ABSTRACT
Horsemen were essential to the creation of the Median and Persian empires. Why the Medians were successful against the Assyrians, and Cyrus against Nabonidus and the Chaldaeans, may be partially explained by the character of the armies that opposed them. Both the Assyrians and the Chaldaeans employed cavalries of their own, but for their horses they were dependent especially on the lands east of the Zagros, and those sources were restricted and must finally have been cut off by the Iranians. Although our sources are not explicit on the subject, we have good reason to think that a light cavalry was crucial for Kyaxares in his victories over the Assyrians, and remained the most important arm for the later Median kings and for Cyrus, Cambyses and Darius.
