Sarmatians armed with clubs?

[Imperial Dave]

For some reason I have it in my head that there is a description of some Sarmatians being armed with clubs. I know that there is a reference to Palestinian clubmen but I think there is also one that applies to Sarmatians.

Any ideas?

[CarlL]

Imp Dave,

There was figure 28a in Phil Barker's (PB's) AEIR book, that depicted a German warrior with club based on Trajan's column, said to be Roman auxiliaries (in some descriptions of Trajans column) or more likely symmachiarii, as noted by PB.  Armed so to counter the Sarmatian cataphracts and elsewhere said to be depicting the fighting to take hillforts off Dacians.

And the Bastarnae who are sometimes described as east Germans, who fought with Dacians (and Sarmatians) against Rome and were famous for their falx, as depicted by figure 85 in PB's AEIR.

CarlL

[Duncan Head]

I don't know of any reference to Sarmatians armed with clubs, no.

[Imperial Dave]

Thanks both. Probably misread something

[Erpingham]

This article contains a survey of text references to Sarmatian weaponry

https://ojs.bibl.u-szeged.hu/index.php/chronica/article/download/10740/10631/11100&ved=2ahUKEwic-dGKzdGRAxXzU0EAHTMLLFw4ChAWegQIIxAB&usg=AOvVaw2iv9t66lIPUrv8oeNpQK8P

No mention of clubs.  Maybe you read it in a secondary source?

[Mick Hession]

Could of course be a typo if the Palestinian clubmen were Samaritans...

[Imperial Dave]

Its nagging me now...a Roman source perhaps?

[Imperial Dave]

Having looked at it again I suspect i have it the wrong way around and that Romans might have employed clubs againstSarmatians....?

[nikgaukroger]

Can't recall any accounts of Romans using clubs against Sarmatians. We have troops from Palestine using them against Palmyrans, Constantine's troops using them against other Romans and Constantius II's troops using them against Sasanids.

[Imperial Dave]

Thanks Nik, very much obliged putting this old duffer straight. Much appreciated for the info 

[CarlL]

I think the pictorial references on Trajan's column is to the German mercenaries fighting with clubs, for the Romans against the Dacians and their allies like Bastarnae and Sarmatians.

CarlL

[Imperial Dave]

Thanks Carl

[Erpingham]

I think my query on the Germans with clubs would be "Are they shown fighting Sarmatians?" The danger is that we will see men with clubs and we will conclude because of later instances that they have brought them along to fight armoured cavalry. But they may have clubs to reflect the cliche that Germans were iron poor.

[nikgaukroger]

If its just on Trajan's column I'd suggest its highly likely to be a cliché.

[CarlL]

cliche as in stereotype? Nik.

I am no student of Roman art, sculpture or literature, but often these are our only depiction of Rome's soldiers (or enemies) from such artefacts.

So the original sculpture of Trajan's column undoubtedly had a message other than just literal and pictorial representation; and those depicted may never have been seen by those creating the work. However its a key pictorial source that was intended to display Trajan's martial success and those he fought.

cliche perhaps fails to relate to any evidence as a statement.

context is important Anthony / Erpingham, and despite many images being available publicly it's hard (unless someone out there really knows this column and its images) to find the context from which the likes of this drawing (in an Alamy image) of a Germanic warrior with club was taken. I have read others commentaries suggesting context of both an attack on Dacian hillfort(s) and against Sarmatian cataphracts but I lack the expertise to find the images to corroborate these. (May be also the time to find these needles in the haystack.) But context is important.

see

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-military-ancient-world-roman-empire-german-auxiliary-troops-auxiliaries-47976788.html?imageid=E1E24E4A-8AD0-4F5F-B782-294E5343D885&pn=1&searchId=2b2caf30340042cb71b889d47126781b&searchtype=0

CarlL