12-10-2007, 06:00 PM
I've got to say I'm still skeptical that that vase portrays armoured horses: the zig-zag pattern could be just shading or suggesting the texture of the horses' hair. A similar zig-zag pattern is used on the riders' kilts or tunics after all, and the cut of those looks much more like cloth than mail. And I very much doubt the horses wore mail trousers! Are there any finds of horse armour from Spain? Any texts that refer to Spanish cavalry with armoured horses? I can't think of any culture west of the Black Sea and Aegean which had cataphracts before the Roman Empire and Sarmatians.
I personally don't think including a unit based on one unclear source is a good approach for a game which prides itself on its historical accuracy, especially when this interpretation would produce something very unusual.
The other point is that if these cavalry were cataphracts then they weren't “the most versatile heavy cavalry in the worldâ€
I personally don't think including a unit based on one unclear source is a good approach for a game which prides itself on its historical accuracy, especially when this interpretation would produce something very unusual.
The other point is that if these cavalry were cataphracts then they weren't “the most versatile heavy cavalry in the worldâ€
Nullis in verba
I have not checked this forum frequently since 2013, but I hope that these old posts have some value. I now have a blog on books, swords, and the curious things humans do with them.
I have not checked this forum frequently since 2013, but I hope that these old posts have some value. I now have a blog on books, swords, and the curious things humans do with them.
