Roman Cavalry Mace | Weapons of History

The Late Roman Empire, particularly in the East, witnessed a shift in cavalry tactics. Facing the formidable horse archers of the Parthians and Sassanids, Rome needed to adapt. This led to the creation of Cataphracts – heavily armored cavalry reminiscent of medieval knights. These warriors relied primarily on long lances for devastating charges. However, close-quarter combat demanded a different weapon, one that could be more effective in tight spaces than the cumbersome lance. This is where the possibility of Roman cavalry using maces emerges, albeit shrouded in some mystery.

The evidence for this theory is circumstantial but intriguing. Firstly, historical accounts suggest a preference for maces among Roman auxiliaries from the province of Palestine. This is evidenced in the war against the Palmyrene Empire, where maces proved quite effective against the heavily armored Palmyrene cavalry. This regional preference might have influenced Roman cavalry tactics, especially in the Eastern theatre.

Secondly, a potential visual clue emerges from a third-century AD tombstone depicting Aurelius Alexianus. He appears to be wielding a club-like weapon. While interpretations vary, some scholars believe it could be a mace. However, there's another possibility – the fustis. The fustis was a heavy wooden club used for crowd control, lacking the offensive intent of a mace.

Despite the lack of definitive proof, the logic behind using maces for Roman cavalry is compelling. From a mounted position, a cavalryman could swing a mace with significant momentum, delivering devastating blows in close combat. This advantage becomes even more apparent when considering the limitations of swords like the Spatha in tight spaces.

Further strengthening the case is the documented use of bronze maces by cavalrymen in the later Byzantine Empire, considered an evolution of the Roman military tradition. This continuity suggests a potential precedent for maces in Late Roman cavalry, although more concrete evidence remains elusive.

In conclusion, the use of maces by Late Roman cavalry presents a fascinating, albeit debatable, topic. While definitive proof might be lacking, the circumstantial evidence and the inherent logic behind the weapon's suitability for close-quarter mounted combat make it a theory worth considering. Further research and archaeological discoveries might one day shed more light on this enigmatic weapon and its potential role in Roman cavalry tactics.

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MUSIC : by Alexander Nakarada
Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

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#AncientRome #romanempire #AncientHistoryGuy

[GaryNac]

Even though we don't seem to actually have much evidence of it or documentation of Roman's using maces but it does seem plausible, this does seem like a very interesting video and the idea is fun to think about.

[philRminiatures]

Another informative and well illustrated video, have to paint some cavalry with maces now!😊😊👍👍

[kingspore]

Finally someone talks about this forgotten topic, it's really scarse

[Scarlioni]

I'm going to humbly diasgree with your interpetation of the grave stele of Marcus Aurelius Alexys. It looks to me like he's being represented as Heracles... That's a big cloak... maybe a lion skin? His weapon looks more like a club than a mace. Keep up the great videos.

[ScarletRebel]

I never knew calcary maces were a thing in ancient Rome

[tavernburner]

If the byzantines Calvary used Maces then by default roman calvery used maces, because those are the same thing.

[cjthebeesknees]

Likely an emulation of Parthia/Sassanid influence.

[CinematicCraft]

go to sleep man it’s like 4 in the morning 💀

[cal]

ive heard of cataphract maces being used but whats the source for that particular mace head style?