Editing Cataphract (section)

==Appearance and equipment==
[[File:Exemple de lacage De Cataphracte.JPG|thumb|300px|Three examples of the various styles of interweaving and wire threading that were commonly employed in the creation of cataphract scale armor to form a stiffened, "armored shell" with which to protect the horse.]]
[[File:Diagram of Horse Armament (14177505363).jpg|thumb|Breakdown of a fully armoured Chinese cataphract]]

{{Blockquote|text=But no sooner had the first light of day appeared, than the glittering coats of mail, girt with bands of steel, and the gleaming cuirasses, seen from afar, showed that the king's forces were at hand.|sign=[[Ammianus Marcellinus]], late [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] historian and soldier, describing the sight of [[Sassanid Empire|Persian]] cataphracts approaching [[Roman legion|Roman infantry]] in Asia Minor, circa fourth century.<ref>Ammianus Marcellinus, (353&nbsp;AD) ''Roman Antiquities'', Book&nbsp;XXV pp. 477</ref>}}

Cataphracts were almost universally clad in some form of scale armor ({{langx|el|φολιδωτός}} ''Folidotos'', equivalent to the Roman [[Lorica squamata]]) that was flexible enough to give the rider and horse a good degree of motion, but strong enough to resist the immense impact of a thunderous charge into infantry formations. Scale armor was made from overlapping, rounded plates of bronze or iron (most being around one to two millimeters thick), which had two or four holes drilled into the sides, to be threaded with a bronze wire that was then sewn onto an undergarment of leather or animal [[Hide (skin)|hide]], worn by the horse. A full set of cataphract armor consisted of approximately 1,300 or so "scales" and could weigh an astonishing 40 kilograms or 88 pounds (not inclusive of the rider's body weight). Less commonly, [[plated mail]] or [[lamellar armor]] (which is similar in appearance but divergent in design, as it has no backing) was substituted for scale armor, while for the most part the rider wore [[chain mail]]. Specifically, the horse armor was usually sectional (not joined together as a cohesive "suit"), with large plates of scales tied together around the animal's waist, flank, shoulders, neck and head (especially along the [[Breastplate (tack)|breastplate]] of the saddle) independently to give a further degree of movement for the horse and to allow the armor to be affixed to the horse reasonably tightly so that it should not loosen too much during movement. Usually but not always, a close-fitting helmet that covered the head and neck was worn by the rider; the Persian variants extended this even further and encased the wearer's entire head in metal, leaving only minute slits for the nose and eyes as openings. Ammianus Marcellinus, a noted Roman historian and general who served in the army of [[Constantius II]] in [[Gaul]] and [[Persia]] and fought against the [[Sassanid army]] under [[Julian the Apostate]], described the sight of a contingent of massed Persian cataphracts in the 4th century:

<blockquote>...all the companies were clad in iron, and all parts of their bodies were covered with thick plates, so fitted that the stiff-joints conformed with those of their limbs; and the forms of human faces were so skillfully fitted to their heads, that since their entire body was covered with metal, arrows that fell upon them could lodge only where they could see a little through tiny openings opposite the pupil of the eye, or where through the tip of their nose they were able to get a little breath. Of these some, who were armed with pikes, stood so motionless that you would think them held fast by clamps of bronze.<ref>Ammianus Marcellinus, (353 AD) ''Roman Antiquities'', Boox XXV pp. 481</ref></blockquote>

The primary weapon of practically all cataphract forces throughout history was the lance.  Cataphract lances (known in [[Greek language|Greek]] as a ''Kontos'' ("oar") or in [[Latin]] as a ''Contus'') appeared much like the [[Hellenistic armies]]' ''[[sarissa]]e'' used by the famed [[Phalanx formation|Greek phalanxes]] as an anti-cavalry weapon. They were roughly four meters in length, with a capped point made of iron, bronze, or even animal bone and usually wielded with both hands. Most had a chain attached to the horse's neck and at the end by a fastening attached to the horse's hind leg, which supported the use of the lance by transferring the full momentum of a horse's gallop to the thrust of the charge. Though they lacked stirrups, the traditional Roman saddle had four horns with which to secure the rider;<ref>Driel-Murray, C. van; Connolly, P. (1991). ''The Roman cavalry saddle''. ''Britannia'' '''22''', pp. 33–50.</ref> enabling a soldier to stay seated upon the full impact. During the Sassanid era, the [[Military History of Iran|Persian military]] developed ever more secure [[saddle]]s to "fasten" the rider to the horse's body, much like the later knightly saddles of Medieval Europe. These saddles had a cantle at the back of the saddle and two guard clamps that curved across the top of the rider's thighs and fastened to the saddle, thereby enabling the rider to stay properly seated, especially during violent contact in battle.<ref>Shahbazi, A. Sh. (2009). ''Sassanian Army''.</ref>

The penetrating power of the cataphract's lance was recognized as being fearful by Roman writers, described as being capable of transfixing two men at once, as well as inflicting deep and mortal wounds even on opposing cavalries' mounts, and were definitely more potent than the regular one-handed spear used by most other cavalries of the period. Accounts of [[Furusiyya|later period Middle Eastern cavalrymen]] wielding them told of occasions when it was capable of bursting through two layers of [[Mail (armor)|chain mail]].<ref>Usamah Ibn-Munquidh, ''An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades: Memoirs of Usamah Ibn-Munquidh'', Philip K. Hitti (trans.) (New Jersey: Princeton), 1978. p. 69.</ref> There are also reliefs in Iran at [[Firuzabad, Fars|Firuzabad]] showing Persian kings doing battle in a fashion not dissimilar to later depictions of jousts and mounted combat from the Medieval era.<ref name="test">[https://www.livius.org/fa-fn/firuzabad/firuzabad_relief1.html "Equestrian battle reliefs from Firuozabad"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161003023123/http://www.livius.org/fa-fn/firuzabad/firuzabad_relief1.html |date=2016-10-03 }} Battle scenes showing combat between Parthian and Sassanian cataphracts on horses with barding using lances.</ref>

[[File:Ardachir relief Firuzabad 1.jpg|thumb|center|800px|Equestrian relief at [[Firuzabad, Fars|Firuzabad]], [[Iran]] showing Cataphracts dueling with lances]]

Cataphracts would often be equipped with an additional [[weapon|side-arm]] such as a [[sword]] or [[mace (bludgeon)|mace]], for use in the melee that often followed a charge. Some wore armor that was primarily frontal: providing protection for a charge and against missiles yet offering relief from the weight and encumbrance of a full suit. In yet another variation, cataphracts in some field armies were not equipped with shields at all, particularly if they had heavy body armor, as having both hands occupied with a shield and lance left no room to effectively steer the horse. Eastern and Persian cataphracts, particularly those of the [[Sassanid Empire]], carried bows as well as blunt-force weapons, to soften up enemy formations before an eventual attack, reflecting upon the longstanding Persian tradition of [[horse archery]] and its use in battle by successive [[Persian Empire]]s.