Belisarius

[CliosPaintingBench]

One of my favourite things about this blog is the history - it saves me having to do the research myself I save the posts on my computer so when I make my own Byzantines I won't have to do as much reading lol.

Excellent models! I like how formidably armoured they are and the great conversions.

I just realised you're the late Roman guy! The one with the great blog, but alas, I can't read French.

We're all waiting for Linear-A, they've got a lot of people lined up lol.

[Ochoin]

As I'm currently building a Late Roman army, I am understandably very interested in Chariobaude's excellent work.

The Late Roman/Early Byzantine period is a fascinating one. It has elements of Roman, mixed with Dark Age barbarism &, IMO, a medieval feel. You can't look at Chariobaude's cataphracts & not think Middle Ages' knight.

donald

[Chariobaude]

Thank you all for your comments, as encouraging as they are revealing: you suffer from the same disease as me!
Ochoin, Owen, google translate can work wonders: more than once I have been amazed by the quality of the translations. The tool has improved greatly in recent years (I'm even quite uncomfortable with its predictive nature!)
I must admit that my own level of English, on the other hand, prevents me from writing my notices in your language. Maybe I should just do an automatic translation, post it on this forum and you would tell me if it is intelligible ... It is true that I am quite frustrated not being able to share my madness with non-French speakers!
to return to our Byzantines,
Preview two : kataphraktoi

they are the regular heavy horsemen of the Byzantine army. How are they different from boukellarioi? A priori, not much distinguishes them, at least in terms of function. Heavily equipped, also wielding spear and bow, they are on the other hand the heirs of regular units which for some have already existed for three centuries (the good old vexillatio ! ). Moreover, and this is also valid for their companions of the infantry, imagine that certain units which participated in the conquest of Italy ... are again listed in the 10th century during a Byzantine campaign in the peninsula ! 7 centuries of existence for a military unit, it is to my knowledge unique in history ...
to represent them, I naturally chose to give them a more regular aspect: these troops were equipped by the fabrica, the ancient armament factories of which we know particularly well the operation (this is a subject that I dealt with at length in my website that I could share here ...
So I used the magnificent late roman cataphracts from Hät, mixed with mounts, still from Hät but from Sassanids (who have quivers), all pimped up with a few various additions (Zvezda, Lucky toys ...)

I like the "uniform" side that this gives, which I think distinguishes them well from the boukellarioi.
I was inspired by the elements put in the previous post, as well as other boards like these:
the first one is a little later, but the changes have been minor over time



their gothic counterparts, not very different:


and now my interpretation

[Xantippos]

Awesome post . Very interesting bits of history and info! your figures look so lively, with your clever conversions . Great job.

[Chariobaude]

thank you, conversion are fun, even if it is no so easy !
i forgot to post one of artwork wich was a great inspiration for the regular heavy cavalry !

[CliosPaintingBench]

Ah, fantastic, I can see how the kataphraktoi are different, they do look far more regular. Three centuries of martial tradition is certainly impressive, thank you for the info and minis!

[Chariobaude]

As I'm currently building a Late Roman army, I am understandably very interested in Chariobaude's excellent work.

The Late Roman/Early Byzantine period is a fascinating one. It has elements of Roman, mixed with Dark Age barbarism &, IMO, a medieval feel. You can't look at Chariobaude's cataphracts & not think Middle Ages' knight.

donald

Obviously,middle ages are letteraly born from that timeframe. The scholars are now (almost) all in the same opinion : middle ages where not so dark, as traditionnally seen before, compared to antiquity.
I must say this is not my opinion. I don't write english enough to give a clear opinion on that topic, and i'm not sure that many forumers will be interested !
But just considering the early middle ages warfare, well, there is no more "armies", tactics, logistics. No more units. Just wealthy people, landowners, defending their properties against their neigbhour, and participating (mainly for booty and honor) at "bigger" campaign under the flag of bigger landowners.

But you are absolutely right, the kights are off course the heirs of the cataphractarii ! And the nobles, at least for the countries i know best (France and italy), where mainly form latifundiarii (roman landowners, from old and wealthy families, involved in politics and wars...) and barbarian cheftains. since the fourth century, marriages between these communities where common. When the last vandal king Gelimer is captured, he is not executed for instance, but Justinian give him big estates in Asia minor. Why ? His grand father was a Roman Emperor !
With differences between barbarian kingdoms, but the elite of this new state where VERY quicky romanised, mainly because the great roman families STAYED in their estates and chose to participate. Some schollar actuality think that "participation" came too quickly, almost like a collaboration : those families prefered the direct rule of a barbarian who bring security and less taxes than the Empire, wich when weak bring taxes but no security.

Even the title of Duke, you can find in every european country during the medieval time, comes from the roman title of Dux. At the beginning it was a precise title (to say it short, commander of a pair of units from local district), but at the end, as the title of comes (Count), it is used for absolutely every military commander.

I just realised you're the late Roman guy! The one with the great blog, but alas, I can't read French.

We're all waiting for Linear-A, they've got a lot of people lined up lol.

Yes, that's me !
Maybe someone has the email from someone in Linear, just in order to have their timeline ? But i don't complain, with strelets it is the company wich is giving a new boost to our hobby.

Chariobaude: as always, the amount of research & effort you put into your hobby is amazing.

I'm sure I would like to read your blog....but I don't speak French. It's my daughter-in-law's native language & though she's a lovely girl, I don't think I could ask her to sit & translate for me.

I really would like to get my hands on some of the Miniart sets to try some conversions too.

donald

Yes, it is better to involve your french daughter-in-law : she will see clearly how mad i am, not sure about the clarity of our topic!
The MiniArt set of roman cavalry, is like their (very good) germanic warriors, pretty rare now.I've just seen one on the bay a the very fair price of... 28 euros !!

PS : sorry for my bad english, i've written this post in a hurry !

[Chariobaude]

It is time for...

Preview number three : skutatoi

Skoutatoi is a bad greek translation of a latin word, scutati, wich means shield bearer.
It is the new name (with stratiotai) of the roman infantry. We don't hear any more of legio, now the units are called "numerus" or "bandon" (this one more for cavalry).
Numerus means precisly "unit", in a generic sense. During the early roman empire, a numerus was a kid of warband, composed by foreigners - barbarians. Now every unit is a numerus.

The skoutatoi are still reliable heavy infantry, but there is no comparison with the great roman legionnaires form, let's say the republic to the Severes dynasty.
Now the skoutatoi have lost for at least two centuries the incredible tactical plasticity of their ancestors, capable of adopting in a midlle of a battle combat formations of an incredible complexity.

they are now fighting, and it is believed that this "degeneration" began in the 4th century, in a so-called hoplitic mode. It is a question of holding a line, in several rows. Shields against shields, the lance pointed forward. Naturally, the skoutatoi no longer have a pilum, which breaks at the first shock. They are equipped with a lance, a long sword, the spatha (forget the gladius: it was only useful for elite fighters, formidable swordsmen capable of facing their opponent in personnal close combat), which allows to reach his opponent above his shield. The first ranks are heavily equipped, less those behind, a good part of which are made up of archers and javeliniers responsible for "watering" the ennemies.

they rarely make the decision on the battlefield, but they are very useful for at least two reasons: thanks to their discipline, to their training, they serve as a foothold in pitched battle, behind which the cavalry can reform as needed. In many battles, this heavy infantry has kept the Roman camp strong when the going gets tough. Finally, in the war of position of the time, or almost everything is decided by the siege and the capture of enemy towns and fortresses, these units were the best to guard the walls.

