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TheGrivpanvar (literally: neck-guard wearer) were an elite lateParthian andSasanian division who fought as heavycataphract cavalry. According toRoman sources, the Grivpanvar had the ability to impale two men on the long, heavy spears that they carried. Historical evidence suggests that the heavily armoured Parthian grivpanvar were at least partially influenced by the military of the Central Asian steppes, who in turn had inherited their armoured cavalry traditions from theMassagetae and the lateAchaemenid Persians.
The name Grivpanvar derives from theMiddle Persian termgrīw-bān (neck-guard), a helmet armour guard, from whence "grivpan" warrior. In the 3rd century AD, the Romans began to deploy such cavalry calling themclibanarii, a name thought to derive fromgriwbanwar orgriva-pana-bara.[1]
Weapons and tactics used by the Grivpanvars were analogous to those of cataphract cavalry. Clad inchain mail with abreastplate and strongscale armour, they were armed with the famedKontos lance used by many Iranian peoples during antiquity. To supplement their lances, it is possible that the Grivpanvar also carried armaments for use at close quarters such as long swords andmaces.[2] Their military tactics were also similar to the cataphracts and used “shock tactics” to wear down the enemy with successive cavalry charges prior to the administration of the finalcoup de grâce.[3]
Heavy grivpanvar knights appeared in many of the later Parthian and Sassanian battles, with one of the best-known encounters of the Parthian grivpanvar occurring at theBattle of Nisibis in 217 against the Roman army of EmperorMacrinus. According to the Roman historianHerodian, the imperial Parthian army led by EmperorArtabanus IV of Parthia, reformed many of their armies and units resulting in the emergence of a new force of camel mounted cataphracts (Camelphracts). The grivpanvar appear to have been used against the heavyRomanlegionaries. At dawn, the Parthians charged their heavily armored camels and grivpanvar cavalry into the Roman lines, but as they approached the Roman forces withdrew, leaving large numbers ofcaltrops behind, with fatal results. The Parthians' horses and camels stepped onto these lethal weapons and fell, taking their riders with them thereby breaking the momentum of the charge.[4] This vicious battle was the last Roman encounter with the Parthian grivpanvar.
The Sassanians continued to use the grivpanvar in their armies, starting from the reign ofArdashir I until the final rulerYazdegerd III lost his throne. One of the first deployments of Sassanian grivpanvar occurred at theBattle of Edessa in 259 AD, where a powerful army of Sassanians led by the emperorShapur I came under assault from Roman sovereignValerian's soldiers, including the renowned and elite imperialPraetorian Guard. During the battle, the relatively small 40,000-strong Sassanian army crushed a 70,000-strong Roman force. Although little is known of the battle, records show that the Sassanians used grivpanvar in their army along with lightly armed horse archers.[5] After the battle, emperor Valerian and many other high-ranking officials were captured by Shapur. The result was an overwhelming Persian victory, with the entire Roman force slaughtered or captured in stark comparison to the minimal number of Persian casualties.[6]
The Sassanians used grivpanvar duringShapur II's Arab campaign in 342 AD, when Shapur ordered his troops to destroy an Arab force that had attacked the southern borders of his empire.[citation needed]