Digging for Britain BBCTV

[SV52]

Anyone watch the edition on Roman cavalry in Britain?

I found it very interesting and thought the whole troop going through their manoevres was very impressive and colourful.  All done without the aid of Mike Loades too.

However I think it left the viewer with the wrong impression of how the cavalry fitted into the army in general.  The cavalry were frequently referred to as an 'elite' force and the term 'auxiliary' wasn't used at all.  Fair enough I suppose, didn't spoil my overall enjoyment, just niggled a bit 

[Techno]

Missed it !

Was thinking of watching that.....Though I'd never be able to spot if they were stretching the truth !

Cheers - Phil.

[Ithoriel]

I caught this entirely by accident, idly flipping through channels looking for something to wind down with at the end of the day.

Given it's clearly aimed at interested general viewers rather than nerds like me, I thought it rather good.

The auxiliary nature of the cavalry was glossed over (couple of mentions that specific individuals were not citizens) but was not the focus of the programme so I was happy to let that slide.

I did feel the emphasis on the lack of practice time for the riders rather missed the point that the members who need practice are the horses, who learn by doing, rather than the riders, who can at least be given verbal instruction. Which made what they achieved all the more impressive, IMHO.

Well worth hunting down on i-player, I think.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I agree with all the above, well worth seeing.

[sunjester]

Perhaps the writers had glanced at the wrong history books and were thinking of the cavalry in the later empire, some of which could be considered more "elite".

[Ithoriel]

Perhaps the writers had glanced at the wrong history books and were thinking of the cavalry in the later empire, some of which could be considered more "elite".

Nah. The programme was mainly about the impact of archaeology on our knowledge of the cavalry in particular and history in general and looked at those "down in a pit digging," those reviewing what had been dug up, experimental archaeology and the interplay between them.

Apparently those "parade" helmets with the face masks that made them impractical for battle are less restrictive of vision than your average medieval helm. Who knew?

Re-enactors apparently!

The shots of the cavalry wedge formation were impressive and instructive and it was far more easily achieved by relatively untrained riders than I'd have imagined.