12-11-2004, 01:00 PM
You shouldn't be so hard with yourself, Volker, in the end who hasn't made some small blunder from time to time...<br>
Now you're right about Ammianus (XVI, 2, 5). In early summer Julian started a hurried campaign against the Alamanni could only take with him the cataphractarii and the ballistarii. Even if cataphractarii seem suited for a quick march (albeit heavy, they are cavalry), ballistarii look as an odd choice, except if with Dietwulf Baatz we interpret those units af ballistarii rather as manuballistarii, armed with portable torsion crossbows. Read his paper 'Katapulte and mechanische Handwaffen des spätrömischen Heeres' in JRMES 10 (1999) 5-19.<br>
BTW, does anybody in Germany know what has happened with Dietwulf Baatz's webpage (home.t-online.de/home/d.b...pult.htm)? it seems to have vanished... <p></p><i></i>
Now you're right about Ammianus (XVI, 2, 5). In early summer Julian started a hurried campaign against the Alamanni could only take with him the cataphractarii and the ballistarii. Even if cataphractarii seem suited for a quick march (albeit heavy, they are cavalry), ballistarii look as an odd choice, except if with Dietwulf Baatz we interpret those units af ballistarii rather as manuballistarii, armed with portable torsion crossbows. Read his paper 'Katapulte and mechanische Handwaffen des spätrömischen Heeres' in JRMES 10 (1999) 5-19.<br>
BTW, does anybody in Germany know what has happened with Dietwulf Baatz's webpage (home.t-online.de/home/d.b...pult.htm)? it seems to have vanished... <p></p><i></i>
It\'s all an accident, an accident of hands. Mine, others, all without mind, from one extreme to another, but neither works nor will ever.
Rolf Steiner
Rolf Steiner
