Hunara: Journal of Ancient Iranian Arts and History

An Analysis of the Military History and Martial Culture of Ancient Iran and the Caucasus in the pre-Islamic Era

Author

Kaveh Farrokh

Langara College

https://doi.org/10.22034/hunara.2024.207373
Abstract
This article examines the historical ties between ancient Iran and the Caucasus in martial culture and military history from the Mede era to the late Sassanian period. Initial phases of Caucasus-Iranian Plateau contacts are traced from the bronze ages up to military interactions between the Saka Paradraya (Scythians) of the south Russia-Ukraine regions arriving through the Caucasus to invade the Mede realms in western Iran and the Near East. Military and martial links between the Caucasus and Iran during the Teispid-Achaemenid era progressed considerably, as evidenced with the presence of Armenian contingents in the Teispid-Achaemenid Kingdom’s spāda (army), the Caucasian Albanians appearing later in 4th century CE, with Caucasian Iberians not reported among the spāda’s contingents, while sharing military systems with the wider Iranian realms, notably the Scythians and their Sarmatian successors. Armenian, Caucasian Albanian and Iberian/ancient Georgian links in shared martial traditions, military lexica, military systems (notably cavalry warfare) of the ensuing Arsacid Kingdom’s spād (army) and Sassanian Kingdom’s spāh (army) are examined up to the final years of pre-Islamic (Sassanian) Iran in the 7th century CE.

Keywords

Ancient Iran
Caucasus
Military History
Achaemenid Army
Parthian Army
Sasanian Army
Armenia
Georgia
Military Lexicon

This article was updated on February 17, 2025.

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