History and Science

[Tarbicus]

The reason for later Roman soldiers adopting the clipeus, the spatha and the hasta as their main weapons and shield was because ..... wait for it .... they rode to battle on horseback. That doesn't mean they had to fight battle on horseback, but every man was trained in horsemanship and had his own horse, and would on occasion at least need to fight as a cavalryman

What are your reactions? :wink:

The notion came from Historia Augusta, the Life of Aurelian, p207.
"Let each man curry his own horse and baggage-animal, let no one sell the fodder allowed him for his beast, and let them take care in common of the mule belonging to the century."

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/R ... an/1*.html

By 'clipeus' I mean any round or oval shield.