Caesarian cavalry - help needed

[traveller]

I have been drooling over pictures of the Aventine Republican Roman cavalry. Some of the finest mounted 28mm I have seen:
http://www.aventineminiatures.co.uk/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=223

I would like to employ them in the service of Julius Caesar or Augustus but I wonder if that would be histrocally correct, even with some headswaps? Did Caesar and Augustus only use auxiliary cavalry? Or could they serve as Praetorian cavalry? Grateful for any comment or suggestion!

[Mad Doc Morris]

You can argue for both. It's widely accepted that foreign cavalry was predominant during the Late Republic and Early Principate. Though, units might have adopted Roman fashion soon - as well as many items of Roman equipment were of "barbarian" origin.
For the Augustan period the Aventine models look definitely old-fashioned. The round shield was likely replaced by otherly shaped ones, and helmets were probably (with possible exceptions in the East) of Montefortino or Gallic design.

However, if you just like the models, you can go experimental and deploy them. It might not be 'common sense', but who's to judge?

[bigredbat]

They are very nice models, but I wouldn't use for Caesar and later as Auxiliary cavalry, for the reasons that Mad Doc mentions.  For early Auxiliary cavalry (ie Caesar), I use the Foundry Caesarian Celts, and for later, the Black Tree Designs Auxiliaries.

I'm sure that Aventine will bring out some later EIR Auxiliaries in due course...

Cheers, Simon

[traveller]

Thanks for your comments. Correct or not, I think they just got employed as Praetorian Guard Cavalry   

[aecurtis]

About the only contemporary depiction of a Roman eques during the Republic is from the "Altar of Domitius Ahenobarbus", probably from the c.2d BCE.  One cavalryman is shown back to us, caring for his mount, wearing a "Boeotian" helmet.  That's what drives most figures from the earlier Republic, including Aventine's.

By the Late Republic, the social status of the equites, especially those qualifying for the Public Horse, was so greatly increased that there was little interest in serving as cavalry troopers; a young member of the order either needed to get busy making money for the family businesses, or serving in increasing military and magisterial positions in the cursus honorum.

There were occasions during the Social War, the Third Servile War, and the Civil War, in which small numbers of equites turned out for combat.  But as suggested above, Gallic tribes such as the confederation of the Aedui (in the west), and Galatians (in the east), provided the bulk of foreign cavalry.  Caesar also highly rated the German Ubii who served him in Gaul.

J.C., Octavian, and others had small bodies of bodyguard troops, both foot and mounted, organized into a cohors praetoria.  These rarely if ever had a battlefield function.  As Augustus, the latter expanded and regularized the praetorian cohorts, and attached a few mounted turmae.

I wouldn't use the Aventine cavalry (and I am a fan of Aventine) for the Late Republic.  I use the CWG-21 Roman Heavy Cavalry pack from Old Glory's misnamed "Ceasers Gallic Wars" range for Late Republican equites, when needed, which is not often.  They are almost identical to the escort troopers included in Old Glory's CWG-17 Roman High Command pack, which includes a very good figure representing J.C. With plumed Montefortino helmets and mail, they look the business.

By the way, for a good recent treatment of Roman Cavalry in the period, get your hands on Jeremiah McCall's "Cavalry of the Roman Republic".  The author is a secondary school teacher, but puts some of the "credentialed experts" in the field to shame.

Allen

[traveller]

Allen,

Many thanks for sharing your knowlwdge on the subject? As I was considering to do some head swaps of the Aventive cavalry anyway, if I give them a plumed Montefortino they could qualify for Late Republic?

[bigredbat]

Wot Allen said, although I would observe that the Praetorian cohorts on foot did get stuck in on occasion; I'm thinking Forum Gallorum, where Octavian's and Antony's (and I think Pansa's?) Praetorian cohorts were all heavily involved.  Octavian's boys were a tad over-enthusiastic and got themselves butchered.

Cheers, Simon

[aecurtis]

Simon is correct! Both Cicero and Appian mention both Octavian's and Antony's praetorian cohorts at Forum Gallorum.  The two opposing units battled each other astride the causeway through the marsh (whilst the opposing legionaries struggled through the marsh on  either side), until Octavian's cohort was completely destroyed.

I don't know where one would find plumed (as opposed to feathered) Montefortino helmets in the Aventine range.  I have a long-delayed head-swap project for Crusader's Republican cavalry.  I don't care for the three-feather helmet crest (which is only documented for hastati) on horsemen.  But there's a Montefortino helmeted head with a horsehair plume in the separate head sprues for Crusader's Oscans.  Those are set aside to "fix" the offending feathered helmets!

But if you like the looks of the figures, I'd just go with them rather than cut them up too much.  There are some Attic variants in the Italian cavalry of the Aventine Pyrrhic range that might suit.

Allen

[bigredbat]

"Simon is correct!"  LOL.  :-)

I really love Forum Gallorum, there is so much info about it (no less than two accounts!); have never seen it refought properly, is on my list of games to do.  I plan to model the causeway...

Cheers, Simon

[traveller]

I was considering plumed Montefortinos (plastic) from Wargames Factory or Attic helmets from Warlord Games (4 heads for £2.50).

[Notts Gamer]

Hi,

In a similar vein.

What would the cavalry used by Crassus in the later stages of the Spartacus slave revolt have been?

Given the fact that they appeared to have been able to carry out feigned flight (against Gannicus & Castus and the Germans/Gauls) it would seem to indicate that they were trained or at least accustomed to such manoeuvres (i.e. Numidians or other allies etc).

However would the Romans have risked bringing foreign mercenaries into Italy in such turbulent times?

Cheers

[aecurtis]

This came up during the writing of the WAB supplement "Spartacus".  I don't think we will ever know for sure, but I'm quite sure that Crassus' cavalry must have been Roman or Italian.  Given how his forces were raised, there was really no opportunity to bring in foreign cavalry (unlike Pompey or Lucullus, who could possibly--although highly unlikely--have brought foreign cavalry with them from Spain or Thrace, respectively, against all custom).

I'm not sure that the action against Canicius/Gannicus and Castus necessarily involved a *feigned* flight!

Allen