Cataphractoi and the Contos

 

An illustration depicting Parthian cataphracts.

Historians begin to explicitly refer to the long lance of Eastern heavy cavalry as the kontos in the post-Hellenistic period. Although cavalry units using long, two-handed lances did exist prior to this, it was during the Parthian era that the weapon came into widespread use and gained recognition under this name

The Orlat plaques excavated in Uzbekistan

Ancient China likewise fielded heavy cavalry, and the Orlat plaques discovered in Central Asia (modern-day Uzbekistan) depict figures consistent with heavily armored mounted warriors. This indicates that such heavy cavalry formations were not confined to the Greek or Persian spheres, but arose independently in regions where cavalry warfare reached an advanced stage.

An illustration depicting Parthian cataphracts.

However, there were also important differences between these heavy cavalry forces and others. 

The cataphracts as we commonly understand them were likely heavily armored warriors originating in the Persian sphere, armed with long contos lances.

During the period in which they operated, stirrups had not yet been invented, making it difficult to employ tactics such as the couched-lance technique, in which the lance is braced under the arm and driven into the enemy at full speed.

Although the couched-lance technique may not have been entirely impossible, the primary mode of attack employed by cataphracts at the time appears to have been thrusting with large two-handed lances, with downward strikes likely used in certain situations

At the Battle of Carrhae, where the Parthian Empire clashed with Rome, it was not only the Parthian horse archers—famed for the Parthian shot—that inspired terror, but also the heavily armored cataphracts.

During the battle, Roman cavalry including 1,000 heavily armed Gallic horsemen charged the Parthian forces. Before long, however, they were met by a frontal charge of Parthian cataphracts, while Parthian horse archers encircled them from the flanks and rear, cutting off their retreat.

The Gallic heavy cavalry fought on with determination, and in mounted combat some attempted to stab the exposed bellies or legs of the cataphracts’ horses where the armor failed to provide full protection. Despite their valor, they were ultimately annihilated.

An illustration depicting Sasanian cataphracts

The shock charge of cataphracts armed with heavy contos lances may have appeared nearly invincible; however, with the introduction of the stirrup, such weapons gradually began to lose their effectiveness. It was no longer necessary to wield a lance with both hands, as a one-handed charge supported by stirrups could deliver sufficient— and in some cases even greater destructive force.

While contos-type lances persisted into the early Byzantine period, they gradually fell out of use as stirrups spread and cavalry tactics evolved.

With the fall of the Sasanian Empire and the rise of the Arab caliphates, these cataphracts gradually disappeared. However, the Byzantine Empire inherited this heavy cavalry tradition, and from the middle Byzantine period onward, cataphracts largely ceased to employ the two-handed contos lance.

This transition was accompanied by the reintroduction of shields, the adoption of one-handed lances used in conjunction with swords or maces, and an increased emphasis on repeated shock charges.