09-17-2013, 01:06 AM
"Περὶ Ἀλανικῆς γυμνασίας σχηματικῆς.
Ἀλανική ἐστιν, ὅταν ἐπὶ μιᾶς μὲν παρατάξεως τάσσωνται ὑπὸ κούρσορας καὶ δηφένσορας, διῃρημένας δὲ τὰς μοίρας ἀπὸ διακοσίων—τετρακοσίων ποδῶν ἀλλήλων διστώσας, καὶ ἐν τῇ κινήσει τῶν κουρσόρων σὺν ἐλασίᾳ ἐξερχομένων εἰς καταδίωξιν, εἶτα ὑποστρεφόντων, ὅτε μὲν εἰς τὰ διαλείμματα ἤτοι εὔκαιρα χωρία αὐτῆς ἐξελίσσεσθαι καὶ ἅμα τοῖς δηφένσορσι χωρεῖν κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅτε δὲ ὑποστρέφοντας δι’ αὐτῶν τῶν διαστημάτων ἀπέρχεσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄκρα τοῦ μέρους φαίνεσθαι τοὺς ἑκατέρωθεν κούρσορας, ἕκαστον ὡς τέτακται." Strategicon, 6.3.
This is the Greek text, but in order to translate it correctly I have to remember the terminology use of Maurice, which I cannot do right now.
However, in a few words, in the initial formation, cursores (skirmishing missile cavalry) and defensores (cavalry that keeps its formation) together form a line with units 200-400 feet apart. First, it is the cursores who attack the enemy, then they wheel about and enter the intervals, there they again wheel about and with the defensores they jointly advance against the enemy or they ride out on the flanks of the formation or the kursores units.
Nevertheless, this is a rough translation (like the one expected from a philologist). Maurice's text contains certain military terms for the use of which I at the moment cannot vouch for, since -unfortunately- their meaning is not always the same among authors and one has to make a comparative study within the same text to be sure (actually not as hard to do as it sounds...).
Ἀλανική ἐστιν, ὅταν ἐπὶ μιᾶς μὲν παρατάξεως τάσσωνται ὑπὸ κούρσορας καὶ δηφένσορας, διῃρημένας δὲ τὰς μοίρας ἀπὸ διακοσίων—τετρακοσίων ποδῶν ἀλλήλων διστώσας, καὶ ἐν τῇ κινήσει τῶν κουρσόρων σὺν ἐλασίᾳ ἐξερχομένων εἰς καταδίωξιν, εἶτα ὑποστρεφόντων, ὅτε μὲν εἰς τὰ διαλείμματα ἤτοι εὔκαιρα χωρία αὐτῆς ἐξελίσσεσθαι καὶ ἅμα τοῖς δηφένσορσι χωρεῖν κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ὅτε δὲ ὑποστρέφοντας δι’ αὐτῶν τῶν διαστημάτων ἀπέρχεσθαι καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄκρα τοῦ μέρους φαίνεσθαι τοὺς ἑκατέρωθεν κούρσορας, ἕκαστον ὡς τέτακται." Strategicon, 6.3.
This is the Greek text, but in order to translate it correctly I have to remember the terminology use of Maurice, which I cannot do right now.
However, in a few words, in the initial formation, cursores (skirmishing missile cavalry) and defensores (cavalry that keeps its formation) together form a line with units 200-400 feet apart. First, it is the cursores who attack the enemy, then they wheel about and enter the intervals, there they again wheel about and with the defensores they jointly advance against the enemy or they ride out on the flanks of the formation or the kursores units.
Nevertheless, this is a rough translation (like the one expected from a philologist). Maurice's text contains certain military terms for the use of which I at the moment cannot vouch for, since -unfortunately- their meaning is not always the same among authors and one has to make a comparative study within the same text to be sure (actually not as hard to do as it sounds...).
