#8183 Late Roman Medium Cavalry
Dated: January 31, 2011
Cavalry became increasingly important during the later Roman Empire as armies were required to respond rapidly to threats across enormous frontiers. Mounted troops scouted ahead of the army, screened its movements, carried messages, pursued defeated enemies and helped counter the mobile cavalry forces encountered along the Danube, Rhine and eastern borders. Infantry remained the foundation of Roman armies, but cavalry had become an essential partner rather than a minor supporting arm.
Box front.
The term "medium cavalry" is a convenient modern description rather than an official Roman classification. These horsemen occupied the broad space between lightly equipped cavalry and the heavily armoured cataphracts. They carried spears and long swords, wore a mixture of mail, scale and lamellar armour, and used shields for protection in close combat. Their mobility allowed them to perform reconnaissance and pursuit while still being strong enough to fight in the main battle line.
Line drawing
This set contains 12 riders and 12 horses in four rider poses and two horse poses. The riders display the varied appearance typical of the late Roman army, with several forms of armour, different helmets and oval shields. Separate spears and swords allow the poses to be varied, while one double-ended piece may be cut to provide either an additional spear or a cavalry draco standard.
The draco was a distinctive dragon-headed windsock standard associated especially with Roman cavalry. As the rider moved, air entered the metal head and inflated the long fabric body behind it, creating a dramatic moving emblem that also helped cavalrymen maintain their position during manoeuvres. A surviving copper draco head from Niederbieber and several late Roman reliefs confirm its use by Roman mounted troops.
All the horses in the set wear extensive protective armour. Horse armour was certainly used in the Roman world, particularly by heavy cavalry influenced by eastern traditions, but equipping every horse so completely would have been expensive and was probably not universal among ordinary cavalry. Modellers may therefore use the supplied armoured horses for especially well-equipped units, or combine the riders with unarmoured horses to create a more varied formation.
Test shot (4 horses will be on the production sprue.)
What did late Roman cavalry carry?
Spear: used primarily for thrusting in mounted combat, although lighter examples could also be thrown.
Spatha: the long sword commonly carried by cavalry and increasingly by Roman infantry as well.
Shield: oval and round shields were both used; the figures in this set carry oval examples.
Draco: the dragon-shaped cavalry standard carried by a standard-bearer or draconarius.
Body armour: mail, scale and lamellar armour could all be seen in late Roman service.
Where could these figures be used?
These figures are suitable for Roman armies of approximately the fourth and early fifth centuries, fighting along the Rhine and Danube frontiers, in civil wars within the Empire or in campaigns against Goths, Sarmatians, Persians and other neighbouring powers. Their varied equipment also reflects the increasingly diverse character of the late Roman army, which drew soldiers and military influences from across the Empire and beyond its borders.
3 types of cavalry
