11-22-2005, 02:25 PM
hmmmm...
as for Arabic horses getting used to Camels, I guess they would be. After all, they'll be growing up with camels all around them. Take a dog and a cat, for example - usually dogs will go after cats, unless, of course, they have gotten used to each other. I guess its the same for all animals. So I reckon that after a few weeks of exposure, even Roman (or whoever's) horses would eventually get used to the smell of camels (which I believe to be the greatest deterrent - at least to me it is!!) and not be scared any more.
As for the upkeep, as far as I am aware, Camels are much more hardy than horses, so in a way Camel cataphracts may actually have been cheaper to maintain than horse-mounted cataphracts... remember also, that horses need shedloads of food and, especially, water. Camels can go without water for days, which is what makes them so attractive as "workhorses" in the region.
Finally, I think the psychological effect on the average Roman soldier alone would probably have been sufficient to maintain such units...
C.
as for Arabic horses getting used to Camels, I guess they would be. After all, they'll be growing up with camels all around them. Take a dog and a cat, for example - usually dogs will go after cats, unless, of course, they have gotten used to each other. I guess its the same for all animals. So I reckon that after a few weeks of exposure, even Roman (or whoever's) horses would eventually get used to the smell of camels (which I believe to be the greatest deterrent - at least to me it is!!) and not be scared any more.
As for the upkeep, as far as I am aware, Camels are much more hardy than horses, so in a way Camel cataphracts may actually have been cheaper to maintain than horse-mounted cataphracts... remember also, that horses need shedloads of food and, especially, water. Camels can go without water for days, which is what makes them so attractive as "workhorses" in the region.
Finally, I think the psychological effect on the average Roman soldier alone would probably have been sufficient to maintain such units...
C.
Christoph Rummel
