Roman Heavy Cavalry (1)

Roman Heavy Cavalry (1) PDF Author: Raffaele D’Amato
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472830032
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
From the army of Marc Antony in the 1st century BC, Roman generals hired Oriental heavy armoured cavalry to serve in their military alongside the legions. These troops, both from the northern steppes and the Persian frontiers, continued an ancient tradition of using heavy armour and long lances, and fought in a compact formation for maximum shock effect. They were quite distinct from conventional Roman light cavalry, and they served across the Empire, including in Britain. They became ever more important during the 3rd century wars against Parthia, both to counter their cavalry and to form a mobile strategic reserve. Displaying these impressive and imposing cavalry units using vivid specially commissioned artwork, this first book in a two part series on Roman Heavy Cavalry examines their use over the Imperial period up to the fall of Western Empire in the 5th century A.D.

Roman Heavy Cavalry (1)

Roman Heavy Cavalry (1) PDF Author: Raffaele D’Amato
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472830032
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 65

Get Book Here

Book Description
From the army of Marc Antony in the 1st century BC, Roman generals hired Oriental heavy armoured cavalry to serve in their military alongside the legions. These troops, both from the northern steppes and the Persian frontiers, continued an ancient tradition of using heavy armour and long lances, and fought in a compact formation for maximum shock effect. They were quite distinct from conventional Roman light cavalry, and they served across the Empire, including in Britain. They became ever more important during the 3rd century wars against Parthia, both to counter their cavalry and to form a mobile strategic reserve. Displaying these impressive and imposing cavalry units using vivid specially commissioned artwork, this first book in a two part series on Roman Heavy Cavalry examines their use over the Imperial period up to the fall of Western Empire in the 5th century A.D.

Roman Heavy Cavalry (1)

Roman Heavy Cavalry (1) PDF Author: Raffaele D’Amato
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472830024
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
From the army of Marc Antony in the 1st century BC, Roman generals hired Oriental heavy armoured cavalry to serve in their military alongside the legions. These troops, both from the northern steppes and the Persian frontiers, continued an ancient tradition of using heavy armour and long lances, and fought in a compact formation for maximum shock effect. They were quite distinct from conventional Roman light cavalry, and they served across the Empire, including in Britain. They became ever more important during the 3rd century wars against Parthia, both to counter their cavalry and to form a mobile strategic reserve. Displaying these impressive and imposing cavalry units using vivid specially commissioned artwork, this first book in a two part series on Roman Heavy Cavalry examines their use over the Imperial period up to the fall of Western Empire in the 5th century A.D.

Roman Heavy Cavalry (1)

Roman Heavy Cavalry (1) PDF Author: Raffaele D’Amato
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472830040
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
The history of the armored heavy cavalry that was absorbed into Roman service from the steppe peoples they defeated in the 2nd Century AD, and that came to provide half Rome's cavalry during the Late Empire.

Roman Heavy Cavalry (2)

Roman Heavy Cavalry (2) PDF Author: Andrei Evgenevich Negin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 147283951X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
In the twilight of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th–6th centuries, the elite of the field armies was the heavy armoured cavalry – the cataphracts, clad in lamellar, scale, mail and padded fabric armour. After the fall of the West, the Greek-speaking Eastern or Byzantine Empire survived for nearly a thousand years, and cavalry remained predominant in its armies, with the heaviest armoured regiments continuing to provide the ultimate shock-force in battle. Accounts from Muslim chroniclers show that the ironclad cataphract on his armoured horse was an awe-inspiring enemy: '...they advanced against you, iron-covered – one would have said that they advanced on horses which seemed to have no legs'. This new study, replete with stunning full-colour illustrations of the various units, offers an engaging insight into the fearsome heavy cavalry units that battled against the enemies of Rome's Eastern Empire.

Roman Heavy Cavalry (2)

Roman Heavy Cavalry (2) PDF Author: Andrei Negin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472839501
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 65

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Book Description
Following Roman Heavy Cavalry (1) on the earlier centuries, this book explains and illustrates the armor, weapons, organization, and deployment of elite heavy armored cavalry units during their long history in the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. In the twilight of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th–6th centuries, the elite of the field armies was the heavy armored cavalry–the cataphracts, clad in lamellar, scale, mail, and padded fabric armor. After the fall of the West, the Greek-speaking Eastern or Byzantine Empire survived for nearly a thousand years, and cavalry remained predominant in its armies, with the heaviest armored regiments continuing to provide the ultimate shock-force in battle. Accounts from Muslim chroniclers show that the ironclad cataphract on his armored horse was an awe-inspiring enemy: “...they advanced against you, iron-covered–one would have said that they advanced on horses which seemed to have no legs.” The heavy units included the regiments of the Tagmata (the central imperial force based around Constantinople)–the Scholai, Eskoubitoi, Athanatoi (or Vighla) and Ikanatoi–and also provincial units raised from the populations of the Themata or army corps districts throughout the Empire. By the 11th century the latter were increasingly being replaced with mercenaries, as provincial governors became semi-independent and often rebellious warlords. This disunity contributed to the Empire's disastrous defeat by the Turks at Manzikert in 1071; thereafter the shrunken Empire relied even more heavily on cavalry, since its field armies had to be mobile to meet the many threats to the frontiers. This new study, replete with stunning full-color illustrations of the various units, offers an engaging insight into the fearsome heavy cavalry units that battled against the enemies of Rome's Eastern Empire.

