Some Tactical Elements for Archers in the Roman Army (original) (raw)
Related papers
Formidable Genus Armorum Horse Archers of Roman Imperial Army 1993
The equites sagittarii formed a considerable force in the auxilia of the early and middle empire, but they, and particularly their role and employment, have received little scholarly attention. This paper will attempt to define their place on the battlefields of the high Empire. While horse archers are known to have been used in eastern armies such as the those of the Persians and Parthians with great effect, they were recruited into and employed by the Roman army in strength only starting at the reign of Augustus. Units of horse archers were almost exclusively recruited from eastern lands and were employed there as well, not only in war, but also as the border garrisons of Pannonia, Dacia, Africa, and the Levant.
Res Militaris. Studia nad wojskowością antyczną tom II (2015), s. 69-91, ISBN 978-83-63374-37-2, 2015
The purpose of this article is to describe the construction and capabilities of javelin used by Roman light-armed troops (velites) in the period from 3rd to 2nd centuries BC. Based on written and archeological sources, as well as with reference to modern experiments, the author attempts to reconstruct this weapon and verify in practice its range, accuracy and penetration ability.The conducted experiments allowed (among other things) to demonstrate the increase in coverage by using a leather thong (amentum) and its real impact on accuracy, as well as the impact of bad weather on, the effectiveness of javelin-armed light troops.
David M. Pritchard 2018, 'The Archers of Classical Athens', Greece and Rome 65.1, 86-102.
The armed forces that Athens took into the Peloponnesian War had four distinct corps. The two that have been studied the most are the cavalry-corps and the navy. The same level of focus is now paid to the hoplite corps. In contrast to these three branches the archers continue to be largely unstudied. Indeed the last dedicated study of this corps was published in 1913. This neglect of the archers by military historians is unjustified. The creation of the archer corps in the late 480s was a significant military innovation. For the rest of the fifth century Athens constantly deployed archers in a wide range of important combat-roles. In the late 430s the state spent just as much on them as it did on the cavalry. Nevertheless this neglect explains why four problems about them remain unresolved. The first problem is why the Athenians took the unprecedented step of creating such a corps. Very few military historians recognise this as the problem that it is. The second problem is that many military archers were actually Athenian citizens. It is likely that poverty had ruled out their service as hoplites. But this leaves unexplained why they did not chose the navy, because naval service was cheaper still and earned, as we shall see, a lot more esteem. The third problem is the role that the ten tribes played in the archer corps’s organisation. Certainly horsemen and hoplites fought in tribal units. But there is ongoing debate about whether the rest of the armed forces was organised by tribes. The fourth problem is this branch’s disappearance after only 80 years. A. Plassart attempted to explain it more than a hundred years ago. Since his study epigraphy has hugely increased what we know about this branch. This new evidence shows that Plassart’s explanation is no longer valid. This article’s main goal is to resolve these four problems. In doing so it seeks to redress the archer corps’s neglect in military history.
Mauricii Strategikon; a practical manual of military tactics and an antiquarian work (abstract)
The first chapter of the work is dedicated solely to the structure of the Roman army as presented by the author of Strategikon. The conducted analysis is an extension of the research of Aussaresses. In contrast to the works of this French scholar, this work deals with all ranks of the Roman army, establishing a clear system of interdependence, starting from the rank-and-file soldiers and leading all the way up to the army strategist. It is also worth noting that Strategikon maintains a clear division in the army's hierarchy between units of cavalry and infantry. Its author saw these two as clearly distinct formations, which results in differences in military ranks.
“Bellator Equus”. Roman Republican Cavalry Tactics in the 3rd-2nd Centuries Bc
Acta Marisiensis. Seria Historia, 2020
One of the most interesting periods in the history of the Roman cavalry were the Punic wars. Many historians believe that during these conflicts the ill fame of the Roman cavalry was founded but, as it can be observed it was not the determination that lacked. The main issue is the presence of the political factor who decided in the main battles of this conflict. The present paper has as aim to outline a few aspects of how the Roman mid-republican cavalry met these odds and how they tried to incline the balance in their favor.
Y. LE BOHEC (ed.), with G. BRIZZI, E. DESCHLER-ERB, G. GREATREX, B. RANKOV and M. REDDÉ, The Encyclopedia of the Roman Army (Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester, E. Sussex/Malden, MA, 2015).
KEYWORDS: Late Roman army, cavalry, Vegetius, Maurice / Maurikios, Strategicon / Strategikon, Gaulish, Celtic loanwords, Late Latin, Vulgar Latin
Journal of Roman Military Equipment Studies, 2021
During the Second Punic War the Roman army lost many of its battles against the Carthaginian army of Hannibal Barca. Not only the infantry suffered enormous casualties, the cavalry suffered as well. The Carthaginian army deployed Spanish and Carthaginian horsemen but also the feared Numidian horsemen. This paper sets out to research the differences between specifically the Roman and the Numidian cavalry. It will study the equitation and the tactics which caused the defeat of the Roman cavalry. It will also try to offer an explanation for the defeats of the Roman cavalry by applying modern military theory on cavalry warfare. It will argue that the Numidian cavalry fought effrenatus, meaning they did not ride their horses without a bridle, but without a bit. It will also argue that the word effrenatus was a reference to the Numidian cavalry tactics. Taking into account an interesting passage in Livy in which he describes how the Roman cavalry was victorious against Spanish cavalry in 180 BC, it will also endeavour to explain why the Second Punic War can be seen as a turning point for Roman cavalry tactics.
Syvanne, Ilkka, East Roman Cavalry Warfare 410-641
The article (or rather three articles) analyses the East Roman cavalry warfare from 410 until 641 and is based on a visiting lecture held at the University of Ottawa in 2010. It provides an overview of the East Roman cavalry organization, recruitment, training, strategy, enemies and tactics.