Gospodin & 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
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
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
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
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.