09-09-2009, 11:34 AM
Travis, thanks.
i could have been more precise, and i have to admitt my english is not the best, so sorry for this.
What i am interested in is information about the very early auxiliary lets say in the times of Augustus and very early Tiberius reign. The regular ones if i may call them like this, not the contingents that the client kings in the east or the Batavians have to provide. What i have read so far makes me think that (very simplified)
-the auxiliary infantry of this time was perhaps organised in cohorts of 500 men, but dress and equipment was still native, means for example a cohort raised from gauls still looked like gauls in dress and equippment and not very romanised.
-the alae were the first to be organised in a roman way in standing units, some books say as early as the civil wars, and that they were used from this early times on outside their country of origin. So i think there was time enough to adopt roman dress and equipment, not at least as a replacement for losses. Additionally because the cavalry was mainly recruted from the wealthier class most would probably have for example a mailcoat anyway. So is it ok to think of the cavalry alae recruted from spanish and gallic people of this early time to look like the cavalry of, say, the flavian time, some 60 to 70 years later, short trousers, calligae, mailcoat, helmet, oval shield?
-and now the special ones. Since my questions at the start of this topic i was able to find out that most probably among the horse archers with germanicus in AD 16 were the ala parthorum, and among the foot archers a cohors Ituareorum. Now i know what the parthian horse archers looked like, but did that change when they became a regular roman ala? Were they for example equipped with a mailcoat and helmet. I don´t think so but it would be nice to hear what the people here think about this, with a far greater knowledge than i have.
And for the Ituareans i only know that they are from today Lebanon. I don´t even know their native dress (tunic only like the jews, or tunic and trousers).
As Theo said, we will probably never know for sure, but i really would like to know what you think about it.
i could have been more precise, and i have to admitt my english is not the best, so sorry for this.
What i am interested in is information about the very early auxiliary lets say in the times of Augustus and very early Tiberius reign. The regular ones if i may call them like this, not the contingents that the client kings in the east or the Batavians have to provide. What i have read so far makes me think that (very simplified)
-the auxiliary infantry of this time was perhaps organised in cohorts of 500 men, but dress and equipment was still native, means for example a cohort raised from gauls still looked like gauls in dress and equippment and not very romanised.
-the alae were the first to be organised in a roman way in standing units, some books say as early as the civil wars, and that they were used from this early times on outside their country of origin. So i think there was time enough to adopt roman dress and equipment, not at least as a replacement for losses. Additionally because the cavalry was mainly recruted from the wealthier class most would probably have for example a mailcoat anyway. So is it ok to think of the cavalry alae recruted from spanish and gallic people of this early time to look like the cavalry of, say, the flavian time, some 60 to 70 years later, short trousers, calligae, mailcoat, helmet, oval shield?
-and now the special ones. Since my questions at the start of this topic i was able to find out that most probably among the horse archers with germanicus in AD 16 were the ala parthorum, and among the foot archers a cohors Ituareorum. Now i know what the parthian horse archers looked like, but did that change when they became a regular roman ala? Were they for example equipped with a mailcoat and helmet. I don´t think so but it would be nice to hear what the people here think about this, with a far greater knowledge than i have.
And for the Ituareans i only know that they are from today Lebanon. I don´t even know their native dress (tunic only like the jews, or tunic and trousers).
As Theo said, we will probably never know for sure, but i really would like to know what you think about it.
regards
Herbert
Herbert
