Beschreibung

In the twilight of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th-6th centuries, the elite of the field armies was the heavy armoured cavalry - the cataphracts, clad in lamellar, scale, mail and padded fabric armour. After the fall of the West, the Greek-speaking Eastern or Byzantine Empire survived for nearly a thousand years, and cavalry remained predominant in its armies, with the heaviest armoured regiments continuing to provide the ultimate shock-force in battle.

Accounts from Muslim chroniclers show that the ironclad cataphract on his armoured horse was an awe-­inspiring enemy: '...they advanced against you, iron­-covered - one would have said that they advanced on horses which seemed to have no legs'. This new study, replete with stunning full-colour illustrations of the various units, offers an engaging insight into the fearsome heavy cavalry units that battled against the enemies of Rome's Eastern Empire.

ANDREY NEGIN was born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, and graduated from Nizhny Novgorod State University, which was named after N.I. Lobachevsky (Russian Federation). There, he is candidate of historical sciences (PhD), and a member of the department of history of the Ancient World and Classical Languages. His current area of study is ancient Roman armour, specifically researching Roman parade and ceremonial armour. All of these themes are reflected in his publications on the pages of Russian and foreign archaeological publications, including the monographs: "The Roman legions in battle" (co-author A.V. Mahlayuk) and "Roman ceremonial and tournament armament".

Introduction
Select Chronology
Heavy Armoured Cavalry in the Eastern Roman Army
Organization & Units
Formation & Tactics
Weapons & Armour
Horses
Bibliography
Index

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