Byzantine cavalry. The riders, like the infantry, could use any type of protective weaponry. In real combat conditions of the VI century. the line between them was blurred: so on the images that have come down to us we see cavalrymen both without protective weapons, and in it.
We would like to dwell separately on the armor called the slaughter (ζάβα, zaba).
Zaba
Some old parts of the Klibanarii and Cataphracts, that is, units that wore protective heavy weapons (Klivaniy or Cataphract), are present in the ranks of the Roman army and retained their names in the 6th century, although, of course, these were different parts in terms of armament. Vegetius, in the 5th century, distinguished cataphract (heavy protective armor) from lorica (leather armor). In the Novels of Emperor Justinian, "Visigothic Truth" of the 6th century. lorica is contrasted with equipment under the term zaba (ζάβα, zaba). Zaba is mentioned in a military treatise of the 6th century, where it is indicated that the soldiers are dressed in forgotten and thoras, and hummocks must be made of leather and felt.
In the legislation of the Visigoths of the VII century. zaba is opposed to lorica. But later treatises reveal much more broadly what a zaba is: Leo VI (reigned 886-912) wrote in his tactics: “If possible, have forgotten, which are now called cleavanii (κλιβάνιον), and they are brilliant and shining . Nikifor II Phoca (reigned 963-969) considers Zaboo to be part of the cleavage. It is noteworthy that the revival of the heavy Byzantine cavalry is associated with the reign of these emperors. The iconography of this period leaves us in no doubt that this is armor consisting of plates. That is, zaba (ζάβα) VIc. analogue of clipping (clibbing) of the 10th century.
Researcher and translator J. Dennison defined zaboo as a coat of mail; it seems to us, following many of his opponents, that this is too straightforward interpretation. The Byzantines poorly used chain mail in the period under review, an indirect confirmation of this is the description of the 10th century, the period of the use of forgetting or clearing, as a heavy weapon of the rider of the cataphract: Leo the Deacon (950-1000), wrote that the Russians are dressed in “toras made of mobile joints (άλυσἰδοτος θώραξ) - chain mail. It is worth remembering that even Gregory of Tours and John of Ephesus called chain mail lorica from rings.
Based on the foregoing, it can be assumed that, firstly, in the 6th century, in the zone of Roman influence, zaba meant, in a broad sense, heavy protective armor opposing the "light" protection legally designated by the term lorika. Again, a zaba is a designation for heavy equipment. Secondly, in a narrow sense, this name should be understood as armor made of plates, in Old Russian "plank armor". With the advent of the Bulgarians or Avars, this term was assigned precisely to laminar armor.
Mauritius Stratig insisted on the special quality of the Avar (or Hunnic) equipment, one might think that it, technologically, differed from the plate equipment of previous periods, less constrained the movement of the rider, giving him the opportunity to maneuver, use a bow, which, as it seems, was impossible in armor of previous periods, as he described heavily armed Roman horsemen in IV in Ammianus Marcellinus: “Here and there were seen horsemen dressed in armor, who are called Klibanarii; covered with armor and belted with iron stripes, they seemed statues carved by Praxiteles' hand, and not living people. " [Amm. Marc. XVI.10.8. Translation from lat. Yu. A. Kulakovsky and A. I. Sonny]
It is worth noting that, based on iconography, it is often difficult to distinguish where the equipment is made of rectangular scaly plates (Scale Armor, Schuppenpanzer), and where is made of plates fastened with leather straps and rivets (Lamellar Armor, Lamellenharnisch).
The Romans used equipment made of rectangular scales earlier (for example, a relief of the 1st century from Palmyra, stored in the Louvre), and the new laminar armor may have been borrowed from nomads in the 6th century. The difference was in the fastening of the plates: in scaly armor, the plates were attached to the base on one side, the other three sides remained free, they could be fastened with rivets in the center of the plate, the upper plates covered part of the lower ones; while in laminar armor the plates were rigidly attached to the base or to each other with leather straps, they went one above the other, the upper ones did not overlap the lower ones. We have archaeological finds of details of absolutely all Roman armor from the Carnuntum legionary camp, located on the right side of the Danube, on the border of modern Austria and Slovakia, where you can see a clear difference in fastening. These findings confirm the presence of all types of the described armor in the late Roman army.
