Show here your Sarmatian warrior impression

[Alanus]

Apart from some weapons (such as the bow or the sling), I have found no evidence that troops which entered Roman service retained their own tribal equipment. To the contrary, and despite the unfounded thoughts of Linda malcor about this, the Sarmatian troops were most probably, like very other non-Roman soldier, kitted out by the Roman military. Within a short time, Sarmatian cavalry would have looked very much like the other cavalry in Roman service, where armour, helmets, swords and shields are concerned. Of course clothing and jewellery could/would be different.

Hello Robert,

Ah! You caught my references: Ammianus (reliable, mostly) and Malcor(unreliable). :wink:

While I usually agree with you on most points, I'm not too sure Sarmatian-Alanic recruits discarded their "native" armor and weapons in favor of prevelent Roman ones. By the late 2nd and 3rd centuries, we see an increase in longer swords, spathas. This could be a steppe influence or possibly "self generating," the latter being doubtful.

We have a "Roman cavalryman" on the Arch of Galarius (c.300) wearing a nice early spangenhelm. The funerery stele of the draconarius at the Grosvenor Museum, Chester, shows a man who can be no other than a Sarmatian, wearing a native-styled helmet, scale armor, with (the real clincher) an akinakes strapped to his right leg. I would think he was not a fresh recruit, but someone who was endeared to his men, perhaps even a veteran. I'm thinking of John Conyard's statement in the above "recycled" post. The introduction of weapons and armor, to each culture-- Roman and Sarmatian-- was a two-way road. And you do not discard something that works if it's not broken. :grin: