The Cardaces were a unit of the Persian Achaemenid army. They were formed some time before the Macedonian invasion as a professional heavy infantry unit, intended probably to supplement the Greek mercenaries the Persian armies became heavily dependent upon.

The Cardaces took part in the battles of Issus

Battle of Issus

The Battle of Issus occurred in southern Anatolia, in November 333 BC. The invading troops, led by the young Alexander of Macedonia, defeated the army personally led by Darius III of Achaemenid Persia in the second great battle for primacy in Asia...

 and Gaugamela

Battle of Gaugamela

The Battle of Gaugamela took place in 331 BC between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia. The battle, which is also called the Battle of Arbela, resulted in a massive victory for the ancient Macedonians and led to the fall of the Achaemenid Empire.-Location:Darius chose a flat, open plain...

, without much success.

There is much debate among the historians about the armament and mode of operation of the Cardaces.

Sources

• Pierre Briant, From Cyrus to Alexander: A History of the Persian Empire. Especially pages 1036-1037.
• Jeff Jonas, Kardakes or Cardaces:

AtG Designer's notes. (Contains a letter by Duncan Head).