We are lucky, it is one of the last times that we are able to know (for some at least) which units precisely were able to take part in the Roman wars.
The way to find out is quite original. Until then, we knew the names of the units (and we know with extreme precision the use of the Roman legions for at least 4 centuries!) By three means: the innumerable epigraphic traces left by the Romans, official documents (think of the notitia dignitatum, which has come down to us almost completely, which lists all the Roman military units under Honorius and Arcadius, with their name, their location, their classification, their operational specialty and the pattern painted on their shield !! ) and of course literature. Unfortunately, the latter is of little help to us. Henceforth the authors are civilians who are no longer familiar with military matters, and quite incapable of knowing the name of a particular unit. The official documents reached us in smaller quantities (mainly papyri remarkably preserved in Egypt), and the Roman fashion of engraving blocks of marble was gradually lost.

luckily, the Roman soldiers of the time were very pious ... and very legalistic. We therefore know the units present on a specific date in a given city mainly through two means: the signing of contracts between individuals for which a soldier, a trusted man, was invited to be a witness, and by donations to churches from these soldiers , duly engraved in the stone of the churches.

I have therefore taken the list of units whose presence is attested at the time in Italy, sought in the notitia to have their operational specialty and their shield pattern, and here to you two units carried out:
The Primi theodosiani and the felices theodosiani. Two combat units, which we are almost sure were created between 380 and 395! Two centuries later, they were still fighting ... And for one of them, as I wrote previously, we still have its trace ... in the 10th century!




some artwork i used as inspiration :





their shield pattern

[Michael Robert]

Salut Chariobaude,
this whole topic is wonderful to follow. The research and the painting - all great.
Belisarius is a very interesting personnage and these times of change are full of surprises - political and military and technological.
Always following - car je suis au moins aussi fou que vous, mais je manque le temps pour bien présenter mes oeuvres et surtout faire de bonnes photos

Cheers
Michael

[MABO]

Much to read and understand. I really admire your long posts full of information. Sometimes I find it hard to see the differences in the special units. When looking on the artwork, they all are really fancy fighters. But your figures are once more great - most of all: the artwork on the shields. So I will follow this of course and I am looking forward to the next posts.

Concerning the translation I can only recommend once more http://www.deepl.com a greaat working tool for a lot of languages. In my oppinion ways better than google. Give it a try maybe.

[CliosPaintingBench]

Fantastic post as always! I can see you handpainted the shield designs, love the dedication to the craft.

Thanks for all the pictures and historical info!

[Peter]

I love the artwork and the painted figures! Great colorfull topic!

[Chariobaude]

thank you guys for your nice comments... i really enjoy your support and interest... I can say my wife share the latter !!
thank god, my children are slowly but surely becoming addict...

it is time for...
Preview number three : Heruli

the heruli are a Germanic people, who share with the Gepids and the Lombards the status of the last migratory peoples. for over a century they have fought alternately against the Empire and under its banner, as federates. They occupy the borders of Illyria, in the current Balkans, and frequently join the imperial ranks during the campaigns of Belisarius and Narses.
Very appreciated by the Romans for their fiery combat, they also stand out for their dubious discipline and an indocility bordering on betrayal at times. To be honest, used as "cannon fodder", you can sometimes understand their feeling. So they once distinguished themselves by deserting en masse the imperial army in Italy, learning that their country was being ravaged by the Slavs.

used rather as a mounted force, they seem to have been lightly equipped, compares with other very heavily armed Germanic peoples.
So I chose to represent them as light cavallry equipped with javelins.
Unfortunately, no manufacturer covers this period and these peoples, so I made some conversions ... a little special!
I used Hät brand El cid light cav. I then recut their oversized pants, removed their stirrups and for some replaced their heads with magnificent bearded ones from Orion Slavs set. I must admit that I am not unhappy with the result!



a pic that inspired me :

[Michael Robert]

Salut Chariobaude,
the converted Heruli do the job - no question. It seems to me that for long less characteristic units you can use simple basic figures and they are fine - with more or less little conversion. Such light cavalry units work from Middle/ late Roman right into medieval period.
Always interesting your thread
Bon courage pour la suite - nous attendons
Michael

[CliosPaintingBench]

Great conversations! I do think they work quite well!

