08-25-2009, 10:53 PM
I have read that when Julian the Apostate attacked the Sasanid Persians in 363, he brought a very large army of some 90,000 men. But I'm having a hard time finding information on the composition of this army. I just finished reading Ammianus' account, and he isn't very specific about the types of men and equipment.
1 - Were cataphracts a common feature of Roman armies at this point, or was this later? I seem to remember reading that Gallienus instituted heavier cavalry during his reign in order to counter the heavy Persian cavalry his father's armies faced, but I don't know how regularly these units were featured. I know that cataphracts were the heart and soul of the Byzantine armies after the Western empire fell in 476, but does anyone know when they started gaining prominence?
2 - Were Julian's troops mostly citizens of the empire, or did he have large allied contingents? I know he asked the Armenian king to provide troops when he was preparing for the campaign, but again, Ammianus isn't very specific.
1 - Were cataphracts a common feature of Roman armies at this point, or was this later? I seem to remember reading that Gallienus instituted heavier cavalry during his reign in order to counter the heavy Persian cavalry his father's armies faced, but I don't know how regularly these units were featured. I know that cataphracts were the heart and soul of the Byzantine armies after the Western empire fell in 476, but does anyone know when they started gaining prominence?
2 - Were Julian's troops mostly citizens of the empire, or did he have large allied contingents? I know he asked the Armenian king to provide troops when he was preparing for the campaign, but again, Ammianus isn't very specific.
