Cananefatian cavalryman

[Jona Lendering]

This is the tombstone of a Cananefatian soldier. Actually, it's a replica from an original said to be in Algeria. (The replica was in the Swaensteyn Museum in Voorburg; which does not reply to an earlier question.) Does anybody know where the original is?

And another question that will no doubt betray my utter ignorance of the details of ancient warfare: I have never seen a cavalry man with a lance like this. The exception is in the imagebase. He's also a Cananefate. Were the Canafates known as lanciers?

(I studied in Leiden, worked in The Hague; I ought to know more about the tribe that lived over there.)

[Praefectusclassis]

I think he's shown in N.Benseddik, Les troupes auxiliaires de l'armée romaine en Maurétanie Césarienne sous le Haut-Empire (Paris 1979).
Spaul, ALA 2 states that the stone was found in Tipasa, which has a museum.

Can we have the photo for the imagebase, please?

[Jona Lendering]

Can we have the photo for the imagebase, please?

It's on it's way. Remember this is not the real thing but a copy.

[Felix]

A similar two-handed use of the lance is shown in the Dura Europos graffito. This seems to be typical for the kontos, and I presume it is the same mentioned by Tacitus for the Sarmatians.

[Jona Lendering]

A similar two-handed use of the lance is shown in the Dura Europos graffito. This seems to be typical for the kontos, and I presume it is the same mentioned by Tacitus for the Sarmatians.

I think I know the graffito; isn't it some sort of catapgract like this one? Can you tell more about the kontos?

[Robert Vermaat]

I have never seen a cavalry man with a lance like this.

I have, it's quite common for Bosporan, Sarmatian, Alan, Parthian or Sassanid Persian cavalry. However, I see it mostly used by heavy cavalry, and I'm a bit surprised to see it used by Cananefatian cavalry. Are you sure this guy came from here?

The contus was a cavalry spear between 2.5 and 4 metres long, not to be confused with the hasta.

[Jona Lendering]

Are you sure this guy came from here?

Well, that's what they wrote on the sign in the museum. And it appears to be confirmed by the (probable) Cananefate from Carnuntum... So what's our man doing with an Iranian lance?

[Robert Vermaat]

Not Iranian lance, Iranian style of fighting. And since he uses both hands, by far the most imagaes I've seen (Osprey books are full of 'em) show armoured cavalry, since he can't obviously defend himself with a shield. Maybe your man wore a hamata under that tunica?

[mcbishop]

Are you sure this guy came from here?

Well, that's what they wrote on the sign in the museum. And it appears to be confirmed by the (probable) Cananefate from Carnuntum... So what's our man doing with an Iranian lance?

As Robert points out, the two-handed lance (not to be confused with the lancea, which is a javelin) is a steppe style of fighting. Ala I Cannenefatium was based on the Danube in close proximity to steppe peoples for a while and, just as many styles of 2nd- and 3rd-century equipment decoration appear to be steppe-influenced, the weaponry is probably another manifestation of what people used to call 'barbarization' (but is in fact a process that the Roman army had gone through since its inception in the year dot: adaptation). Much more info, discussed with greater weight than I can manage, here:

Coulston, J.C. 1986: 'Roman Parthian and Sassanid tactical developments', in P. Freeman and D.L. Kennedy (eds.), The Defence of the Roman and Byzantine East, BAR International Series 297, Oxford, 59-75

Mike Bishop

[Jona Lendering]

Thanks!!

[Felix]

I apologize, the Dura Europos graffito does show the lance held under arm, but not with both hands. However, there are much later references that discuss twohanded lance combat in detail - the Mamluk furusiyyahs are training manuals for cavalrymen of the 14th century mention two different two-handed styles, as well as one-handed overarm spear use (as is seen on many Roman cavalry illustrations) and the couched lance.

[Praefectusclassis]

Valerius Maxantius, of the numerus katafractariorum, has a big long pointy thing as well, but seems to be using only one hand.