Roman Mounted Archers : History Question

**brymht** · 04-03-2008, 14:39

I know the byzantines were way into mounted archers, even armored ones many years later, but the the Roman army use them during this time period? If so, were there any regular units, or simply Sarmatian / Scythian auxiliaries?

Did any of the Diadochi used armored mounted archers as regular troops outside the Bactrians?

**Taedius** · 04-03-2008, 14:47

I'm hardly an expert on the field, but I have never read or heard anything about regular horse archers with the Romans. I mean, they hardly had cavalry or archers in the first place.

I actually haven't heard about auxilliary horse archers either, but that is quite another matter.

**L.C.Cinna** · 04-03-2008, 15:56

Originally Posted by Taedius

I'm hardly an expert on the field, but I have never read or heard anything about regular horse archers with the Romans. I mean, they hardly had cavalry or archers in the first place.

I actually haven't heard about auxilliary horse archers either, but that is quite another matter.

They had quite a lot of all of these but only during the imperial era, quite some time after EB's timeframe.

**beatoangelico** · 04-03-2008, 15:58

in EB timeframe the only horse archers were local auxiliaries, same for the diadochi (mounted archery was not a tradition of classical achaemid persia, but of the iranian steppe peoples)

**antisocialmunky** · 04-03-2008, 18:06

Probably in some local/auxillary form like everything that wasn't main line infantry.

**keravnos** · 04-03-2008, 18:50

Actually late Seleukidai did field a force of them.

About 1500 fought at Magnesia, later on their number increased. I am sure that if the empire had lasted more, and didn't crumble from infighting they would be more and heavier armed.

**anubis88** · 04-03-2008, 18:58

Originally Posted by keravnos

Actually late Seleukidai did field a force of them.

About 1500 fought at Magnesia, later on their number increased. I am sure that if the empire had lasted more, and didn't crumble from infighting they would be more and heavier armed.

Hmm... very interesting, i never knew the diadochi used horse archers

**brymht** · 04-03-2008, 19:01

hmm. Should that mean the Bactrian horse archer should be mass produced for Seleucids?

**Watchman** · 04-03-2008, 20:00

At most only in the Central Asia area (and maybe Hayasdan, since that also has a "domestic" tradition). Horse-archery isn't the easiest skill to master, although the "heavy static" version of the principle (ie. well armed, prefers firing from rest rather than running all over the place) favoured by settled folks (who couldn't provide a dozen remounts to each man to replace horses tired by all that dashing) was obviously easier than the whole Parthian-shot skirmishing version of the steppe peoples.