Matt
Showing posts with label Fall of the West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fall of the West. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Transtigritani Auxilium
Finished the first of the Auxilium units, this unit may have its shields swapped to become a different Aux unit after doing a little study I found out that Transtigritani Aux and the legio Transtigritani (pseudocomitatensis) were raised from Persian exiles, so the figures should be a little darker skinned...........All of the figures are from Musketeer and BTD, shields are hand painted.
cheers
Matt
Matt
Labels:
Fall of the West,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman,
Musketeer
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Equites Promoti Seniores
Equites Promoti Seniores
cheers
Matt
Labels:
Black Tree Design,
Eastern Roman,
Fall of the West,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Greuthungi Ostrogothic Pirates
In the campaign I was awarded 20 (impetus) points of Ostrogothic Pirates to help me raid the Roman eastern territory's on the black sea, so of course I needed some unit to represent them! So I hunted around my spare fig box and came up a little short with a few BTD archers that would be suitable. Alas I had no warband types, so I trundled off to the cardinals house of wonders and sure enough he had some spare dark age figures I could use. The old glory miniatures are from the viking pack (I think) and were castoffs........so I ended up with the infamous bard figure, so what better figure for a leader!!!!!
cheers
Matt
Labels:
Black Tree Design,
Fall of the West,
Goths,
IMPETUS
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
German heavy cavalry
Goth Heavy Cavalry
Matt
Labels:
Alamannii,
Fall of the West,
Franks,
Goths,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman
Halani Sagittarii
Some Alan Or Goth horse archers off the table this week who will no doubt get use in my Roman and Sassanid armies. I am very pleased with the result of their stripey pajamas, The A and A range captures the movement of the horses well, again I have based them in a circulus cantabricus.
Only five more bases to go of horse archers, which I ordered from A and A last week and my Sassanid army will be nearly ready for action!
Only five more bases to go of horse archers, which I ordered from A and A last week and my Sassanid army will be nearly ready for action!
cheers
Matt
Labels:
A and A Miniatures,
Alani,
Fall of the West,
Goths,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman,
Sassanids
Monday, October 15, 2012
Late Roman Sagittarii
Roman Sagittari
A few more late Romans off the desk additions for my late Roman army in the east. A mix of 28mm A and A, Black Tree and Crusader miniatures. They will join my Impetus army that forever grows.
Labels:
Black Tree Design,
Eastern Roman,
Fall of the West,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman
Monday, October 8, 2012
Roman General and Bucellarii
Roman Bucellarii
The General is from Black Tree Design, his horse is A & A, the remaining horses are gripping Beast, the std bearer is foundry and the remaining figures are Gripping beast, the draco is BTD but with a wire pole.
cheers
Matt
Labels:
Eastern Roman,
Fall of the West,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman
Friday, August 10, 2012
Sassanid Pushtigbhan (Royal guard)
Sassanid Royal Guard
My Shah is in Royal Purple and rides a white horse, where as his men ride all black Nisean horses. At this stage I will stay with the banner I have given them until my LBM banner arrives, then this banner will bill presented to another unit!!
Only four more Cataphract units to complete my Sassanid Army, and yes I intend to paint them all as individual knights!
Sassanid cavalry |
Cheers
Matt
Labels:
A and A Miniatures,
Fall of the West,
IMPETUS,
Sassanids
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum
Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum
A Short History
The Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum were part of the “Schola” or the Imperial Guard cavalry retinue, Each Schola was between 500 and 600 men. Many of the recruits for the Palatine troops were from barbarian tribes, Franks, Goths, Alans, Alamanni, Armenians and Isaurians. The Palatine troops were under command directly by the Emperor, the Magister Officiorum had direct control over the disposition of the Schola. Each Schola was commanded by a tribune who ranked as a Comes.By 400AD Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum were part of the eastern Empire Army, according to the 'notitia dignitatum. The Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum were present at the battle of Strasbourg/Argentoratum 357AD and they disgraced themselves by retreating when their commander was unhorsed (possibly Hormisdas who was a Persian) and several animals falling over in exhaustion.
