Last modified on: 11-November-2016.
German cavalry are mentioned a number of times in the commentaries of Gaius Julius Caesar (cos. 59, 48, 46, 45, 44 BCE). However, before discussing those cavalrymen in detail, I first want to look at the German cavalry who were the opponents of Gaius Marius (cos. 107, 104, 103, 102, 101, 100, 86 BCE) and Quintus Lutatius Catulus (cos. 102 BCE) in the Roman victory near Vercellae some forty-three years prior to Caesar’s first recorded encounter with German cavalry.
GERMANIC CIMBRIAN CAVALRY AT THE BATTLE NEAR VERCELLAE (101 BCE)
According to Plutarch, the Germanic Cimbri fielded hordes of infantry as well as 15,000 cavalry—almost certainly an inflated number—against Catulus and Marius (Caesar’s uncle by marriage) in the battle near Vercellae in Cisalpine Gaul in 101 BCE. Fortunately for us, Plutarch described these horsemen and commented that the cavalry of the Cimbri rode out in a magnificent array. Their helmets resembled the khasmata (gaping mouths) of phobera (terrible) thēria (wild beasts) with idiomorphoi (peculiar) protomai (decapitated heads/faces). They wore pterōtoi (feathered/winged) crests, the height of which caused them to appear meizones (bigger, taller, or more impressive). The Cimbrian horsemen were equipped with iron thōrakes (cuirasses) and carried gleaming, white thureoi (shields). They each carried a dibolia, which were used for throwing. In melee, the Cimbrian cavalry fought with large, heavy makhairai (swords). (Plutarch. Gaius Marius 25.7)
Plutarch’s description of the helmets worn by the Cimbrian cavarly is interesting to put it mildly. I don’t know of any such helmets that have yet been found in German archaeological sites. However, I don’t specialize in ancient German history and culture, so I may be unaware of such finds.[1] The most similar sort of headwear that comes to my mind are Greek representations of Herakles wearing a lion skin headress. The lion’s gaping mouth seems to be swallowing Herakles’ head.
Plutarch’s description of the Cimbrian helmets seems a bit fanciful. However, Plutarch (Gaius Marius 25.7) stated that he used the account of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (cos. 88, 80 BCE), who fought in the battle. Plutarch was well read and probably used other contemporary descriptions of this Roman war against the Cimbri. It seems very likely that Plutarch found a description of German cavalry in one of his sources that was contemporary with the battle near Vercellae. Therefore, we cannot dismiss Plutarch’s statements out of hand.
The Cimbrian thōrakes (cuirasses) could have been pectoral plates, chainmail, muscled cuirasses, scales, or even all of the above. According to Plutarch, these thōrakes were specifically made of sidēroi (iron).
The Greek term thureoi was applied to large, oval shields like the Roman Republican scuta and similar Gallic shields. The Greek word thureos (singlular)/thureoi (plural) was derived from thura (also often transliterated as thyra), the word for door. Plutarch recorded that the Cimbrian thureoi were stilbontes (gleaming) and leukoi (white).
Plutarch specifically stated that the Cimbrian cavalry’s dibolia were used for throwing (akontisma). Dibolia is neither singular nor plural; it is a dual noun. In this regard, it is somewhat similar to the English noun scissors, which does not have a singular form. The best translation of dibolia would seem to be a pair of javelins. Alternatively, dibolia could possibly mean a double-pointed weapon, perhaps a two pronged javelin or spear.
The Greek word makhaira (singular) is a generic word for sword or knife. In this case, Plutarch described the Cimbrian makhairai as megalai (large) and bareiai (heavy).
The Cimbri had travelled far and wide from their original homeland—which was apparently in the Cimbrian Peninsula (modern Jutland in Denmark)—through Germania, Gaul, Noricum (roughly modern Austria), Hispania (Spain, where they were repulsed by the Celtiberians), and the Roman territories of Transalpine Gaul (modern southern France) and Cisalpine Gaul (modern northern Italy). Along the way, they had defeated many enemies including at least five Roman armies.[2] As a result, the Cimbri had ample opportunities to plunder the arms and armour of numerous defeated foes and to equip themselves with a varied and expensive assortment of weapons, shields, and metal body armour. So, I suspect that the Cimbrian horsemen had an extremely motley appearance with a sprinkling of captured Gallic and Roman equipment, but with their own hair styles, shield art, etc.
