In the twilight of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th-6th centuries, the elite of the field armies was the heavy armoured cavalry - the cataphracts, clad in lamellar, scale, mail and padded fabric armour. After the fall of the West, the Greek-speaking Eastern or Byzantine Empire survived for nearly a thousand years, and cavalry remained predominant in its armies, with the heaviest armoured regiments continuing to provide the ultimate shock-force in battle.
Accounts from Muslim chroniclers show that the ironclad cataphract on his armoured horse was an awe-­inspiring enemy: '...they advanced against you, iron­-covered - one would have said that they advanced on horses which seemed to have no legs'. This new study, replete with stunning full-colour illustrations of the various units, offers an engaging insight into the fearsome heavy cavalry units that battled against the enemies of Rome's Eastern Empire.

Andrei Negin was born, educated and works in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. He holds a doctorate in Historical Sciences, and is Associate Professor in the Department of History of the Ancient World and Classical Languages at N.I. Lobachevsky
State University, Nizhny Novgorod. His primary interest is the study of ancient Roman armour, his main theme of research being parade and ceremonial armours. He has published on these subjects in a number of Russian and foreign archaeological journals.

Introduction
Select Chronology
Heavy Armoured Cavalry in the Eastern Roman Army
Organization & Units
Formation & Tactics
Weapons & Armour
Horses
Bibliography
Index