Just wondering, but could that last be depicting a cataphract wielding a long two-handed lance (kontos or proto-such) not braced for the impact of the charge, but in a "hanging guard" for close-combat "lance-fencing" ? AFAIK that kind of guard is a common enough all-purpose "ready" position for two-handed staff-weapons, especially when held in the kind of "reverse grip" typical of the kontos.