Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Alanus]

To Dashydog and everyone,

I was thinking of the late socalled "colonization" of western Armorica by families from what is now southern/swestern Wales and Cornwall. Some of these people, if we accept Tacitus, were much Spanish or Aquitani. Ausonius, the Burgidalian writer of de Mosa, also teacher of Gratian, had a nanny called Maura, aka "female Moor." So there were Mauri in Gaul at an early date and not even related to the Roman military. This sort of ties in with what Benjamin said. Others, if we believe the pedigrees (geneanet.org is a good one), were Irish like Conan Meriadoc. Looks like a mix of everyone hit early Brittany. Neighbors?-- Saxons entrenched upon isles in the Loire, the Taifali south around 396, then in 407 we have the first Alanic settlement just east.

As for Rokhshon-- the "fair one" or "light one"-- her father was a small-time chieftain of either the Bactrians or Sogdians. Interestingly, they may have stemmed from the Yu-schi who at one time spoke ancestral Kushan, a language very close to Celtic. They extened from the Afanasievo culture, also ancestors of the Saka/Massagetae/Alans; and a number of burials around the Takla Makan and Churchen give us light hair and tweeds that are identical to Celtic weaves. (also some really nice compound bows)

Rokhshon's father was named Oxartes. In the movie, she was portrayed by an Hispano-African (with big naked what-cha-mcall-its), about as far off kilter as movie casting could get. Of course, maybe Alexander liked great big what-cha-mcall-its. According to the Anabantis, this marriage took place somewhere just north of the Indu Kush. Some historians claim this wedding-interchange influenced the Alans, introducing them to the long lance which, in turn, helped create the cataphract.

Don't believe it. Two hundred years earlier, about 529 (give or take a month), Queen Tomyris feined retreat and lured the Medio/Persian army of Cyrus the Great into a canyon. This greal loss created by the Massagetae was mentioned by Herodotus and in more detail by Julius Frontinus (once governor of Britain). This classic about-face probably used cataphract lancer tactics, and the Persians were overrun. Cyrus literally lost his head. The tale is probably the earliest record of the steppe tactic used by the Scythians and Alans, and then again by Aetius/Sangiban near Orleans.

PS: about red wine. Yes, it's all I drink with a meal, never white or blush (reserved for people with great big what-cha-mcall-its). I drink Italian-- Valpolicella Superiore, Venetia Ripasso, Chianti Classico, Nero D'Avola, Montipulciano d' Abbruzo. Some of it now 10 years old! Keeps me alive.