GERMAN CAVALRY IN THE GALLIC WARS (58 to 50 BCE)
Gaius Julius Caesar’s first mention of German cavalry is as his adversaries in the army of the German king Ariovistus in 58 BCE. German cavalry subsequently served in Caesar’s own army as well as in opposing Gallic armies. Unfortunately, Caesar did not give a description of the clothing and equipment of these horsemen, but he did describe their mode of fighting.
Caesar called Ariovistus the “rex Germanorum (king of the Germans)”. Ariovistus was apparently the king of the Suebi and a coalition of German tribes. According to Caesar, his army included the Harudes, Marcomani, Triboci, Vangiones, Nemetes, Sedusii, and Suebi. Their cavalry numbered 6,000 horsemen. (Caesar. Gallic War 1.31.10, 1.51, 1.48)
At their first parley, Ariovistus insisted that both commanders confer on horseback with only a cavalry escort. Ariovistus obviously hoped to put Caesar at a disadvantage as Caesar’s Roman infantry were the strongest part of his army. Caesar lacked Roman cavalry and did not wish to place his safety into the hands of his Gallic allied cavalry, so Caesar dismounted his Gallic horsemen and mounted legionaries from the soon to become legendary Tenth Legion upon their horses. At this conference, the German cavalry cast stones and tela (missiles) at Caesar’s men thus putting an abrupt end to the proceedings. (Caesar. Gallic War 1.42–46)
The German tribes who lived along the Rhine River had been partially civilized by their proximity to the Gauls. The Suebi lived further to the east and were more barbaric according to Caesar.
[1]↩ The
[2]↩ The five Roman defeats were as follows:
Incidentally, amongst the few Romans to survive this disaster was a young Quintus Sertorius, who had been serving in the army of Caepio. Sertorius, who was wounded, escaped the massacre by forsaking his horse and swimming across the Rhone River. A few years later, Sertorius served with distinction in the army of Marius against the Cimbri and Teutones (Plutarch Sertorius 3.1–2).
German cavalry are mentioned a number of times in the commentaries of Gaius Julius Caesar (cos. 59, 48, 46, 45, 44 BCE). However, before discussing those cavalrymen in detail, I first want to look at the German cavalry who were the opponents of Gaius Marius (cos. 107, 104, 103, 102, 101, 100, 86 BCE) and Quintus Lutatius Catulus (cos. 102 BCE) in the Roman victory near Vercellae some forty-three years prior to Caesar’s first recorded encounter with German cavalry.
GERMANIC CIMBRIAN CAVALRY AT THE BATTLE NEAR VERCELLAE (101 BCE)
According to Plutarch, the Germanic Cimbri fielded hordes of infantry as well as 15,000 cavalry—almost certainly an inflated number—against Catulus and Marius (Caesar’s uncle by marriage) in the battle near Vercellae in Cisalpine Gaul in 101 BCE. Fortunately for us, Plutarch described these horsemen and commented that the cavalry of the Cimbri rode out in a magnificent array. Their helmets resembled the khasmata (gaping mouths) of phobera (terrible) thēria (wild beasts) with idiomorphoi (peculiar) protomai (decapitated heads/faces). They wore pterōtoi (feathered/winged) crests, the height of which caused them to appear meizones (bigger, taller, or more impressive). The Cimbrian horsemen were equipped with iron thōrakes (cuirasses) and carried gleaming, white thureoi (shields). They each carried a dibolia, which were used for throwing. In melee, the Cimbrian cavalry fought with large, heavy makhairai (swords). (Plutarch. Gaius Marius 25.7)
Plutarch’s description of the helmets worn by the Cimbrian cavarly is interesting to put it mildly. I don’t know of any such helmets that have yet been found in German archaeological sites. However, I don’t specialize in ancient German history and culture, so I may be unaware of such finds.[1] The most similar sort of headwear that comes to my mind are Greek representations of Herakles wearing a lion skin headress. The lion’s gaping mouth seems to be swallowing Herakles’ head.
 |
| Herakles wearing a lion skin headress Athens, Greece, ca. 525–520 BCE (Image compliments of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston) |
Plutarch’s description of the Cimbrian helmets seems a bit fanciful. However, Plutarch (Gaius Marius 25.7) stated that he used the account of Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (cos. 88, 80 BCE), who fought in the battle. Plutarch was well read and probably used other contemporary descriptions of this Roman war against the Cimbri. It seems very likely that Plutarch found a description of German cavalry in one of his sources that was contemporary with the battle near Vercellae. Therefore, we cannot dismiss Plutarch’s statements out of hand.
