09-07-2006, 07:41 PM
I would want to hae very ironclad evidence for such assertions before basing a reconstruction on them.
Germany is not prime horse country, but Germanic peoples did use horses. In fact, many Saxon nobles particularly were buried with them. Of cpourse the arriving Saxons likely lacked cavalry simply because they came by ship, but they are unlikely victims for superstitious shock and awe. Caesar's mounted German bodyguard and the horsemen of the Gothic nation make this amply clear IMO.
Sarmatians with stirrups are a very contentious subject, and I would want good evidence not only that they had them, but also that they transmitted them to Britain. To my knowledge the earliest archeological eidence for stirrups in Western Europe comes from the 8th century, and, oddly enough, from Saxony. As to Roman cavalry dismounting to fight, they could but that was not their purpose, with the possible exception of the mixed 'cohortes equitatae'.
As to Celtic horseshoes, I know of a few isolated finds, but how good is the evidence? There are equally a few Roman isolates, but these are usually interpreted as medieval find contamination - to my mkind credibly. Also, unshod horses would not preclude cavalry using Roman roads. They could travel on the soft shoulders, with carts carrying supplies using the metalled surface.
Germany is not prime horse country, but Germanic peoples did use horses. In fact, many Saxon nobles particularly were buried with them. Of cpourse the arriving Saxons likely lacked cavalry simply because they came by ship, but they are unlikely victims for superstitious shock and awe. Caesar's mounted German bodyguard and the horsemen of the Gothic nation make this amply clear IMO.
Sarmatians with stirrups are a very contentious subject, and I would want good evidence not only that they had them, but also that they transmitted them to Britain. To my knowledge the earliest archeological eidence for stirrups in Western Europe comes from the 8th century, and, oddly enough, from Saxony. As to Roman cavalry dismounting to fight, they could but that was not their purpose, with the possible exception of the mixed 'cohortes equitatae'.
As to Celtic horseshoes, I know of a few isolated finds, but how good is the evidence? There are equally a few Roman isolates, but these are usually interpreted as medieval find contamination - to my mkind credibly. Also, unshod horses would not preclude cavalry using Roman roads. They could travel on the soft shoulders, with carts carrying supplies using the metalled surface.
Der Kessel ist voll Bärks!
Volker Bach
Volker Bach
