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Info or Links on First Century BC
#1
HI folks,<br>
I'm looking for info on Roman army, and especially cavalry, from approx 70 BC through to about 30 BC. I've got quite a few books but for some reason this period seems to fall 'in between'. Anyway, my head is spinning from skim-reading so many sources, so I'm hoping some of you military gurus might point me in the right direction. I think I've got a lot of later stuff stuck in my head, and Marius' reforms might be a problem. I've got Goldsworthy's 'Roman Warfare' and the osprey 'Caesar's Legions', and Hyland's 'Training the Roman Cavalry' so if you know that an illstration there will be what I need, the page ref will do. Weblinks great too.<br>
I'm writing a story, and I want my hero to be the son of a noble (perhaps with declining fortunes) family, who goes off to war as a cavalry officer. I'm struggling with (a) what sort of rank he should be, and what age, and (b) the correct uniform for the time.<br>
<br>
Any suggestions for original sources that have good descriptions of a character like this will be appreciated too.<br>
<br>
I notice there seems to be plenty of legion re-enactment groups around - anyone doing cavalry?<br>
<br>
thanks for your help!<br>
<br>
Pictoria<br>
<p></p><i></i>
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#2
Books on Roman Cavalry]The Roman Cavalry: From the First to the Third Century Ad<br>
which is a bit later than the period you requested or<br>
Roman Cavalry of the Republic which is in your period, but pricey. <p>"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance -- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer</p><i></i>
Caius Fabius Maior
Charles Foxtrot
moderator, Roman Army Talk
link to the rules for posting
[url:2zv11pbx]http://romanarmy.com/rat/viewtopic.php?t=22853[/url]
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#3
thanks Caius - the Cavalry of the Roman Republic looks like heaven on a stick, but way out of my price range at the moment. Ouch. Especially since I just made an Amazon order.<br>
<br>
<br>
Oh, and in case anyone wondered how I could write about a hero when I don't even know what rank he ought to be, hey, its a romance! The focus is totally on the relationship, and everything else supports that. I'm working hard on making sure there's no clanging anachronisms and there's some nice details of daily life. I might have to shift the timeframe - there's any amount of stuff on the later empire, but I do love that fragile period in the middle, Pompey and Caesar and Cicero.<br>
<br>
cheers<br>
Pictoria <p></p><i></i>
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#4
Junkelmann has 3(?) books on Roman cavalry as well but I haven't read them myself. Does anyone know if they cover the same periode as his "Legionen des Augustus"? <p></p><i></i>
RESTITVTOR LIBERTATIS ET ROMANAE RELIGIONIS

DEDITICIVS MINERVAE ET MVSARVM

[Micha F.]
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#5
Yup, Die Reiter Roms comes in three parts, one civilian, one military, one equipment. The military part (book 2) has a short historical introduction about the republican period. <p>Greets<br>
<br>
Jasper</p><i></i>
Greets!

Jasper Oorthuys
Webmaster & Editor, Ancient Warfare magazine
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#6
I found a search engine called "REDLIGHTGREEN" that lists (it says) 120 million books:<br>
www.redlightgreen.com/ucw...kspace.jsp<br>
<br>
typing in 'roman cavalry" brought up this work which seems pretty recent:<br>
<br>
Cavalry Of The Roman Republic Cavalry Combat And Elite Reputations In The Middle And Late Republic<br>
<br>
Author: McCall, Jeremiah B., 1972-<br>
Title: The cavalry of the Roman Republic : cavalry combat and elite reputations in the middle and late Republic / Jeremiah B. McCall.<br>
Publisher: London ; New York : Routledge, 2002.<br>
Edition Date: 2002<br>
Language: English<br>
Physical Details: viii, 200 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.<br>
Rome--Army--Cavalry.<br>
Rome--History--Republic, 265-30 B.C.<br>
ISBN: 0-415-25713-1<br>
<br>
<p>Legio XX<br>
Caput dolet, pedes fetent, Iesum non amo<br>
<br>
</p><i></i>
Richard Campbell
Legio XX - Alexandria, Virginia
RAT member #6?
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#7
Thanks Rich. That's the same one Caius suggested, I think - it certainly looks like a great book. It says up to 100BC so I hope there weren't too many changes in the subsequent 50 years. I might have to live on bread and water for a week or two to afford it, though! Still, it will make a nice companion to my existing volumes. Maybe I can find a way to justify it!<br>
<br>
I've just been reading in (handford's?) introduction to Sallust's Conspiracy of Cateline (in a volume along with the Jugurthine Wars - Penguin) that after Sulla's victory in 83, he massacred thousands, including 40 senators and 1600 Equites. SIXTEEN HUNDRED. Ye gods! I realise this might be small fry in comparison to some other mass murders (aftermaths of battles, no doubt, and certainly Spartacus' - what was it - 6000 crucified?) - but these were knights! Some days, just when I think I'm getting a grip on Roman history, it apalls and amazes me all over again.<br>
<br>
However, I'm going to persevere with setting this novel in Rome. Gotta love a man with sword-weilding biceps and a short skirt.<br>
<br>
Pictoria <p></p><i></i>
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