Strabo Geography 11.14.9

[9] There are gold mines in Syspiritis near Caballa, to which Menon was sent by Alexander with soldiers, and he was led up ¹ to them by the natives. There are also other mines, in particular those of sandyx, ² as it is called, which is also called “Armenian” color, like chalce ³ The country is so very good for “horse-pasturing,” not even inferior to Media, ⁴ that the Nesaean horses, which were used by the Persian kings, are also bred there. The satrap of Armenia used to send to the Persian king twenty thousand foals every year at the time of the Mithracina. ⁵ Artavasdes, ⁶ at the time when he invaded Media with Antony, showed him, apart from the rest of the cavalry, six thousand horses drawn up in battle array in full armour. Not only the Medes and the Armenians pride themselves upon this kind of cavalry, but also the Albanians, for they too use horses in full armour.

[9] There are mines of gold in the Hyspiratis, ¹ near Caballa. Alexander sent Menon to the mines with a body of soldiers, but he was strangled ² by the inhabitants of the country. There are other mines, and also a mine of Sandyx as it is called, to which is given the name of Armenian colour, it resembles the Calche. ³

This country is so well adapted, being nothing inferior in this respect to Media, for breeding horses, that the race of Nesean horses, which the kings of Persia used, is found here also; the satrap of Armenia used to send annually to the king of Persia 20,000 foals at the time of the festival of the Mithracina. Artavasdes, when he accompanied Antony in his invasion of Media, exhibited, besides other bodies of cavalry, 6000 horse covered with complete armour drawn up in array.

Not only do the Medes and Armenians, but the Albanians also, admire this kind of cavalry, for the latter use horses covered with armour.