Indirect confirmation of the fact that the zaba of the second half of the 6th century. technologically different from the Klibanarii of the previous era, evidenced by the fact that, despite the presence of factories for the production of armor (forgotten) in the 6th century, Mauritius still describes the armor of nomads.
The plates of which the armor consisted were rectangular in shape with rounded edges, the number of types in one armor could reach nine. The plates could have cutouts: top, bottom, or sides. Researchers disagree on why this was done. Some believe that, in addition to the decorative function, the cutout determined the exact location of the plate in the structure of the armor. Others are used to lighten the weight of the armor. The usual width of the plate is 2-2.5 cm. The plates had up to six holes: for attachment to the base and to each other. Fastened with an overlap. Rows of plates were edged with leather strips up to 1 cm wide, additional leather strips were applied on the reverse side to avoid chafing, 1.5-2 cm in size.
Several finds of such plates are known in Europe: in the North Caucasus, in the Tibelia fortress (near the village of Tsebelda), Avar burial 12 from Niederstolzingen, Frankish burial Krefeld-Gellep. Burial from Kirchheim / Ries in Germany, find of Lombard burial grounds near the castle of Trosin and Nocera Umbra, some finds in the Carpathians, catacomb burial of Kerch in Crimea.
Let's note two more important technical points, without which the use of "heavy" equipment is extremely difficult in full. Firstly, this is the beginning of the use of a frame saddle, which we do not see among the Romans in rare images of the 5th century. and on the image of a rider in armor from the VI century. from the island of Rizz. Secondly, the appearance of stirrups in Europe made it possible for riders in any equipment to control a horse more efficiently, especially in heavy armor.
And lastly, it is not worth presenting the laminar armor of this period as a protective equipment of knights even of the 14th century, I am not even talking about later centuries, it was an armor that technically provided reliable protection, but allowed the rider to even shoot from a bow, which significantly distinguished the Byzantine rider from his heavily armed fellow of the late Roman period. An integral part of the protective armor is a helmet, about what kind of protective headdress was used by the Byzantines in the 6th century. consider below.
Helmet
The Roman troops used two main types of helmets: the κόρυς or galea, originally a leather cone, lined with copper, and an all-metal helmet (cassis). What is written in Justinian's Novella LXXXV of 539.
We have already written about the helmets of the Romans of this period, and in connection with the armament of the riders, I would like to dwell on the galley or kopus, the helmet, which has received the name spangelhelm in modern literature.
Spangenhelm (spangenhelm) - a frame, riveted helmet, usually consisting of six ribs, converging to the top in the form of a round convex plate, topped with a small holder of a feather decoration; having cheekbones. It was made in the following way: curved metal plates were assembled in the form of a cone and fastened with rivets at the base and at the top, and inserts were also attached. Decorated with gold foil.
Some researchers believe that it traces its origin from Roman and late Roman helmets: something similar can be seen already on the soldiers from the column of Troyan; others lead them out of Sassanian Mesopotamia. This type of helmet is divided into two subtypes: the Roman-Egyptian and the Baldenheim type, which includes almost all helmets of the late V-VII centuries. By the fifth century, spangenhelm is spreading throughout the Mediterranean among both Romans and "barbarian" peoples, achieving amazing uniformity in manufacturing. This popularity was due to the relative ease of manufacture (riveted from several strips of metal), economy of metal, and its high protective properties. Thanks to the dish from Verona, it can be assumed that it was the "heavily armed" Romans who wore sphero-conical helmets with the Sultan, about whom Mauritius Stratigus wrote. Although the sultan could have been on an all-metal helmet. The aventail was attached to it, judging by the archaeological finds, chain mail.
