldiers would adopt the heavy armour and would aggressively charge the enemy forces after the lighter cavalry had weakened the opposition.
The cataphracts used lances and heavy spears to penetrate the armour of their enemies. The lighter cavalry forces were often equipped with a bow, a sword, and a smaller knife. Often some camels and horses were brought soley for the purpose of carrying and supplying archers with extra arrows.
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