The three hundred years covered by this set, 600 to 900, were not surprisingly a time of great change for the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire. Although the empire had conquered, or as it saw it reconquered, new territories in Italy and Africa in the previous century, the empire was still in a difficult position, with increasing difficulties in the Balkans and frequent wars with the Persians being the main areas of concern. During the seventh century a new foe, Muslim Arabs, would take vast areas away from the Empire forever, while battles with Bulgars and Avars effectively lost much of the Balkans too. Despite many more losses and a shortage of both money and manpower, the Empire would subsequently recover from these losses to an extent, although frequent internal strife would continue to undermine its strength. Arabs and Slavs remained the main enemies, but internal divisions in the Caliphate helped to give the Empire a stronger position by 900, which at least limited any further losses.
Throughout the lifetime of the Western Roman Empire, it had been the infantry that played the dominant role in Roman tactics, but during the fifth century cavalry had gradually increased in importance, and this trend continued through the period in question here, although infantry still had an important role to play naturally, particularly in providing a safe haven for cavalry on the battlefield and in conducting operations on terrain unsuitable for horsemen. This was at least partly due to exposure to the mounted archers of the Steppe peoples, which also provoked a rise in the importance of the bow in Byzantine armies, although many archers were provided by mercenaries and allies, and it would seem that during this period archery actually declined amongst native Byzantine forces.
At the start of our period there were perhaps three heavy infantrymen to each light, and the majority of poses in this set are suitably heavy. Most of these are armed with a long spear and a sword, which is fine, but one man has an axe instead, which was a less common but perfectly acceptable weapon. All the heavies carry a shield which varies in shape, with round, oval and kite shields all being in evidence. The kite shield would be appropriate for the very end of the period, but otherwise these are all authentic, as is the mix seen here. The last man on the top row looks to be a less heavy infantryman as he carries a sword but only a small round shield, but again he is authentic. The bottom row shows the light infantry, including a couple of archers, a slinger and a running man armed with javelins. Once again all these weapons are appropriate, as is the scarcity of shields amongst such men.
Specifications
- Contents: 48 figures
- Poses: 12 poses
- Material: Plastic (Medium Consistency)