Most of the helmets have come down to us from the graves of the Germans, who often used the weapons of the Romans, about which Procopius of Caesarea wrote, and who served in the troops of Byzantium as soldiers and officers. Naturally, parallels with belonging to a particular tribe are built hypothetically. Ornaments in the form of a vine of grapes are often found on helmets, such images were still in the Hellenistic period, while the presence of images of birds, most likely ravens, speaks of Germanic (pagan?) Influence. A brilliant example, in the decoration of which pagan motifs were used, is the Saxon helmet of the 6th-7th centuries. from Sutton Hoo, England. We have compiled a list of almost all currently known conical helmets of the 6th century, and / or border periods (V-VI centuries; VI-VII centuries). Those helmets that clearly date from other periods were not included in the table:
On the image:
1. A copper helmet with the remains of a nosepiece and six gilded plates from a swamp near Vezeronce. VI century Dauphinua Museum. Grenoble France.
2. The ring and one edge of the helmet from the territory of Hungary. VI century Hungarian National Museum. Budapest. Hungary. (reconstruction of the museum).
3. "Gepid" helmet, analogue of the Krefel helmet. The beginning of the 6th century Josef András Museum (Jósa András Múzeum Nyíregyháza). Nyíregyháza. Hungary.
4. "Ostrogothic" helmet from the village of St. Vid near Metkovich. Former Roman city of Narona. Croatia. ≈500 AD type Deir el-Medina / Leiden, according to some authors. Imperial Armory. Vein. Austria.
5. Helmet without rim with one cheek piece from St. Vid near Metkovich. Baldenheim class. Dalmatia. ≈500 g. The Imperial Armory. Vein. Austria.
6. Copper helmet from St. Vid near Metkovich. Former Roman city of Narona. Croatia. ≈500 g. The Imperial Armory. Vein. Austria.
7. "Gepid" helmet, iron with four gilded copper plates, Baldenheim type. Batajnica Serbia. VI century Archaeological Museum. Zagreb. Croatia.
8. Thuringian helmet from Stössen Stössen, Sachsen-Anhalt. Halle National Museum of Antiquities. Germany.
9. Helmet from Baldenham. Alsace. Inv. No. 4898. Archaeological Museum. V-VI centuries. Strasbourg. France.
10. Frankish helmet from Planig (≈525), on the outskirts of Bad Kreuznach, Rheinland-Pfalz, Central Rhine National Museum (Mittelrheinisches Landesmuseum). Mainz Planig. Germany.
11. Children's leather helmet with horn plates. Koln. ≈537 Roman-German Museum. Koln. Germany.
12. Helmet from Gammertingen. Sigmaringen Castle Museums. Sigmaringen. Germany.
13. "Gothic" helmet from Giulianova near Ancona. VI century German Historical Museum. Berlin. Germany.
14. Helmet from Chalon-sur-Saone. V-VI centuries. German Historical Museum. Berlin. Germany.
15. Helmet made of six gilded bronze plates. Burial ground of Krefeld-Gellep near the Roman fortress Gelduba. End of the 5th-beginning of the 6th centuries Museum Burg Linn (Museum Burg Linn). Krefel. Germany.
16. Helmet with gilded pommel and four gilded copper ribs. V-VI c. Dolne Semerovce. Slovenian Folk Museum. Bratislava. Slovakia.
17. Helmet with four gold-plated copper ribs, bifurcated towards the bottom. V-VI c. Dolne Semerovce. Slovenian Folk Museum. Bratislava. Slovakia.
18. "Frankish" helmet from a grave in Morken, Bedburg (Bedburg), North Rhine-Westphalia. Rhine National Museum (Rheinische Landesmuseum). Bonn. Germany.
19. Helmet from Torricella Peligna at Ambruzzi. VI century National Archaeological Museum of the Marche. Ancona. Italy.
20. Helmet from Trevu En. R. Sona. (Trevoux (Ain)). VI century Metropolitan Museum New York. USA.
21. "Alemannic" helmet (only three ribs) from the grave of Pfeffingen. VI century Museum of Local Lore (Landesmuseum). Speer. Germany.
22. Silver dish. VI century Museum of Verona. Italy.
23. Helmet from Lake Geneva. Inn A-38925. Swiss National Museum. Zurich. Switzerland.
