04-23-2013, 09:05 PM
Terms like "high" and "low," which I've encountered elsewhere, put a thumb on the scales compared to "early" and "late."
As for differences:
1. Once the Romans stopped fielding entire legions on the battlefield, and until they started forming mere instead, the Roman army doesn't seem to have had any 'divisional' organization.
2. Cavalry would account for about 20% of the Theodosian field armies, but the proportions seem unclear for earlier field armies. Archers would also become more numerous, especially by the time of the Strategikon.
3. There is little or no evidence for stirrups in Europe before the 6th century. It's possible that soft stirrups predated metal ones and haven't been preserved, but it's also been argued that Maurikios' references in the Strategikon imply they were a new technology to the Romans at the end of the 6th century. There is at least as much hard evidence for inswinger ballistae, but they remain controversial.
As for differences:
1. Once the Romans stopped fielding entire legions on the battlefield, and until they started forming mere instead, the Roman army doesn't seem to have had any 'divisional' organization.
2. Cavalry would account for about 20% of the Theodosian field armies, but the proportions seem unclear for earlier field armies. Archers would also become more numerous, especially by the time of the Strategikon.
3. There is little or no evidence for stirrups in Europe before the 6th century. It's possible that soft stirrups predated metal ones and haven't been preserved, but it's also been argued that Maurikios' references in the Strategikon imply they were a new technology to the Romans at the end of the 6th century. There is at least as much hard evidence for inswinger ballistae, but they remain controversial.
