CUSTOMS IN WAR.
397
But the backbone of the army, the which alone much reliance was placed, on portion Each Parthian noble was consisted of Parthians. bound to call out his slaves and his retainers, to arm and equip them at his own expense, and bring them to the general rendezvous by the time fixed upon. suzerain.
The number
of troops brought into the field by each noble varied according to his position and his means we hear in one instance of their amounting to ten ;
2 thousand,^ while in another recorded case the average number which each of them provided did not exceed
The various
125.
contingents had their
own baggage
trains, consisting ordinarily of camels, in the propor-
tion (as
it
would seem) of one to every ten fighting
men.
The Parthian
armies, like most others, consisted both horse of and foot, but in proportions usually The foot which were not common elsewhere.
were comparatively few in number, and were but very little esteemed. Every effort, on the
soldiers
was made to increase the number and improve the equipment of the horsemen who bore the brunt of every conflict, and from whose exertions alone victory was expected. Sometimes armies consisted of horsemen only, or rather of horsemen followed by a baggage train composed of camels and but this only happened under special chariots
contrary,
;
circumstances.
horse was of two kinds, heavy and light. The horsemen heavy {KaTd(l>paKToi) wore coats of mail to the knee, composed of raw hide covered reaching
The
^
Plutarch,
"
Vit. Crass.,"
i.
ยง 21.
-
"^
Justin, xli. 2.