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Roman Auxiliary Cavalryman AD 14-193 from Osprey
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Roman Auxiliary Cavalryman AD 14-193, by Nic Fields, Illustrated by Adam Hook, Warrior series #101, by Osprey Publishing, 2006,
ISBN 1 84176 973 8

The reader will find 64 pages of good to very good material about this often neglected arm of the Roman Army. There are 43 B&W photos/drawings, and 2 informative charts. The eight pages of color drawings are very nice, and have better detail than some other pictures of Roman cavalry in some cases.

The chapters include an Introduction; a basic Chronology; and chapters on the Recruitment of the riders; the Organization of the cavalry arm; the Equipment and Appearance; the Training and Exercise of the men and horses; the Conditions of military Service; Military Life including hunting, peacetime duty and religion; On Campaign supplies, preparing for battle, and battle; After Service, discharge and retirements, death and burial, and tombstones. There is also a Glossary and Bibliography, followed by the Osprey traditional Color Plate Comments and an Index.

My complaints are that another chapter should be devoted to the actual horses of the period, what breeds were most common, which horses today are most like those used by the Romans, and such, but obviously the author didn’t think that would be interesting. This work also suffers also from the Anglo-centric focus, where 70% of the photos are from British museums, and all of the photos of sites are from Britain. There are some photos from other places, mostly relief from famous monuments. The horse furniture is not well illustrated, especially failing in the saddle and the way it stayed on the horse. I am left with the question, how did the girth attach to the saddle and how was it secured, tightened, fastened.

This book is a good overview of the Roman Auxiliary Cavalry, and a fine advertisement for the “Museum of Scotland, Edinburghâ€
Caius Fabius Maior
Charles Foxtrot
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