Red Box 153 1/72 Byzantine Empire Byzantine Cataphracts Set 1

By the 6th century the heavy cavalry was the backbone of the Eastern Roman army, and the cataphracts were the heaviest of the heavies. With man and horse largely covered in metal armour, the basic idea came from the east, and developed as civilisations gained the means to fabricate the metal armour required, and to selectively breed horses strong enough to carry such a heavily armoured man. As they came into contact with these eastern peoples, Rome adopted the technology and fielded her own cataphracts, although not all were Roman by birth. This continued after the loss of the Western Empire, but over the following centuries there was an increasing reliance on mercenaries as the Roman authorities took money tributes rather than military service, and this was particularly prevalent after the disastrous battle of Manzikert in 1071.

Specifications

• Contents: 12 figures, 12 horses
• Poses: 6 poses, 6 horse poses
• Material: Plastic (Medium Consistency)