Skythian, Armenian, and Parthian Morph

The Skythians were one of the first Steppe armies fighting with massive amounts of Horsebow. In the Classical period this was a very difficult army to fight against, as most of their civilized opponents were focused on melee-oriented infantry. Alexander the Great defeated them using Artillery (ballistae) to supplement his own mounted; the Romans and Greeks, with fewer cavalry and less brilliance, struggled.

Many figures for the Skythians also work well for the Parthians who succeeded them in the Iranian plateau, and provided enemies for Rome from their earliest attempts to expand to the East.

This army, with a few appropriate extra stands, can serve for any of the following six armies in Triumph:

Kimmerian and Skythian
Later Skythian
Parthians
Parthian Subject Provinces
Suren Indo-Parthian (if you add a few Indian troops -- what would Suren Indo-Parthians be without an Elephant?)
With the addition of a significant force of infantry (Light Foot and Bow Levy) these stands also serve as Early Armenian or Gordyrene.

All of the above forces (including the Armenians) wore similar clothing styles. Later versions of the Parthians would tend to slightly simpler tunics and no hats, but their clothing in the first century or so from their successful rebellion against Skythian domination would likely have been quite similar to the Skythians and Armenians.

Skythian General

The earlier Skythian General is an Elite Cavalry; the later one is a Knight. Both are based the same, so this stand works for either one.

I believe the two left figures are Essex, although I'm not certain. Shield patterns are based upon surviving carvings in the Gold Room of the Hermitage museum, and on a carved torc of Skythians fighting -- they show shields constructed of metal lamellar.

Skythians wore complex and colorful zig-zag patterned tunics and pants, which can be seen on the figure on the left.

Parthian Cataphracts

One of the major differences between the Skythians and the Parthians that rebelled and overcame them in the Iranian plateau was the Parthian use of cataphract armored horsemen as the elite part of their army. The Early Armenians and Gordyenes used identical cataphracts.

Most of the figures here are Essex (from several ranges).

Skythian or Parthian Horsebow

Skythians tended to use caps as shown on the left; these caps are very similar to the Thracians and Dacians with whom they interacted on the far Western part of their steppe range. Parthians also wore these caps (which also appear in the Early Armenian armies), but often are shown with bare heads. Both armies wore highly decorated tunics as shown.

The two figures on the left are Gladiator. Skythians used axes as hand weapons, shown by the closer figure.

Note the figure on the lower left who is executing a Parthian Shot ("Parting Shot"), firing while turned away. His costume is more Parthian and less Skythian, with no cap.

Burials show that Skythians used tattooing; possible designs are shown on the shirtless figure directly below

Parthian Skirmishers

City dwellers skirmishing with bows or slings can form a notable part of a Parthian army; a single stand of similar slingers can be part of a Skythian force.

Skythian or Armenian Light Foot

These would work for Hyrkanian Mountain Tribesmen of the Parthians, or for part of a Tribal Foot contingent of the Skythians. The Early Armenian army uses a significant force of this type of Light Foot.

Tribal Bowmen or City Militia

Bow Levy. These figures (a mix of Essex and Gladiator) serve as levy bowmen for the Skythian Tribal Foot contingent, or for city garrison militia for the Parthians.

In the Early Armenian army there can be quite a few Bow Levy of this type.

Skythian Horse Herd Camp

Here is a simple "Pack Trains and Herds" camp appropriate for a Skythian or Parthian army. Horses and figures are Gladiator, mostly. I think.

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