Exploding the myth of the Emperor Gallienus’ battle cavalry
In the dark days of the third century AD, the Roman empire was rocked by enemy invasions. When the emperor Valerian and his son Gallienus came to power in AD 253, they promised secure frontiers and the stability of a new dynasty at Rome. Valerian’s unexpected defeat and capture by the Persians in AD 260 threw all of that into doubt.
In response, Gallienus launched a program of military reforms to streamline the Roman army and maximize its battlefield efficiency. Having forbidden senators to lead his armies, he instituted a new cadre of trusted officers, the protectores, and developed an armed retinue (the comitatus) on the model of the Germanic chieftains’ warbands.
But the centrepiece was his battle cavalry, an autonomous roving task force designed to give him the edge in the struggle against barbarian aggressors. At least, this is the narrative that has been accepted for more than a century by generations of historians. But is it true?
Now, archaeologist Duncan B. Campbell follows the trail of research down through the decades in an explosive new study, piecing together the evidence for these alleged reforms and chronicling the emergence and gradual reshaping of Gallienus’ battle cavalry in the literature of the twentieth century.
Along the way, we meet key figures in Roman military research and consider their contribution to the study of the third-century Roman army. And finally, the surprising truth about Gallienus’ battle cavalry is revealed.
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