03-02-2010, 06:34 PM
I'm back! Ok, I'm rather confused, what was the discussion on the scots about? Never mind... I have new information you guys would find interesting. Delving back into the world of realism behind some poems I found some interesting tidbits in the poem Llongborth, yeah I know most people use it as an Arthurian source but it really isn't. I found that one translation has it written that Gerran's men rode astride "long-legged chargers" (I believe we'll need Carvettia's expertise here) which were fed grain. Now to me, and I could be wrong, but this sounds a lot like the arabian breeds used by the Romans for cataphracts. And I believe Allanus is right about the cataphractarii being stationed at Edinburgh, they found a cataphract horse skeleton there. Also a few Anglo-Saxon graves from the fith century bear crushed bones from being trampled by a horse that actually charged them, and didn't kill them from afar with javelins.
Nicholas