Availability of Curepos in Britain vs. Native Cavalry

[zooeyglass]

Except that Vindolanda is a garrison fort along Hadrian's wall, so its uncertain whether the note can be applied to southern britons as easily. Caesar was of course in the south.

and of course vindolanda was probably only developed as a garrison fort to the extent we have it under Hadrian, or possible Trajan before him...so...that's 150 years later or so...

[Elmetiacos]

I doubt personally if it's a description of how the Britons fought; I think it's much more likely that the Roman officer is complaining, first that his auxilliaries aren't getting the equipment they need and second that the ones he's training throw javelins on foot instead of behaving like Cantabrians as he'd like them to. Whoever he's writing to would by this time be perfectly well acquainted with the tactics of any British enemies, you'd think. All the same, it's interesting to speculate.

[Foot]

Wait. You think he's talking about auxillaries? Really? That is quite the most unique interpretation I've ever come across with regards that letter. I do not think it is correct either. He says "There are very many cavalry", which certainly makes most sense if he is talking about a military force that is not directly related to him. Far more likely is that he talking about raiding parties. I agree that it is likely not an intelligence report, but it may well be a note left by an out-going commander to his replacement. I find it hard to believe that "Whoever he's writing to would by this time be perfectly well acquainted with the tactics of any British enemies", as that would necessitate some kind of formal training in Rome on the fighting styles of the various enemies of the Roman Empire. That knowledge might have been well known at a regional level, but I doubt top-brass had any idea or any need to care.

Foot

[Elmetiacos]

Hmm, but it the "many cavalry" refers to enemy raiding parties, whose are they? Certainly not the cavalry-short Caledonians, and not very likely the pro-Roman Votadini. Since all we have is a scrap, this bit might refer to something completely different. It's also a big assumption that the letter must be to a replacement commander, and that this replacement must be a n00b straight off the boat from Italy.

[Foot]

Any more than your assumption that it is a letter complaining about the lack of armour for and apparent inability of briton auxillaries to throw javelins. And I never said the replacement was a n00b, but we certainly cannot expect up to date information to be supplied to new commanders by anyone other than the previous ones (and the other officers who were staying on).

Certainly I haven't seen your interpretation listed amongst those currently being pursued. Perhaps you should write a paper on the matter.

Foot

[Elmetiacos]

Certainly I haven't seen your interpretation listed amongst those currently being pursued. Perhaps you should write a paper on the matter.

'or possibly a piece of information provided with a view to the recruitment of natives, attested in the time of Agricola (Tacitus, Agr. 29.2). There is evidence for a British ala in Dacia in AD 110 (CIL 16.163; but note the remarks of Kennedy (1977) and cf. Reynolds, Beard and Roueché, JRS 76 (1986), 136). The first appearance of numeri Brittonum coincides with earliest occupation of Hesselbach on the Odenwald Limes c. AD 95-105 (see Hassall (1978), 45, Baatz (1973)). This suits the date of the Vindolanda text very well...' (my italics)