Roman Army of Aetius at Chalons

[Michael Kerr]

I have to agree with MMFA on Hunnic horse archers being the core of Hunnic armies & their tactics. The Hunnic bow was their primary weapon & it was the ultimate killing weapon from ancient times till the mongols so although over a few generations some Huns became sedentary & some may well have became infantry the horse archer remained the core component of his army. The Huns German allies never adopted the composite bow after many years of fighting & living alongside Huns but that could be because they could never master the art of making them. They had useful foot archers but they didn't use composite bows. I have read that they used lasso after contact with Huns & Alans but never horse archery. But I do think the Huns mixed with other tribes through marriages. For example when Claudian described Alan leader Saul who fought under Stilicho he seemed to be describing a man with Hunnic features. But it is interesting what you said about “sippe".
Regards
Michael Kerr