[Teaser] Upcoming episode on Roman Cataphracts

I wanted to share some art and a quick script teaser for our upcoming Units of History episode on the Roman Cataphracts.

ORIGINS:

The evolution of cavalry forces had long been pioneered by the peoples of the east. It was here in the steppes, plateaus, and plains that bronze age tribes had taken the first trots in mounted warfare. Light cavalry were naturally the first onto the scene but in the ensuing arms race these were quickly being upgraded with increasing levels of weapons and armor. Owing to the nature of their lifestyle, the nomadic tribes were always on the forefront of innovation but sometimes lacked the resources of settled societies to provide sufficient gear for their troops. Thus it was that civilizations which straddled both groups had the reason and the means to evolve. The Assyrians were one such early civilization which began to pioneer in the realm of armored cavalry. During the period of antiquity, this torch would largely be passed to the Achaemenids who successfully leveraged cavalry to form one of the largest empires of its day. While their approach to warfare admittedly involved a variety of troop types, their tradition of mounted nobility proved particularly influential to the emergence of later cataphracts.

For instance it was the units of elite Persian kinsmen which inspired the Macedonians of the west to form their own elite ranks of Companion Cavalry. While not particularly heavily armored, these nonetheless advanced the cause of heavy cavalry by demonstrating the effectiveness of mounted shock tactics; first against the Greeks and then against the Persians themselves. More importantly though, in the wake of Alexander's conquests came a merging of many eastern and western traditions, particularly in the realm of mounted warfare. This had begun quite literally with Alexander as he sought to absorb former Achaemenid troops into his armies. The trend would continue upon his death with the Successors who now ruled as Hellenistic monarchs over the various satrapies. The Seleucids for example fully embraced the adoption of heavy cavalry forces, with Antiochus the Great fielding the first recorded "Kataphraktoi" in his campaigns. Described by Livy as "horseman in complete armor" equipped with long lances, these quickly proved their superiority in battle and were adopted by the other major powers vying for control of the east.

The Romans meanwhile were largely ignorant of these developments. Long accustomed to winning victories with infantry forces, they were in for a rude awakening as the Republic expanded its way east. This first began in the 200s BC with the wars against the Hellenistic powers. Here the legions got their first taste of cataphract units fielded by the Seleucids at the Battles of Thermopylae and Magnesia. While these certainly made an impression they were handicapped by poor conditions and proved unable to halt the Roman advance. However the odds would change as the legions pushed further into the heartland of the horse lords. King of them all would be the Parthians who fielded entire armies of cavalry. When war broke out in the 1st century BC, the power of such forces in the open field would soon become self-evident. The lesson would most brutally be taught at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BC. It was here that 7 legions came face to face with 1,000 cataphracts backed up by 9,000 horse archers and light cavalry. The slow moving legions were surrounded, picked apart by arrow fire, and inevitably crushed by the charge of the heavy cavalry.

This disaster convinced the Romans that they HAD to evolve. Thus began the start of their gradual adaptation to the ways of the east. The first step would be to diversify their roster by adding a greater proportion of both ranged and mounted troops. However the italian forces were in no position to take up this task themselves. They therefore relied on foreign allies and auxiliaries for the job. In this manner was Rome able to wage more successful eastern campaigns. With regards to Cataphract forces specifically, we first hear of these fighting under a Roman banner during the Great Jewish Revolt of the 1st century AD. Here Josephus gives the following description of an assault against a breach at the Siege of Jotapata in 67 AD:

Quote: “Vespasian made the most courageous of the horsemen get off their horses, and placed them in three ranks against the ruins of the wall. They were covered with armor on every side, and with kontoi in their hands”

It is likely that these Cataphracts were not a part of the Roman military proper but were rather allied troops sent by local kings to aid in Vespasian’s war against the rebelling Jews. Their presence is a clear indication that the Roman commanders were at least beginning to toy with the use of super-heavy cavalry units in their armies. For now though Cataphracts remained an ad-hoc tool deployed in a sporadic fashion. Yet the longer Rome battled against mounted forces, the greater the pressures became for the legions to adopt more permanent cavalry solutions. However this was a slow process.

Our records indicate that the first true body of Roman Cataphracts would not be implemented until around 130 AD during the reign of Emperor Hadrian. Officially named the ”Ala 1 Gallorum et Pannoniorum Catafractata”, these were a regular unit of auxiliary cavalry stationed in Moesia Inferior. Little is known about them other than that they were created as a counter to the emerging Sarmatian threat on this frontier. These steppe forces were feared as expert riders who fought atop steeds with extensive armor, long lances, and bows. The auxiliaries are thus likely to have tried to at least match some level of this gear set. However, what few written and pictorial records remain seem to indicate that they were only partially-armored at this point and did not yet fully reflect the image one has of proper cataphract units.

It will be appropriate at this point to briefly discuss why this was the case. The first point to make is that such extensive armor was costly to produce and maintain. In addition its added weight required a suitably sturdy breed of horse which was hard to come by. Even steeds which could bear the burden would be slow and quick to tire. Likewise an armored rider would also be prone to fatigue and struggle to maintain his stability in an age before the adoption of stirrups and high backed saddles. Therefore it proved simply more practical to adopt strategically placed partial-armor to get the job done without risking the downsides of a full set. Thus the Roman “Cataphractarii” of this early period adopted the iconic title of the unit without truly living up to its name. The real “Cataphracts” in their employ would continue to be foreign troops such as the Sarmatian Auxiliaries which served as far away as Britain.

Yet as Rome settled into its occupation of the east its own units of Cataphracts would slowly mature. As had happened before though, this change would largely take place in reaction to the developments of others. For example the rise of the Sassanids once again rekindled the evolutionary arms race along this frontier. It was they who relied heavily on a diversified cavalry corps which now featured the Klibanarioi. Meaning “oven-man” in Greek, these were forces completely covered in armor; from head to toe and mane to tail.

Facing the brunt of their attacks would be the forces of Palmyra. As easterners themselves they had their own cavalry tradition which could produce similarly equipped super-heavy units. These helped hold the Sassanids at bay and later allowed the Palmyrenes to briefly breakaway from the Roman Empire during the Crisis of the Third Century. However when Emperor Aurelian helped restore order he would set off to reclaim the east from Queen Zenobia. The two sides would clash at the Battles of Immae and Emesa. In both cases, Palmyrene Klibanarii crushed their opposition in a head on fight but were ultimately defeated when tired out by a lengthy pursuit and overwhelmed by reinforcements. In the aftermath Palmyra would be destroyed and its lands recovered. In the process Rome would absorb its armed forces and inherit the use of the Klibanarii. Proper cataphracts were finally here to stay. Let us now take a closer look at these forces.