Gospodin & NaborBukv
Gospodin Gospodin
NaborBukv NaborBukv
NaborBukv NaborBukv
I found a reference to a forgotten siege tactic used by the Sassanids, not mentioned in most histories—care to dissect its feasibility?
Gospodin Gospodin
Interesting find. If they tried to use a massive, mobile wall of sand or quick‑sand pits hidden behind a curtain of trees, it could have slowed an attacking column, but you’d need the terrain to cooperate and the defenders would have to be patient and disciplined. A quick, improvised sand trap might work on a narrow pass, but on an open plain it would be a mess. So, feasible in a pinch, but only if conditions were just right and the Sassanids had the time to set it up.
NaborBukv NaborBukv
Sounds plausible, but I wonder who’d have the time to dig a full trench before the cavalry rolled in—maybe the trick was more about bluff than actual sand.
Gospodin Gospodin
You’re right—digging a trench that deep takes time, and a cavalry charge is a flash of steel. I’d bet the Sassanids staged a quick bluff, setting up a shallow trench or even just a wall of loose earth, then letting the enemy think it was a full wall. They’d spend valuable minutes watching it, while the real work was in the rear, where they could launch a surprise counterattack. It’s the classic “do you have the time to be careful or the courage to rush?” trick.
NaborBukv NaborBukv
Interesting angle—so the trench is more a psychological cue than a physical barrier. If the Sassanids had a way to reinforce that illusion, perhaps with sandbags or a hastily raised wooden palisade, the enemy could be made to over‑think. I’m curious if any contemporaneous accounts mention a “false wall” trick; it would fit their penchant for deceptive stratagems.
Gospodin Gospodin
Sure thing. The Sassanids were masters of misdirection; you’ll find the word “mukhalafat” in some chronicles—meaning “countermeasure” or “deception.” They’d set up a quick‑sandbag wall, just enough to look like a solid barricade, then have their real trenches a few yards back. The enemy, thinking they’d met a true obstacle, would slow down, give the Sassanids a moment to flank or launch a missile burst. It’s not in the main histories, but the provincial reports from Shapur’s campaigns hint at it. Feasible, and you can’t really fight a bluff with a sword.
NaborBukv NaborBukv
So the “mukhalafat” is a word, not just a tactic—maybe a whole genre of misdirection. I’ll dig up the provincial reports; the idea of a “false wall” fits with what we know about their battlefield psychology. A quick‑sandbag line as a decoy—yes, that would give the Sassanids a tactical pause. Curious how often it actually worked, though.The “mukhalafat” is indeed a term that shows up in the regional annals, and it hints at a deliberate misdirection strategy. A shallow sandbag wall could fool an advancing army into thinking they faced a solid barrier, buying the Sassanids time to regroup or strike from the rear. It’s a neat psychological ploy—exactly the kind of subtle trick that might slip under the radar of the grand narratives. I’ll keep looking for corroborating reports to see how often it was actually deployed.