technological innovations

[Heidi J Torres]

Greetings from Mari!

On 15 Jun 1997, Mark Harris wrote:

> The stirrup allowed mounted horseback combat using lances and thus
> the armored knight. Before this time, most combat was by local
> militia. After the invention of the stirrup and the development of
> the armored horseman, the feudal system evolved to help pay for the
> huge increase in military spending needed to equip such forces.
> 

That mounted combat could not be affected prior to the stirrup is a 
common misconception.

The Scythians, Sarmatians and Celts, at least, had a saddle design which 
facilitated mounted combat and with which lances could be and were used.  
The Sarmatians, in around 200 BC, are noted as favoring scale armor, long 
swords and lances.  The Celts also fought with lances from horseback.

My sources for this are, off the top of my head, _World of the Celts_ by 
Simon James (which has an excellent graphic of the saddle design), and 
the Osprey Men at Arms book on Scythians, as well as various other 
volumes on Scythians and Sarmatians which I cannot recall right now.

Yours,

Mari
(who just loves exploding cherished myths.....)