They're a great contrast to the more armoured Roman troops. I suppose my struggle with armies that have a diversity of ethnic peoples in their composition is - how do you tie them all together and make them feel like they're part of the same army?

[Chariobaude]

Salut Chariobaude,
the converted Heruli do the job - no question. It seems to me that for long less characteristic units you can use simple basic figures and they are fine - with more or less little conversion. Such light cavalry units work from Middle/ late Roman right into medieval period.
Always interesting your thread
Bon courage pour la suite - nous attendons
Michael

you are absolutely right : except for certain helmets worn by heavy cavalry, the light one should be probably very similar for every germanic people during this timeframe...and thus paving the way for the western medieval light rider !

[Chariobaude]

Great conversations! I do think they work quite well!

They're a great contrast to the more armoured Roman troops. I suppose my struggle with armies that have a diversity of ethnic peoples in their composition is - how do you tie them all together and make them feel like they're part of the same army?

we must never forget that even largely composed of different peoples, the late Roman army always rested on a Roman base.
The only one that did not respect this rule, as far as we can understand, is that of 430-460 in the West, which led to the fall of the Western Empire. There is no coincidence in this regard imho.

the army of Belisarius comes from the late Roman army of the 4th century, composed of regular units each having a well-established operational specialty, and a long military history that is undoubtedly particularly normative. If we add to that the Boukellarios units of which I have already written, a semi-official unit but with very strong links with the general-in-chief, the allies like the Herules were "framed" in a particularly assimilationist military apparatus.
On the other hand, unlike in previous centuries, some of these peoples never cultivated the desire for "romanitas", to become Romans. No doubt because the prospect was no longer maintained by Constantinople, whose policy was realistic in this regard.
This is why we witness behaviors on the part of its units that would not even have been imaginable during the classical Roman Empire. Sic transit gloria mundi ....

[Chariobaude]

what ? a Sunday with two free hours, without having to take the kids to a sports competition, check their homework, visit grandparents or work to prepare for next week?
So quickly, a new post!
The army of Belisarius or Narses, during the conquest of Italy, had to face more than once in pitched battle their opponents Goths, Franks or Allamans.
To tell the truth, the Roman successes rested on three elements: the extraordinary tactical acumen of the Byzantine generals (Belisarius, in the opinion of many historians, is on the level of Hannibal or Caesar, and Narses proved to be particularly capable) , their heavy cavalry equipped with a bow which I have already spoken about in previous previews concerning theboukellaroiand the kavallaroi ... and their archers.
Indeed, the barbarian adversaries of the West, whether the Vandals, the Goths or the Franks, relied on heavy contact cavalry and medium infantry whose tactical agility was close to zero. Also, the Roman generals had plenty of time to choose places and battle plans allowing their archery to decimate their opponents from afar before actually engaging in combat. The Batalle de Taginae, of which I will speak again here, is moreover a model which prefigured centuries before the battles of Crécy and Agincourt!

So preview number four : psiloi (archers and javelinmen)

[CliosPaintingBench]

Always lovely to see a new post, and one day when Linear-A release their new set, we'll get even more content. I always learn some more historical tidbits, so please keep updating!

[Chariobaude]

Always lovely to see a new post, and one day when Linear-A release their new set, we'll get even more content. I always learn some more historical tidbits, so please keep updating!

thanks Owen. I was in contact with the guys from Linear, who are moreover particularly nice and accessible (they also think of creating a forum on their site, which is excellent news): their three sets should be ready in the summer! Two years after the announcement, but we have never been so close to their release!
As for the expected enemies, it would seem that they are those of the Italian theater of operations, which is perfect for me. Can't wait to see more!