[Teaser] Units: Daylamites - Sassanid Elite Infantry

Here's a teaser of the script for our upcoming Units of History documentary on the Daylamites, the Sassanid Elite Infantry. Enjoy!

Origins

The lands of Iran consist largely of a vast highland plateau bordered by great mountain belts. These regions are famed for the horsemen who came to master their open steppes. And yet not all followed in their tracks. This was especially true of the tribes which took shelter in the various mountain ranges which proved less conducive to such mounted traditions. Such peoples thus evolved their own forms of warfare.

One of the most notable of these groups would be the inhabitants of northern Iran, a highland region between the southern Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountain range. It is a land of topographic extremes with the terrain rising abruptly from sea level to a max of 5,600 meters within just 100 km. The towering Alborz thus serves as a giant wall which catches moisture from the Caspian Sea, resulting in wet northern slopes filled with streams, marshes, tributary valleys, and lush Hyrcanian forests. Here one could once find many tigers, bears, wolves, boars, deer, and all manner of other creatures flying in the skies or swimming in the waters.

Archaeology reveals a long history of human presence in the region dating back to the lower Paleolithic. The peoples which arose in this area were a hardy folk who initially survived on subsistence hunting and cattle herding before eventually developing into a series of martial tribes. Each group was ruled by chiefs or local kings which fiercely guarded their independence. As a result of their isolation from the self-proclaimed “civilized” regions such mountain folk were seen by outsiders as wild barbarians. And yet the two would soon find themselves entwined.

For instance when the Median Empire arose around the 8th century BC it would clash with the peoples of the southern Caspian. No details remain of this exchange. The conflict was likely hard fought owing to the defensible nature of the terrain and outright conquest of the more remote tribes is doubtful. Whatever the case, it seems that some sort of vassalage or tributary system was established. When the later Achaemenid Empire arose in the 6th century BC it would be Cyrus the Great who conquered and divided this region into several administrative provinces. When wars arose, the King of Kings would draw from its sturdy stock of warriors. For instance the Hyrcanians are listed by Herodotus as part of King Xerxes’ invasion force during the Second Greco-Persian war and by Arrian in King Darius’s army at Gaugamela during the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Over the following centuries, the region along the southern Caspian would trade hands as various Empires came and went. Most were rather fleeting and their control of the tribes tenuous at best. Even when the Parthians managed to establish a more long lived Empire starting in the 3rd century BC they failed to fully leverage the power of the mountain tribes due to their focus on maintaining largely mounted forces.

This military doctrine would change in the 3rd century AD with the following Sassanid Empire. Whilst still maintaining a staple of cavalry units they leaned more heavily upon the hybrid cultures within their domain to deploy a mixed arms approach to warfare. Just as the Romans of the east were slowly learning to add more cavalry to the mix, so too were the Sassanids adding more heavy infantry. Thus in their search for an elite infantry core they came upon the yet untapped power of the Daylamites.

Dailam was the name of a mountainous region of the modern Iranian province of Gilan. Owing to its comparatively infertile lands and rough terrain many here were forced to eke out a living through hard labor as woodsmen and fishermen. Even their leaders were said to share in these trials. Apparently a persian envoy was once shocked to have found a high chieftain working barefoot in the rice fields wearing patched trousers and a ragged tunic.

Such an environment and lifestyle made the Daylamites tough, determined, and enterprising. Scarcity at home in turn left them eager to seek fortunes abroad by loaning out their skills as mercenaries. Thus they made excellent raw material for soldiers. Once embraced by the Sassanids and later Caliphates the Daylamites would be forged into a formidable professional force capable of standing toe to toe with even the Romans in close quarters.

Equipment

So what did these soldiers look like?

Initially they came to battle as lightly equipped infantry. However over time their standards would gradually be raised in proportion to their esteem, eventually boasting gear and regalia similar to that of prestige cavalry units. It should be noted that the Daylamatites were in service for many centuries and thus any specific depiction will not hold true in all cases. With that being said we can present an indicative snapshot of how they may have looked in the peak Sassanid period.

As a base they wore boots, trousers, and likely a shirt or padded vest. Over this was worn lamellar armor or chainmail hauberks. These were secured by decorated belts and probably chest bands seen more commonly among elite cavalry. Heads meanwhile were protected by Spangenhelm style helmets, possibly with accompanying face and neck armor in addition to decorative Sassanian ribbons. Finally they carried large oval or round shields with bright colors and distinctive decorations as depicted on the Arch of Galerius. Evidence suggests such gear was further adorned with gold ornaments and other forms of regalia.

In terms of offense they seem to have used a wide arsenal of weapons. One of these was the Zupin short spear which was said to have a blade on both ends. These could be used both as javelins to hurl at the enemy or to stab in close quarters. They are also known to have carried the Tabarzin, the traditional battle axe of Persia. Its head sported one or two crescent shaped blades which was affixed atop a thin metal handle. Typically these were three feet long but variants are known to exist up to seven feet tall. Swords were also quite common and seem to have leveraged the lappet-suspension system of their mounted peers. At range, these warriors may also have used bows or slings.

Thus they stood as formidably equipped warriors. This was especially true of the most elite Daylamite units which came to serve as the bodyguards of kings known as the Gond-i Shāhanshāh. Such men wore some of the best gear of their era, leveraging the skilled metal workers of the Sassanid Empire which rivaled the best foundries of India and China. According to Dr. Manouchehr Khorsani, It's possible that they even bore some of the earliest forms of Damascus steel known as "Shapūregān".