The Cimbrian thōrakes (cuirasses) could have been pectoral plates, chainmail, muscled cuirasses, scales, or even all of the above. According to Plutarch, these thōrakes were specifically made of sidēroi (iron).
The Greek term thureoi was applied to large, oval shields like the Roman Republican scuta and similar Gallic shields. The Greek word thureos (singlular)/thureoi (plural) was derived from thura (also often transliterated as thyra), the word for door. Plutarch recorded that the Cimbrian thureoi were stilbontes (gleaming) and leukoi (white).
Plutarch specifically stated that the Cimbrian cavalry’s dibolia were used for throwing (akontisma). Dibolia is neither singular nor plural; it is a dual noun. In this regard, it is somewhat similar to the English noun scissors, which does not have a singular form. The best translation of dibolia would seem to be a pair of javelins. Alternatively, dibolia could possibly mean a double-pointed weapon, perhaps a two pronged javelin or spear.
The Greek word makhaira (singular) is a generic word for sword or knife. In this case, Plutarch described the Cimbrian makhairai as megalai (large) and bareiai (heavy).
The Cimbri had travelled far and wide from their original homeland—which was apparently in the Cimbrian Peninsula (modern Jutland in Denmark)—through Germania, Gaul, Noricum (roughly modern Austria), Hispania (Spain, where they were repulsed by the Celtiberians), and the Roman territories of Transalpine Gaul (modern southern France) and Cisalpine Gaul (modern northern Italy). Along the way, they had defeated many enemies including at least five Roman armies.[2] As a result, the Cimbri had ample opportunities to plunder the arms and armour of numerous defeated foes and to equip themselves with a varied and expensive assortment of weapons, shields, and metal body armour. So, I suspect that the Cimbrian horsemen had an extremely motley appearance with a sprinkling of captured Gallic and Roman equipment, but with their own hair styles, shield art, etc.
GERMAN CAVALRY IN THE GALLIC WARS (58 to 50 BCE)
Gaius Julius Caesar’s first mention of German cavalry is as his adversaries in the army of the German king Ariovistus in 58 BCE. German cavalry subsequently served in Caesar’s own army as well as in opposing Gallic armies. Unfortunately, Caesar did not give a description of the clothing and equipment of these horsemen, but he did describe their mode of fighting.
Caesar called Ariovistus the “rex Germanorum (king of the Germans)”. Ariovistus was apparently the king of the Suebi and a coalition of German tribes. According to Caesar, his army included the Harudes, Marcomani, Triboci, Vangiones, Nemetes, Sedusii, and Suebi. Their cavalry numbered 6,000 horsemen. (Caesar. Gallic War 1.31.10, 1.51, 1.48)
At their first parley, Ariovistus insisted that both commanders confer on horseback with only a cavalry escort. Ariovistus obviously hoped to put Caesar at a disadvantage as Caesar’s Roman infantry were the strongest part of his army. Caesar lacked Roman cavalry and did not wish to place his safety into the hands of his Gallic allied cavalry, so Caesar dismounted his Gallic horsemen and mounted legionaries from the soon to become legendary Tenth Legion upon their horses. At this conference, the German cavalry cast stones and tela (missiles) at Caesar’s men thus putting an abrupt end to the proceedings. (Caesar. Gallic War 1.42–46)
The German tribes who lived along the Rhine River had been partially civilized by their proximity to the Gauls. The Suebi lived further to the east and were more barbaric according to Caesar.
FOOTNOTES
[1]↩ The
[2]↩ The five Roman defeats were as follows:
- The Cimbri had defeated Gnaeus Papirius Carbo (cos. 113 BCE) in Noricum at the battle of Noreia in 113/112 BC.
- Marcus Junius Silanus (cos. 109 BCE) was defeated by the Cimbri in Transalpine Gaul in 109/108 BCE.
- Prior to the battles in 105 BCE near Arausio (modern Orange in southern France), the Cimbri defeated, captured, and slew Marcus Aurelius Scaurus (cos. suff. 108 BCE).
- Next the Cimbri destroyed the army of Quintus Servilius Caepio (cos. 106 BCE) at Arausio.
- Then, the Cimbri destroyed the nearby army of the consul Gnaeus Mallius Maximus (cos. 105 BCE).
Incidentally, amongst the few Romans to survive this disaster was a young Quintus Sertorius, who had been serving in the army of Caepio. Sertorius, who was wounded, escaped the massacre by forsaking his horse and swimming across the Rhone River. A few years later, Sertorius served with distinction in the army of Marius against the Cimbri and Teutones (Plutarch Sertorius 3.1–2).
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