The Roman Cavalry

The Roman Cavalry PDF Author: Karen R. Dixon
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135114072
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
The cavalry was a vital part of the army of Rome and it played a significant role in the expansion and success of the Roman Empire. Karen R. Dixon and Pat Southern describe the origins of the mounted units of the Roman army and trace their development from temporary allied troops to the regular alae and cohorts. They have drawn together evidence from a wide variety of sources: archaeological, epigraphic and literary, as well as comparing ancient testimony with more recent experience of the use of cavalry. The book covers the subject from the perspective of both the men and the horses. How were the horses selected and disposed of; how were they trained, stabled and fed? How were the men recruited, organized and equipped; and what were the conditions of service for a Roman cavalryman? The cavalry had to be employed in peacetime and this is discussed as well as its role in war. The image of the Roman cavalry is often one of excitement and glory but the authors are aware that a true picture must not overlook the routine and the suffering. This book provides a comprehensive account of the Roman cavalry and the current state of knowledge concerning it. The wide selection of illustrations includes original drawings by Karen R. Dixon.

Napoleonic Heavy Cavalry & Dragoon Tactics

Napoleonic Heavy Cavalry & Dragoon Tactics PDF Author: Philip Haythornthwaite
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 178200940X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 137

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Book Description
During the Napoleonic Wars the supreme battlefield shock weapon was the heavy cavalry – the French cuirassiers, and their British, Austrian, Prussian and Russian counterparts. Big men mounted on big horses, the heavy cavalry were armed with swords nearly a metre long, used for slashing or thrusting at their opponents; many wore steel armour, a practice revived by Napoleon. They were tasked with smashing a hole in the enemy's line of battle, with exploiting a weakness, or with turning a flank. Their classic manoeuvre was the charge; arrayed in close-order lines or columns, the heavy cavalry would begin their attack at the walk, building up to a gallop for the final 50 metres before impact. Illustrated with diagrams, relevant paintings and prints and specially prepared colour plates, this is the first volume of a two-part study of the cavalry tactics of the armies of Napoleon and those of his allies and opponents. Written by a leading authority on the period, it draws upon drill manuals and later writings to offer a vivid assessment of how heavy cavalry actually fought on the Napoleonic battlefield.

Cataphracts

Cataphracts PDF Author: Erich B Anderson
Publisher: Grub Street Publishers
ISBN: 147388957X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
A deeply researched and page-turning history of armored cavalry in the ancient world from the Eurasian steppe tribes to the late Byzantine Empire. Cataphracts were the most heavily armored form of cavalry in the ancient civilizations of the East, with riders and horses both clad in heavy armor. Originating among the wealthiest nobles of various central Asian steppe tribes such as the Massagetae and Scythians, the traditions and strategies of these proud warriors were adopted and adapted by several major empires—the Achaemenid Persians, Seleucids, Sassanians, and eventually the Romans and their Byzantine successors—from c. 4000 BCE to 1200 CE. Usually armed with long lances, the cataphracts harnessed the mobility and sheer mass of their horses to the durability and solid fighting power of the spear-armed phalanx. Although very expensive to equip and maintain, they were a powerful force in battle and remained in use for many centuries. In this compelling historical survey, Erich B. Anderson assesses the development, equipment, tactics, and combat record of cataphracts and the similar clibinarii, showing also how enemies sought to counter them. This is a valuable study of one of the most interesting weapon systems of the ancient world. “A valuable study of one of the most interesting troop types of the ancient world.” —The Armourer “The first comprehensive survey of heavy armored cavalry . . . that played a particularly important role in the military history of Late Antiquity . . . This is a good survey of the history of heavy cavalry in the ancient world, covering arms, equipment, organization, tactics, and battles.” —The NYMAS Review

Roman Army Units in the Western Provinces (1)

Roman Army Units in the Western Provinces (1) PDF Author: Raffaele D’Amato
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472815386
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 52

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Book Description
At its height the Roman Empire stretched across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, maintained by an army of modest size but great diversity. In popular culture these soldiers are often portrayed in a generic fashion, but continuing research indicates significant variations in Roman armour and equipment not only between different legions and the provincially-raised auxiliary cohorts that made up half of the army, but also between different regions within the empire. With reference to the latest archaeological and documentary evidence Dr D'Amato investigates how Roman Army units in the Western provinces were equipped, exploring the local influences and traditions that caused the variations in attire.

Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC–AD 500

Imperial Roman Naval Forces 31 BC–AD 500 PDF Author: Raffaele D’Amato
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 9781846033179
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The Roman navy, although somewhat overshadowed by the Legions, played an important role for the Roman Empire. For the army to conquer and rule its vast territories, control of the sea lanes was essential. The navy fleets needed to be structured and powerful in order to dominate the trade routes, transport Legions and defend and attack against pirates and other enemies. Under Augustus in 31BC, the navy consisted of 800 warships with many being sent to Ravenna and Misenus in Italy, and smaller squadrons to the external coasts (e.g. Gaul, Spain, Britain) and to the major rivers, to support land operations (e.g. Rhine, Danube, Seine and others). When Roman coasts came under attack from Teutonic raiders in the 3rd and 4th centuries, the navy played a key part in the defense of the empire. This book provides a detailed re-evaluation of the vital contribution made by the Roman navy to imperial power, covering the organization of the fleets and the everyday life of the soldiers. Previously unpublished research is complemented by superb color reconstructions of the uniforms and equipment, making this a central resource on a neglected piece of ancient history.