Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Alanus]

Back to Arthurofthebritons,

Ahh! But remember that if the Equites Catafractarii were stationed in Britain, and if this date were post-396-397, then we would have cavalrymen using the contus. Also it appears the sub-Roman British arsenal included the Roman bow. The bow is illustrated on British villa floors and also in the Vatican ms of Vergilius' works, supposedly written around 600 in the West Country in high Latin similar to what Gildas used. Arguments for Britain's innate dampness negating the effectiveness of the steppe-compound bow are weak. I use one built from original materials, horn, sinew, and sturgeon bladder glue. And Maine is a wet place. Also look at the Mogul bow, a famed steppe bow used effectively in India where the Moguls ended up, complete with Monsoon seasons.

But, as mentioned ad nausium, I still think the backbone of sub-Roman Britain's cavalry was an extension, generationally, from the two alas of Equite Taifali. Simply because the Taifali and their horses and cattle are at least recorded, while the Catafractarii are not. (Yet, the more studied, the more the Notitia Dignitatum appears to have a realistic foundation.) I only wish the genetic lineage of the horses were as well defined as that of the cattle.

We must remember that the horses were not necessilarily bred for size, but more for maneuverability and leg-strength. The Fell Pony Museum has some interesting info on the internet, or it did at one time. Seems certain farms even had documented evidence of their usage for breeding Roman horses; and Roman horses do not necessarily equate with "Roman" as in "Italian." Frankly the Welsh Cob could descend from a "Roman" breed, which could have been, in actuality, a steppe breed. Here again, the real authority is the inimitable John Conyard, not me. :lol: