The World of Killing the Hydra - Part III - Sarmatian Horse Warriors

It’s been a while since we last visited The World of Killing the Hydra.

I’ve been caught up in writing posts about Herakles and Jason and the Argonauts which, I’m happy to say, have been receiving a lot of great feedback.

The myths have great appeal, so I can see why those posts are so popular.

Today, in this third installment of The World of Killing the Hydra, we’re going to look at a group of warriors who also have ties to myth, and who, as a fighting force, became legendary in the Roman world.

I want to talk about the Sarmatians.

In Killing the Hydra, Lucius Metellus Anguis finds himself getting to know the men of the cavalry ala of Sarmatians who have been sent to join the III Augustan Legion at Lambaesis, in Numidia.

Artist impression of Sarmatian Cavalry

The leader of this fighting force is Mar, a king of his people who led them against Rome in the wars with Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Mar is joined by his royal nephew, Dagon, and both men play a key part in the story.

But who were the Sarmatians?

The average person has not heard about this group of warriors that came to form the elite heavy cavalry of the Roman Empire. Most people probably know of them only from the role they play in the movie King Arthur, with Clive Owen.

Researching Sarmatian warrior culture was a fascinating part of the research for Killing the Hydra.

The Sarmatians were a Scythian-speaking people from north of the Black Sea, and the high point of their civilization spanned from the 5^th B.C. to the 4^th century A.D. when they eventually went into decline because of pressure from the Huns and Goths.

Lance head of a Sarmatian 'contos', a 16 foot lance

The Sarmatians were a nomadic Steppe culture whose lands extended from the Black Sea to beyond the Volga in western Scythia.

Herodotus believed the Sarmatians (or ‘Sauromatae’) were descended from intermarriage between Scythian men and Amazon women, and that ever since the two peoples joined:

"the women of the Sauromatae have kept their old ways, riding to the hunt on horseback sometimes with, sometimes without, their men, taking part in war and wearing the same sort of clothes as men… They have a marriage law which forbids a girl to marry until she has killed an enemy in battle; some of their women, unable to fulfill this condition, grow old and die unmarried." 

(Herodotus, The Histories, Book IV)

Indeed Sarmatian grave discoveries have revealed armed women warriors, so it seems likely that such tales would easily have given rise to the Greek perception that the Sarmatians were descended from the Amazons, those beautiful and terrible daughters of Ares.

Amazons in Battle

In Killing the Hydra, Mar, in conversation with Lucius, relates to the young Roman how the women of their people also fought:

"The women of our land are brave souls. We do not lock them up before the hearths of our homes. They are free to ride with us and wield the sacred sword. Some are priestesses and others have been gifted by our gods with foresight. Sarmatian women are nobler than what your Latin word 'noble' implies."

(Mar, in Killing the Hydra)

And what of the men? Sarmatian men were fierce warriors and skilled horsemen, and according to the Roman writer Ammianus Marcellinus, they:

“...have very long spears and cuirasses made from smooth and polished pieces of horn, fastened like scales to linen shirts; most of their horses are made serviceable by gelding, in order that they may not at sight of mares become excited and run away, or when in ambush become unruly and betray their riders by loud neighing. And they run over very great distances, pursuing others or themselves turning their backs, being mounted on swift and obedient horses and leading one, or sometimes even two, to the end that an exchange may keep up the strength of their mounts and that their freshness may be renewed by alternate periods of rest.” (Ammianus Marcelinus, Roman History, Book XVII)

Sarmatian Crown

 Sarmatian art and culture is also very rich.

Animal imagery was common in their artwork and often included such totem animals as dragons, griffins, eagles, sphinxes, snake women, and of course, horses. Often, these images were tattooed on their bodies.

The characters of Mar and Dagon are naturally curious about the dragon imagery on Lucius’ armour and weapons. They see it as a sign.

Also, if you remember the Sibyl’s prophecy from Children of Apollo, you will know that Lucius’ meeting with the Sarmatians is no coincidence.

The Sarmatians take their gods very seriously, but the one they most revered was their war god who was represented by the Sacred Sword.

Sarmatian Warriors on
Trajan's Column

The Sarmatians’ favourite trial of strength was single combat.

They believed that there was mystical power in battle, and when they defeated their enemies, it’s said they often took the heads, scalps, and beards of the vanquished, drinking blood from the skulls of the slain.

Ancient cultures often did have what we might perceive as barbaric rituals, but it’s sometimes difficult to detect truth in the midst of Greek and Roman propaganda or storytelling.

The picture painted does make for a wonderfully colourful group of warriors.

Despite the tales of fighting women, magic swords, scalping, and the drinking of blood, there is one fact that remains certain – the Sarmatians were some of the best cavalry the world had ever seen.

They were sometimes known as ‘lizard people’ because of their scale armour which covered both the horse and rider almost completely.

The Sarmatians were heavy cataphracts, the shock troops that were used to ride down the enemy while wielding their long swords, and the contos, a lance of about five meters, or sixteen feet long.

Artist impression of a
Draconarius carrying a Draco 

The image that the Sarmatians are probably most known for, however, is the draconarius.

This was their war standard which they carried into battle. It consisted of a bronze dragon’s head with a long wind sock attached to it. It was held on a pole and carried at a gallop. When the wind passed through the draco, it made a loud howling sound that was to terrify the enemy.

The draco was adopted as a standard by all Roman cavalry in the 3^rd century A.D.

It’s amazing that, as a highly disciplined fighting force, the Sarmatians remained active for as long as nine centuries.

When Marcus Aurelius won a decisive victory of the Sarmatians in A.D. 175, he obtained a force of heavy cavalry for Rome that would make the auxiliary forces much more of a force to be reckoned with.

Coin of Marcus Aurelius showing Sarmatian captives

As ever, the Romans knew a good thing when they saw it.

In the aftermath of Rome’s victory, Marcus Aurelius obtained 8000 heavy Sarmatian cataphracts which became the most skilled cavalry of the age.

It is these warriors, descended from the Amazons and mighty Scythians of the Steppes, who now step into The World of Killing the Hydra.

Mar, Dagon, and their warriors turn the tides of war against the nomads in Numidia, and become an important new force in the life of Lucius Metellus Anguis.

Draco standard

The Dragons are now in the thick of it with the Eagles of Rome.

Thank you for reading. 

IMMORTUI – Fighting the Undead – Roman Armour and Clothing

Optio's helmet

In the previous post, we looked at the main weapons used by Roman troops. However, if you are not clothed and protected, you may not last long on the field of combat. In IMMORTUI, I mention some of the articles of clothing that the characters wear as well as their armour.

Pretend you are a Roman soldier getting dressed for the day or that you are preparing to go on campaign and need to stuff some extra clothing into your satchel which you will have to carry on your back along with two sharpened stakes, pots and a shovel and pick axe. When the Legions were  reorganized and equipment standardized by the General Marius, there was a reason why the men became known as ‘Marius’ mules’!

Tunic

Bracae and Caligae

 The Roman soldier would have a standard issue tunica which was like an over-sized shirt, belted at the waist by a cingulum. You wouldn’t leave without pants or trousers in the morning and neither would a Roman go into battle without bracae which were made of wool, just like the tunic. This basic outfit was completed with a pair of caligae which were standard issue Roman military sandals with hobnails. As an aside, the Emperor Caligula was so nick-named because of the little pair of army sandals he wore as a child. He was called ‘Little Boots’. New archaeological evidence shows that contrary to what was thought, Roman soldiers did in fact wear woollen socks. Makes sense to me; I can‘t imagine trekking through Caledonia or Germania in bare feet. A cloak was also an important piece of the outfit and could serve as a blanket on the march, a shield against the elements.

Phalerae

Cingulum and Pugio

If you were a decorated officer such as a centurion, you would be wearing a leather harness over your chest that was decorated with phalerae, a series of bronze or iron discs with images of gods, goddesses and other symbols that were believed to protect the wearer from harm. Soldiers were notoriously superstitious!

Lorica Segmentata

All that clothing however, is not going to help you if you are not protected by a certain amount of armour. This brings us to the lorica segmentata, the standeard breastplate of the Roman legionary of the Empire. The design of the lorica is ingenious, providing good shoulder, chest and back protection while providing for ease of movement and flexibility due to the segmented style of the steel plates. If you were an auxiliary trooper, you more likely had chainmail. Aside from the leather straps hanging from the soldier’s cingulum, the lorica was the only protection on the torso.

Officer's Pteriges

An officer’s armour would vary from the ordinary trooper’s. Commanding officers or tribunes would be wearing a cuirass which was a breast/back plate made of iron and/or hardened bull’s hide, often ornamented with patron gods and goddesses of their family. Beneath these would be a full skirt of leather straps hanging down to the knees called pteriges. A commander may also have worn ornamented greaves which protected the shins but these were often cumbersome and not always in use during the Empire.

Finally, when it comes to protection, few things mattered so much as the helmet. The standard legionary helmet was perfected over hundreds of years, improving upon ancient Greek, Thracian and Macedonian models. There was a rim to protect the face from downward slashes from an enemy, a large, fan-like neck protector at the back, cheek flaps and holes for the ears so that the soldier could hear what was going on.

Centurion's helmet

Helmet crests were used to denote rank as well. For instance, a centurion would be known by the horizontal, horse-hair crest on his helmet where an optio (one step down from a centurion) had a crest going from front to back with feathers on either side of the helmet. A legate or other commanding officer might add a flourish with a very large horse-hair crest and highly ornamented cheek pieces to denote their own rank and wealth. Later on, parade helmets for cavalry prefects and other auxiliary officers included face masks, giving them an otherworldly look.

Auxiliary Cavalry Helmet

There you have it, a quick look at the clothing and armour of the Roman army. Not much to it, but, it was highly effective and utilitarian and certainly gave the soldiers of Rome an edge when combined with their weapons. Whether or not the armour provides enough protection against the undead enemy in IMMORTUI, well, that is another thing entirely.

Keep an eye out for the third and final instalment of the posts looking at the world of IMMORTUI when I will look at the cult of the Roman soldiers’ god, Mithras. 



IMMORTUI - Carpathian Interlude Part I is now available as a $.99 cent novella on Amazon and iTunes. 

IMMORTUI – Fighting the Undead: Roman Weapons

Salve!

This is the first post in a short series that will be looking at some aspects of the world of IMMORTUI, Part I in the Carpathian Interlude series of novellas.

When Optio Gaius Justus Vitalis and his men set out to confront legions of zombies in a dark valley of the Carpathian mountains, there is one thing that really enables the Romans to hold their own: weapons.

The Roman army was one of the most disciplined, well-organized and well-armed fighting forces of the ancient world and their weaponry evolved over time as they adopted the best from each nation they conquered.

In IMMORTUI, I have tried to use the Latin names for all the weapons and articles of clothing. After all, this is a story, not a history lesson! However, for those of you who may not be familiar with the world and weapons of ancient Rome, here is a crash course in case you ever find yourself facing down legions of undead.

Pompeii style Gladius

First, and most importantly, is the gladius. This is the Roman soldier’s (legionary’s) sword. The word ‘gladiator’ is derived from this word. This weapon has been called the ‘meat-cleaver’ of the ancient world because of its brutal efficiency. It was primarily a stabbing weapon, worn on the soldier’s right side. The style varied slightly from the Republic to the Empire but the effect for each was the same. The gladius was indeed an extremely deadly weapon.

In the ancient world, shields were of primary importance for defending the bearer against all manner of attacks from arrows and sling stones, to cavalry charges and a rush of roaring Celts. The Roman legionary’s shield was called a scutum. This was a very large, heavy rectangular or oblong shield with a large boss in the middle that could be used to smash the face of an attacker. It would protect more than half of a soldier standing up, and was used to great effect in military formations such as the tustudo, or tortoise formation.

Scutum

Pila

What ancient warrior’s kit would be complete without a spear? The Roman solider’s spear was called a pilum. This differed from the spears of the ancient Greek hoplite in that it was much lighter and could be used only once. It was however, very effective at piercing armour and flesh because of its fine point. A hail of these was truly deadly and was the Romans’ first offensive weapon after artillery. And, once thrown, it could not be picked up by the enemy and thrown back due to the special design that ensured the tip broke off or bent upon impact making it useless. 

For an optio, like Gaius Justus Vitalis in IMMORTUI, a hastile was carried instead of a pilum. The hastile was a staff carried by that particular rank of officer and though it was symbolic of his rank it could also be used as a weapon if need be.

Optio carrying hastile

When the fighting inevitably came to close quarter combat, and pila and gladii were spent or lost, the Roman dagger called a pugio was what was called for. This blade, apart from having practical uses such as cutting meat or sharpening a stake, this could be thrust into the side of an enemy when he came too close for comfort. The pugio was worn at the soldier’s left side, secured tightly at the waist for a quick and easy draw.

So there you have it! These are the main weapons of a Roman legionary which they would carry with themselves on the march and into battle. They would never leave his side whether he was sleeping or digging ditches and ramparts at the end of the day.

Roman Pugio

The question you have to ask yourself is whether these weapons, honed and perfected over centuries of use, would be enough to defeat an enemy that feels neither pain nor fear, an enemy that will keep coming at you until you do one thing…

Well, you will have to read IMMORTUI to find out.

Tune in next week for the second post on the world if IMMORTUI in which we will look at Roman armour and clothing.

Legionaries in 'Testudo' formation

New Short Story Series - Into the Darkness with Gaius Justus Vitalis

Mithras and the
Tauroctony

For a writer, working on a full length novel can be quite a long, burdensome experience. Doing it well can take years and, unless you are Stephen King, typing that last word or getting through that final draft can seem like the far-away end of a long drawn-out campaign. You are in a new world, going to places you have not necessarily been to before, dealing with people whom you may not know, whose actions may come as a surprise. It is a solitary journey as well, getting from the alpha to the omega of your novel.

That is one reason I like to write short stories. It helps to mix things up by writing something in a different period or voice, stretching your literary muscles. For me, short stories are definitely a writing workout. They also allow me to try out new ideas, experiment a little with the craft of writing. If you repeat the same exercise over and over again without changing your weight, you will ‘plateau’ as they say. It is the same with writing. Without changing things up, you will not grow. The short stories I have posted on the right side of this blog are some of my literary exercises written over short periods of time. Of course, they all possess an element of the historical or fantastical – that is what I love to write. But, they were each born of a different image, idea or concept that popped into my head and that I thought would be fun to explore. 

Artist Recreation of Roman fortress at Troesmis

I’ve just begun writing a new series of short stories set during the reign of Augustus, specifically, the year A.D. 8, just prior to the Varus disaster. I won’t give too much away as this will be coming out some time toward the end of October, but it promises to be something quite different, dark and exciting. Here is what I can tell you:

The protagonist is Gaius Justus Vitalis, an optio in the V Macedonica Legion stationed at Troesmis in Moesia Inferior (modern Romania) near where the Danube flows into the Black Sea. At the time, Troesmis was on the frontier and Augustus’ legions, commanded by Tiberius, had been busy putting down a revolt to the east in Pannonia and Dalmatia. Gaius is a long way from his home and family in Rome. He is decorated for his deeds and is a devotee of Mithras, having attained the level of Heliodromus or, Sun-runner.

Carpathian Mountains, Romania

Of course, I am still in the middle of writing this first instalment of the tales of Gaius Justus Vitalis but I hope that this will be very entertaining for everyone. It certainly is fun to research and write about a different period of the Roman Empire, to explore new regions. I’ll be sharing more about the research, setting and characters when the story is out. Suffice it to say that when Samhain comes around (or Halloween as most people refer to it) this story should be an ideal read on a dark, crisp autumn night.