04-16-2013, 05:31 PM
No oxen? Those camels, are they dromedary or Bactrian, one-humped or two?
The use of those ox-carts surprised me too, considering the importance of cavalry, raids, ambushes and skirmishing in the Roman army of the early Byzantine period. Their main advantage may have been logistics, as you can pasture an ox to charge up for the next day, but a mule will need some of the stuff he is carrying in order to keep working, so the longer the distance, the less use a mule became.
The carts were often used to built a laager in the "Barbarian" style, the Strategikon of emperor Maurice even describes them being mounted with catapults.
The use of those ox-carts surprised me too, considering the importance of cavalry, raids, ambushes and skirmishing in the Roman army of the early Byzantine period. Their main advantage may have been logistics, as you can pasture an ox to charge up for the next day, but a mule will need some of the stuff he is carrying in order to keep working, so the longer the distance, the less use a mule became.
The carts were often used to built a laager in the "Barbarian" style, the Strategikon of emperor Maurice even describes them being mounted with catapults.
