Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Alanus]

Hello back, Agraes

Been awhile.
I was discussing stuff in the Late Roman Cavalryman by MacDowall. He shows a photo (p.17) of an original and reconstuction of what looks like manica, captioned, "Right: Additional leg and arm defences, like this example from Scotland, would have been worn by Roman cataphracts. A unit of cataphratarii was stationed in north Britain during this period. [AD 236-565 is the time-range of his book.] Far right: A modern reconstruction of a laminated thigh guard." Both pieces are identified in this manner: (National Museums of Scotland).

They look like the ones in Christa Hook's color illustration as worn in the Triumph of Constantius (AD 357). Evidently, she used Ammianus Marcellinus, XVI, 10, 7-10, "Thin iron plates, fitted to the curves of their bodies, completely covering their limbs; so that whichever way they had to move their members, their garment fitted, so skillfully were the joinings made."

Long ago, even before I was a child, :lol: Skene claimed, "The Equites Catafractarii were stationed at Morbium, supposed by Horsley to be Templeburgh on the south bank of the Don." (Celtic Scotland, p.103, note 41). Whether we can trust old farts who were even older than I am?-- anybody's guess, really. We do know that the Equites Catafractarrii were listed for Britain in the Notitia Dignitatum. But whether they actually made it to "Morbium" is another matter. :?

I suppose we cannot dismiss the Catafractarii, but my gut feeling is that John's Equites Taifali in both Seniores and Juniors were the Roman units that influenced both Britain and Aromorica, as the laws you transcribed indicate. Thanks for giving us that.