The Battle Drums of the Parthians. Plutarch, circa AD 100-120.

Paint and noise seem to be concomitants of weapons in war. The ancient Celts were described by Julius Caesar as dyeing their skin blue to give them a "wild appearance in battle." The war paint of the Native American tribes is well known. In the sagas, Norse warriors are described as wearing war paint to channel berserker rage and unnerve their enemies. According to the Roman historian, Tacitus, the Harii painted their bodies and instruments of war black and would only attack in the dark of night.

In the Civil War, the Confederates used their famous "rebel yell" as a weapon on the battlefield. The shrill screams which seemed to be a mix of whoops, howls, or screeches, were described by Union forces as unnerving causing sensations up the spine. Reportedly, the rebel yell made soldiers hesitate and sometimes break formation.

There is undoubtedly a psychology to the paint and noise.

In this excerpt, Plutarch describes the noise created by the Parthians on the battlefield. He mentions paint and hair styles, too.

August Glen-James, editor

Now, when they were near the Romans and their general gave the signal, first of all the whole plain was filled with a deep and terrifying roaring sound. For the Parthians, instead of having horns or trumpets to sound the attack, make use of hollow drums of stretched hide to which bronze bells are attached. They beat on these drums all at once in many different parts of the field and the sound produced is most eerie and terrifying, like the roaring of wild animals with something of the sharpness of a peal of thunder. They have, it seems, correctly observed that the sense of hearing has the most disturbing effect on us of all our senses, most quickly arouses our emotions and most effectively overpowers our judgement.

Before the Romans had recovered from their consternation at this din, the enemy suddenly dropped the coverings of their armor. Now they could be seen clearly, their helmets and breastplates blazing like fire, their Margianian* steel glittering keen and bright, their horses armored with plates of bronze and steel. The tallest and best looking of them all was the Surena himself, though his beauty had a kind of feminine quality which did not exactly fit in with his reputation for physical courage. He was dressed rather in the Median way, with his face painted and with parted hair, while the rest of the Parthians still wore their hair long and bunched up over their foreheads in the Scythian fashion so as to make themselves look more formidable.

*Margianian steel was a term used in ancient sources to describe high-quality steel associated with the region of Margiana (ancient Margu/Marv, centered on the oasis of Merv in modern-day southeastern Turkmenistan, Central Asia).

Source: Public Domain