SASSANID INFANTRY An extract from The Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome by Phil Barker & Ian Heath 130, 131 & 132.      SASSANID INFANTRY

130 is one of the mass of spearmen conscripted without pay from their villages to come along and do the hard and dirty work of the camp. As Robert Graves put it in Count Belisarius, 'You might just as well put flutes in their hands and call them snake charmers'. The only time that they stayed till the end of a losing battle is when the general took the precaution of chaining them by the ankles. His clothing would mostly be in the various natural shades and grubby with it. His complexion would he darker than that of the upper classes. He carries a light spear, a knife, and has a cheap but effective shield made by pushing canes alternately from one side to the other of a rawhide sheet. This is known from monuments, literary accounts and a single surviving sample from Doura.

131 and 132 are mercenaries and regarded as having a much higher status than 130. Such light infantry usually fought well. In field battles they often suffered because the Romans charged at a run to cut down their shooting time, but they excelled in sieges. Archers were more common that slingers. As usual, there would he plenty of minor variations in dress between individuals. Colours would probably have about the same range as for the light cavalry.

[130 based on Emperor Julian advancing against the Persians at Ktesiphon. Commentaries of Gregory of Nazianzus, Byzantine, 879-883AD.]