Developed Hierarchy of the Army of the Kingdom of Van

The hierarchy of the commanding staff of the army of the Kingdom of Van testifies to the high development of the armed forces of the kingdom. In particular, the army had a supreme commander-in-chief, his first and second deputies, commanders of regiments, and commanders of fifties.

This hierarchy has been developing over several centuries. The army of the Kingdom of Van has probably been the first to unify the whole armed forces of its country. No small feat, considering that the kingdom’s army consisted of at least several tens of thousands of soldiers. For instance, an inscription states that during a campaign to the north, the army had 66 chariots, 4.430 horsemen, and 15.760 infantrymen.

Another testimony to the level of the army’s development is that it possessed chariots. Even the army of Assyria, the most powerful kingdom at the time, had a limited number of chariots.