This event is noted by both Ammianus, 16.12.37-41 and in the “Historia Nova” of Zosimus, at the battle of Strasbourg/ Argentoratum in 357 (HN 3.3.4-5):
And I ought not omit what Caesar did after this victory. "He had a troop of 600 horse, well trained in war, on whose strength and experience he so relied that he hazarded many of his hopes with them. When the battle began, the whole army fell upon the enemy with maximum enthusiasm so that the Roman army was gaining considerable advantage, but these alone broke ranks and fled, and even though Caesar himself and a few others rode after them and called them back to share in the victory, they would not have any part in the battle. Caesar was therefore very properly angry with them because, as far as they were concerned, they had abandoned their countrymen to the barbarians, but he did not impose on them the penalty defined by law; rather he dressed them in women's clothing and led them through the camp to expel them, thinking this a punishment worse than death for manly soldiers."
Dressed as women could refer to the removal of their military belts and being discharged as women so no land rights.
Concerning Cataphractarii and Clibanarii
I am not a believer that cataphractarii and clibanarii were one and the same. The first Roman Cataphract unit known is ala I Gallorum et Pannoniorum catafractata. The evidence we have for this unit is in a diploma dated 1st June 125 (when it was stationed in Moesia Inferior; it remained in that province until at least the late 150s).Both types appear in the Notitia Dignitatum and units of both types are included in a field army. The cataphracts are listed first, this I believe indicates that not only did they differ but the cataphractarii are the senior of the units. The difference, I suggest, lies in the way that they were equipped and mounted.
Western vs Eastern heavy cavalry
The Western type had their beginnings with Bosporan contarii , however the Roman type we are considering were introduced by the Sarmatian tribes. Both rider and horse were armoured; the man was armed with contus, bow and sword, and did not use a shield (Tacitus, Histories, 1.79). Tacitus calls the rider's armour catafractes and says that it was made from scales of horn or hard leather and was so heavy that the man had difficulty getting up when unhorsed. Trajan's Column shows Sarmatian cavalry with both horse and rider wholly covered with tight-fitting scale armor.
I have a theory to put forward that the Clibanariorum were mounted on the larger Nisean horses (which were larger than there western types and in bred on farms around Rome by this stage) with bronze scale armor (as horse sweat does not rust bronze and it polishes nicely) and that the men were armored head to foot, and armed with two handed Contus and the bow in the eastern style.
There was much discussion in the Roman Army Talk forum on whether clibanarii used shields or not. Certainly, the Parthian and Sasanian rock reliefs do not show their predecessors using them and Julian, in describing Constantius' clibanarii, states specifically that they did not need shields (Jul. Or. II, 57C) also I have a theory that the six Schola units of the Magister Officiorum only five shields are depicted on the Notitia Dignitatum, so perhaps the Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum did not have them! (even though Scuta means shield!!!!)
A few Qoutes
Nazarius, Paneg., 24.5
What a spectacle that is said to have been, how dreadful to behold, how terrible, horses and men alike enclosed in a covering of iron.
Maxentius' clibanarii at the battle of Turin, AD 312.
Nazarius, Paneg., 24.5
When all had been killed to a man and your soldiers were untouched, people transferred the horror inspired by their armour to wonder at the victory . . .
Maxentius' clibanarii again.
Libanius, Oration XVIII, 18.37
. . . cavalry so invulnerably equipped as to lend them a terrible aspect . . .
Constantius' Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum, AD 357.
Ammianus, 16.10.8
. . . all masked, furnished with protecting breastplates and girt with iron belts, so that you might have supposed them statues (simulacra) polished by the hand of Praxiteles, not men.
Scola Scutariorum Clibanariorum escorting Constantius on his entry into Rome, AD 357.
Claudian, In Rufinum II, 357-364
. . . the limbs within give life to the armour's pliant scales so artfully conjoined, and strike terror into the beholder. 'Tis as though iron statues (simulacra) moved and men lived cast from the same metal . . . each stands alone, a pleasure yet a dread to behold, beautiful yet terrible . . .
Rufinus' clibanarii, AD 395.
Cheers
Matt
Labels:
A and A Miniatures,
Eastern Roman,
Fall of the West,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman
Equites Sagittarii
Late Roman Equites Sagittarii
Again they are A and A miniatures, The sagittarii are quite versatile and could be used in any of my Fall of the West armies. I have based them for Impetus so the Equites sagittarii seniores and the Equites sagittarii iuniores look as though they are part way through a exercise known as the circulus cantabricus or Cantabrian circle, I am quite happy with the result!
Labels:
A and A Miniatures,
Eastern Roman,
Fall of the West,
IMPETUS,
Late Roman
Friday, April 6, 2012
Foederati
Roman Foederati
Labels:
Fall of the West,
Gripping Beast,
Late Roman,
Old glory
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)