I'm putting together a report on the Battle of Issus for one of my classes, and Arrian's account of the battle mentions a Persian unit called kardakes (cardaces in some translations). My primary translation of Arrian says it is unclear whether they were heavy, medium, or light infantry, but an older translation says they were heavy infantry.

That's it, unfortunately, and I'd like to clear this up, and figure out what their general purpose was. (I intend to knock my prof's socks off on this report.)

Does anyone have details available about this unit? Especially regarding their equipment?

Probably, they were all or part heavy infantry armed with spear and shield. Arrian calls them hoplites (it is funny how biased ancient writers like Arrian and Xenophon are more comfortable using the h-word about non-Greeks than some modern historians are). Two good sources are the Encyclopaedia Iranica article “Kardakes” (available online or in a scholarly library) and this page.

Obliged, Sean.

Anyone else? The more responses the better.

I've PMed you with Duncan Head's e-mail. Try checking with him for further details.

That said, its one of the topics where if you learn the few hundred words of ancient sources, and half a dozen modern arguments, you know all there is to know on a subject, because evidence is so sparse. The Iranica article and Duncan's letter on that wargaming page give a good overview, but there could be something newer out there. Duncan Head would be a good contact, and he was friendly the one time I talked to him.