Customer Reviews

Late Roman Cavalryman 236-565AD (Trade Editions)

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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

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.

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.

This book, like most Osprey books, was filled with detailed information and excellent plates by Christa Hook. As I read it, I could not help but wonder if, assuming the legendary 'Arthur' was real, these are what his 'knights' would have looked like.