Sassanid Empire Faction

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Sassanid Empire Military Tier 8

War Elephant Husbandry

Battle-hardened, one careful owner, all its own tusks…

War elephants were not battle-winning weapons on their own. They had to be used properly and given the right support if they were to break an enemy line and, with it, the will to fight on. Often, elephants were accompanied into battle by a screen of friendly skirmishers, whose job it was to keep them from being harassed by the enemy’s own light troops before charging. The sheer size of an elephant was enough to instil terror even before it hurled men away, impaled them on its tusks, or trampled them to death. Even in the best battle conditions elephants could be unpredictable: they often reacted angrily if their handlers were killed or wounded, but could also turn on those same men when the stress of battle pushed them to breaking point. However, sent forward at the right moment, war elephants could sweep away all before them. Indian elephants first came to the Middle East when Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great’s Successors, invaded India in 305BC. The inheritors of much of their eastern empire, the Parthians and Sassanid Persians, continued to breed and field war elephants long after the Seleucids had fallen by the wayside.

Effects

Recruitment capacity: +1 (all forces)

Requires
Requires Technologies	Parthian Mounted Tactics Regimentation of Equipment

Enables
Enables Technologies	Military Settlement
Enables Units Upgrade	Himyarite Shotelai Cost 206 Upgrade To Armoured Himyarite Shotelai
Enables Buildings	Azadan Compound

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