Late Roman Cavalryman 236-565AD (Trade Editions) [Paperback]

Simon MacDowall (Author), Christa Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Trade Editions | Publication Date: March 25, 2001

The twilight of the Roman Empire saw a revolution in the way war was waged. The drilled infantryman was gradually replaced by the mounted warrior. This title examines that transition, and looks at training, equipment and the campaigning soldier.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Bringing History to Life collection is made up of Osprey's all-time favourite titles, re-released with striking new covers - selected titles also include visitor information sections.

About the Author

Simon MacDowall is a professional army officer with a life long passion for history. His hobbies include painting military figurines and wargaming. He has lived in England, Canada, Germany and Belgium as well as seeing service in Central America and the former Yugoslavia. He enjoys good food and drink, travel, wilderness camping and writing. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841762601
• ISBN-13: 978-1841762609
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,254,163 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Late Roman Cavalryman 236-565 Ad, October 24, 2000

By 

Carol (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Late Roman Cavalryman AD 236-565 (Warrior) (Paperback)

Another valuable addition to the Osprey Warrior Series. Most of the books written about Roman armies usually concentrated on the famous Roman infantry -"Roman Legions". The Roman cavalry is usually considered as an auxiliary and being ignored or only briefly mentioned. However, this book is specially written about Roman calvary. It gives readers an insight into Roman's calvary. Roman cavalry's formations, tactics and warfare are studied in detail. As tradition of Osprey military books, a section of full color illustrations is offered. These color illustrations are beautiful and, as realistic as possible, depicting the appearance and equipments of the late Roman cavalry. This book is informative. I recommend this book to anyone who is into military warfare, especially for those interested in Roman armies

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spanglenhelms, Cataphracts, Spathas..., September 20, 2005

By 

Caesar M. Warrington (Lansdowne, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Late Roman Cavalryman AD 236-565 (Warrior) (Paperback)

I love this series and its publisher, Osprey. Only the British can put out such quality. Besides the excellently detailed plates, each book in this series gives an historical overview of the subject's time period.
I've always been fascinated by the Roman Empire, particularly the later Christian period. This book (and its companion, LATE ROMAN INFANTRYMAN AD 236-565) shows the influence of Germanic and Iranian styles, weaponry and tactics which not only transformed Rome's military but also layed the foundation for the development of the medieval knight.

Be sure to purchase both books together.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview, July 31, 2004

By 

Florentius (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Late Roman Cavalryman AD 236-565 (Warrior) (Paperback)

I had previously been disappointed by Osprey's "Romano-Byzantine Armies 4th-9th Centuries," and was therefore hesitant to purchase any more of their books. This book changed my opinion of the quality of Osprey's titles. It is a well-conceived overview of the the Late Roman cavalry, examining its transformation from an auxiliary force to the core of the Justinianic Roman army. The numerous black & white photos of contemporary art and artifacts depicting arms, armor and cavalry soldiers in various states of activity help bring to life the text which is well-written and lifely.

Of particular note are the beautiful color plates done by Christa Hook. They are attractively done with tremendous attention to detail. My personal favorite is a scene of Roman medicine being practiced on three injured soldiers. This scene is taken directly from an account in Procopius where the procedure is described in some detail.

All in all, I can't recommend this book highly enough. It is especially useful for those with little to no knowledge of the period who are looking for a quick overview. The bibliography is also very useful and much appreciated.