Cataphracti and Clibanarii

[Paullus Scipio]

Ruben wrote:

The actual kontos was probably longer. Oh dear! that just makes it an even less reliable measure...and of course there is no 'probably' about it !!In addition, your estimation of the rider increasing in height by almost a third Uuu...mmm....I actually used the ratio of aprox three quarters, which any seated person can check... when fully standing is way overblown - a realistic estimate would be perhaps from 2.5 to 2.8 or so, and definitely not above 3.

For the Tomb of Anthesterios, however, we do have the complete kontos shown and figures with more realistic proportions. There the ratio is slightly under 3:1 for the seated figure. Accounting for a standing figure, that would become roughly 2.7:1, and thus 455 cm for the kontos. Sorry? ...that doesn't seem right....on my previous reckoning, using seated as three quarters of standing, the ratio becomes 3:1.3333 x 167 cm= 3.75 m! ( 12 .2 ft)....even allowing a longer seated/riding length, say 150 cm against 180 cm standing, gives 2.5 x 167 cm, a fraction over 4 m ( 13 ft)....about the same as my other rough estimate, and around my parameters, and still not "5m minimum" !!
But surely all this goes to prove a point on which we agree, namely that it is difficult to be precise about length from artists impressions which are themselves not accurate?

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