02-22-2013, 09:38 PM
I know you have moved on from different versions of the translations, but I have a new one, from J.R. Morgan, which was printed in B.P. Reardon’s 2008 Collected Ancient Greek Novels. It has some notes that look to be of particular interest.
The form of their armor is as follows. (208) A man chosen for his exceptional physical strength dons a close-fitting helmet, beaten from a single piece of metal and cunningly crafted into a realistic representation of a human face, like a mask. This covers the head completely from crown to neck, apart from slits over the eyes so that he can see. His right hand is armed with a lance somewhat longer than a spear, leaving his left free to work the reins. A scimitar hangs at his right side. His body armor covers not just his breast but the whole of the rest of his body as well. It is constructed in the following way. They take rods of bronze and iron and beat them into squares about a span in size; these are then fitted together so that they overlap at the edges, each plate riding over the one beneath and the one beside it so as to leave no gaps. This contexture is then fastened together with stiches underneath the overlaps, thus producing a garment of plate-mail that sits comfortably on the body, yet fits tightly all over, shaping itself onto every limb and contracting and expanding so as to allow unimpeded movement. The armor also has sleeves and extends from head to knee, the only opening being at the thighs, where it is necessary for the rider to bestride his horse. This, then is their body armor, impervious to arrows and resistant to all injury. Their greaves reach from the soles of the feet to the knee, where they meet the body armor.
The horse too is protected by armor of a very similar kind: shinplates are fastened round its legs, its head is totally sheathed in tight-fitting frontlets, and a skirt of iron mail is draped over its back, down to its belly on either side, thus affording the animal protection while at the same time being loose enough not to hamper its galloping. Equipped and virtually encased(209) in armor of this kind, the rider bestrides his steed, though he is so heavy that he cannot mount it by himself but has to rely on others to lift him on. Then, in the hour of battle, he gives his horse its rein, digs in his spurs, and bears down at full tilt on the enemy, looking just like a man of steel or a hammer-worked statue come to life.(210) The sharp end of the lance projects some way ahead horizontally and is supported by a clasp on the horse’s neck, while the butt end is fastened into a loop on the animal’s flank. Thus the lance is held firm against the force of impact and does not act against the rider’s hand, which has only to direct the thrust as the rider braces himself and lunges forward to increase the force of the impact – which is so violent that the lance transfixes everyone in its path, often impaling two or more opponents at a single blow and carrying them along, skewered.
Notes:
(208) Although the Persians did employ armored cavalry of a kind, the description that follows is based on the cataphracts introduced into the Roman imperial army from the East by Alexander Severus, and has many points of contact with similar descriptions in other writers of the third and fourth centuries. We are therefore dealing with a literary commonplace, not firsthand observation.
(209) Retaining the manuscript reading... [sorry, I can't type Greek letters] The printed text makes these participles refer to the horse rather than its rider.
(210) A statue made by beating sheets of metal onto wooden shapers rather than by casting. The indentations left by the hammer blows resemble the plates making up the suit of armor.
The form of their armor is as follows. (208) A man chosen for his exceptional physical strength dons a close-fitting helmet, beaten from a single piece of metal and cunningly crafted into a realistic representation of a human face, like a mask. This covers the head completely from crown to neck, apart from slits over the eyes so that he can see. His right hand is armed with a lance somewhat longer than a spear, leaving his left free to work the reins. A scimitar hangs at his right side. His body armor covers not just his breast but the whole of the rest of his body as well. It is constructed in the following way. They take rods of bronze and iron and beat them into squares about a span in size; these are then fitted together so that they overlap at the edges, each plate riding over the one beneath and the one beside it so as to leave no gaps. This contexture is then fastened together with stiches underneath the overlaps, thus producing a garment of plate-mail that sits comfortably on the body, yet fits tightly all over, shaping itself onto every limb and contracting and expanding so as to allow unimpeded movement. The armor also has sleeves and extends from head to knee, the only opening being at the thighs, where it is necessary for the rider to bestride his horse. This, then is their body armor, impervious to arrows and resistant to all injury. Their greaves reach from the soles of the feet to the knee, where they meet the body armor.
The horse too is protected by armor of a very similar kind: shinplates are fastened round its legs, its head is totally sheathed in tight-fitting frontlets, and a skirt of iron mail is draped over its back, down to its belly on either side, thus affording the animal protection while at the same time being loose enough not to hamper its galloping. Equipped and virtually encased(209) in armor of this kind, the rider bestrides his steed, though he is so heavy that he cannot mount it by himself but has to rely on others to lift him on. Then, in the hour of battle, he gives his horse its rein, digs in his spurs, and bears down at full tilt on the enemy, looking just like a man of steel or a hammer-worked statue come to life.(210) The sharp end of the lance projects some way ahead horizontally and is supported by a clasp on the horse’s neck, while the butt end is fastened into a loop on the animal’s flank. Thus the lance is held firm against the force of impact and does not act against the rider’s hand, which has only to direct the thrust as the rider braces himself and lunges forward to increase the force of the impact – which is so violent that the lance transfixes everyone in its path, often impaling two or more opponents at a single blow and carrying them along, skewered.
Notes:
(208) Although the Persians did employ armored cavalry of a kind, the description that follows is based on the cataphracts introduced into the Roman imperial army from the East by Alexander Severus, and has many points of contact with similar descriptions in other writers of the third and fourth centuries. We are therefore dealing with a literary commonplace, not firsthand observation.
(209) Retaining the manuscript reading... [sorry, I can't type Greek letters] The printed text makes these participles refer to the horse rather than its rider.
(210) A statue made by beating sheets of metal onto wooden shapers rather than by casting. The indentations left by the hammer blows resemble the plates making up the suit of armor.
David J. Cord
www.davidcord.com
www.davidcord.com
