https://youtube.com/shorts/EgSxyI49LIo?is=cqU1X0wC-WCWE_cW I agree the fifth would be a stretch

Yeah with detailed textures the issue is bigger. im fixing the UV map of the target using the checker but since its not the same mesh.    

I agree with your choices. There are other interesting characters like Shahrbaraz and Bahram V but I think the 5 you chose are the best options.  Ardashir I should have a bonus related to civic centers and temples. Shapur I should have a military bonus, maybe something for the cavalry. Shapur II "the Great" should have a bonus related to fortresses and towers. Khosrow I "the Just" should have a bonus in training speed from barracks and stables.  Khosrow II should have a capture bonus or a territory bonus. 

I'd be fine working on that instead, what were you thinking? Just a basic civ that someone would look through themselves, or like more like a tutorial?

I don't think it's physically possible to fire five projectiles at the same time with the same bow or crossbow. The energy is spread across five projectiles, and it’s difficult to properly align the trajectory with the movement of the string. The Chinese developed crossbows that fired two bolts at the same time, but they weren’t very popular, so they shifted their focus to repeating crossbows. So, for the Persians, I imagine it might have been a repeating crossbow with a magazine holding five bolts. But otherwise, the most likely explanation is an archery technique that allowed a warrior to hold five arrows and fire them quickly; that’s what best fits the nomadic traditions of mounted archery.