The nemesis of the later Roman, or Byzantine Empire, was the Sassanid Persian Empire. So, when I decided to paint my "Justinian's Wars" project, I definitely needed to do this army. The Byzantines and Persians alternated success, each having the upper hand, at times. A religious difference colored their struggles, too, as the Sassanids were Zoroastrians, sometimes less than accurately referred to as "fire-worshippers." The Byzantines were Christians, of course, but so fanatical about their doctrine that sometimes dissenting Christian sects sought protection from the Sassanids.
The Sassanids were the successors of the earlier Parthian Empire, and like them, the heart of their army was its cavaly. They also fielded elephants, infantry (known to be of poor caliber), and skirmishing light cavalry and infantry.
The elite of the Sassanid Persian army was its heavily armored cavalry. Unlike the earlier Parthains, they carried the bow in addition to their close combat spears. Like their predecessors, they were completely armored in mail. The horses were armored, as well, in a mix of horn, and bronze or iron chainmail. In the above picture, the ones in the bluish-green horse armor are meant to be horn. The tassels attached to the horse armor help make this a bright, visually appealing army on the tabletop.
An eye-catching centerpiece to the Sassanid Persian army is its corp of elephants. The howdah is crammed with archers, and its housing are richly decorated. The palm tree on the cloth is apparently a historical emblem for the Sassanid elephant troops, according to my sources.
As nice as it looks, the first few times I played this army, the elephant element did not perform all that well. As a matter of fact, its reluctance to trample my opponents, led me to give it a nickname: Tenderfoot. It is hard for me to hold it against the old guy, though, as he at least LOOKS good when going down to defeat!
The Byzantines held the Sassanid infantry in light regard, considering them good for little on the battlefield. However, they were useful in doing the "grunt work" during sieges, which were a frequent aspect of Sassanid-Byzantine warfare. The Sassanid spear-armed infantry carried large, leather shields, and wore heavy felt hats to protect their heads from blows. Some ancient sources even claim that they were chained together prior to battle to keep them from fleeing the field. My favorite rules set, DBA, originally classed them as Spears, but has since reclassifield them as Hordes. From what I've read as well, this is probably more accurate, but unfortunate for anyone playing this army!
Few Eastern armies would be complete with light, skirmishing troops, and the Sassanid Persians are no exception. They fielded both light cavalry and light infantry whose job was to harass and discomfort the infantry with missile fire. The cavalry were doubtless also useful in scouting, and the archers were handy during the frequent sieges that marked Persian attacks on the Byzantine Empire (and vice versa).