Egyptian Cavalry

[EdmireDragonbane]

I would like to ask a question about the Egyptian cav..What is even good? Or was it crappy? I would imagine it was ok, since it was Alexandrian.

So? Will the Egyptians have powerful cav?

[IGdood]

From my experience playing EB, it was decent. Better than Roman cavalry, at least.

[Biggus Splenus]

From my experience playing EB, it was decent. Better than Roman cavalry, at least.

I don't know why Roman cavalry get so much hate, they were actually very good military horsemen.

[Slydessertfox]

I don't know why Roman cavalry get so much hate, they were actually very good military horsemen.

Their cavalry was at least through the First Two Punic Wars.

[Eofor]

@OP: What do you mean by "Egyptian cavalry"? Are you referring specifically to native Egyptian troops fighting in their own style of warfare? Or just the Ptolemaic/Lagid cavalry in general?

[theDaedricPrince]

@OP: What do you mean by "Egyptian cavalry"? Are you referring specifically to native Egyptian troops fighting in their own style of warfare? Or just the Ptolemaic/Lagid cavalry in general?

Specific much?

[HinFoo]

[SinerAthin]

Hah! Thanks for the laugh

[Horatius Cocles]

OMFG!! Light camel brigade last stand!! Camel & Horse storm into Tahrir Square!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k0_9Y1XaC8

[ptoss1]

Seriously though. Camel cavalry needs to be a thing.

[Sabre120]

Camels sucked in Rome 1, Bedouin Camel Archers were pretty tragic, trying to fight the Egyptian chariots with them was a nightmare.

[torongill]

IMHO the egyptian cavalry will be modeled part after Macedonian cavalry and part after Galatian Celtic cavalry.
My guess is they will be on par with Seleucid Hellenistic cavalry in quality, inferior in numbers; inferior in both quality and numbers to Eastern factions like the Hayasdan and Parthia and superior to Greek cavalry. They will also have elephants and chariots so overall slightly inferior to the Seleucid cavalry arm and a bit more to the Parthians, but otherwise on par or superior to those encountered in the Mediterranean.

Don't forget something else, however - their heavy cavalry would be more vulnerable to missile fire compared to cavalry with shields and will not be very good in protracted close combat. IMHO they will also be pure cavalry, meaning that unlike Equites for example, you wouldn't be able to use them as dismounted cavalry(if CA implements that).

[wulfgar610]

Don't forget something else, however - their heavy cavalry would be more vulnerable to missile fire compared to cavalry with shields and will not be very good in protracted close combat. IMHO they will also be pure cavalry, meaning that unlike Equites for example, you wouldn't be able to use them as dismounted cavalry(if CA implements that).

According to WRG most Greek successor cavalry changed to light spear and shield in the 2nd century BC, so perhaps the Ptolemies followed suit. Going by Duncan Head's comments the Ptolemies imported their war horses as well. They had a Royal Guard cavalry selected from the Cleruch cavalry.

[eighthgear]

The Ptolemies used Macedonian-style cavalry. Think companion cavalry, Tarantine light cavalry, etc. Certainly capable stuff.

[Lord Oda Nobunaga]

But they also used Galatian cavalry, Libyan and Egyptian native cavalry alongside their Tarentine light cavalry and Thracian cavalry mercenaries and their own Macedonian cavalry with some native camel troopers and elephants and perhaps even some scythed chariots very early on. At Raphia the Ptolemies used about 5,000 cavalry but later on in the time of Casar they used 2,000 cavalry against Caesar's army, this however does not count the amount that Cleopatra had at Pelusium with her army which I don't know their number.

[Slydessertfox]

It is to my knowledge that the Egyptians didn't use any native units (responding to Money btw) unless they really had no other option, for fear (and a very real fear at that) that the armed Egyptian natives would rise up in revolt?

[O'Hea]

It is to my knowledge that the Egyptians didn't use any native units (responding to Money btw) unless they really had no other option, for fear (and a very real fear at that) that the armed Egyptian natives would rise up in revolt?

They were really resistant to letting natives be phalangites, but I don't think they were as concerned about letting them serve as auxiliary troops.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

I was hoping we could have camel chariots.Why because they would be great.Better than horse.

[Smiling Hetairoi]

Screw that! We need Elephant chariots!

[Biggus Splenus]

Their cavalry was at least through the First Two Punic Wars.

During the 1st Punic War and during the wars between that one and the 2nd Punic War, they performed admirably, and almost never lost a battle against enemy cavalry (including victories against Gallic cavalry). So I'm going to ask exactly what event do you base this analysis from?

During the 2nd Punic War is when the Roman cavalry performed so atrociously, but that was because they were out armed by Hannibal's cavalry, and the tactics employed by Hannibal cavalry were superior to that of the Romans. Roman cavalry were also put in impossible situations that would have lowered their effectiveness dramaticly; at the Trebia, the Roman cav had just emerged over the river, soaked and exhausted, then were charged by Hannibal's cav; at Lake Trasimene the Roman cavalry had fought well, until ambushed and surrounded by Hannibal's Celts; at Cannae, the Roman cavalry had dismounted from their horses in an attempt to secure a better defensive posture against the opposing Gallic and Iberian cavalry (main reasons for this is because they were heavily out armed, out numbered (4-1 at the most), and positioned right between the Roman infantry and the River Aufidus, allowing no freedom of movement for outflanking the enemy cavalry, a typical tactic of early Roman Cavalry), but they were quickly crushed from the overwhelming numbers of heavily armed cavalry.

Straight after Cannae, however, is the most likely time that the Roman cavalry underwent a major "reform", and the major change was heavier equipment. After this reform, the Roman cavalry barely ever lost a battle for the rest of the war against Hannibal.

As you might be able to tell, I have done my research on this lately . Read McCall's book on the subject, it'll prove my point that Roman cavalry were not as retarded as most people make them out to be. Many people assume they were so bad JUST because of the latter mentioned battles during the 2nd Punic War, but they make these assumptions without properly analysing the history, which is a point that McCall makes clearly in his book.

But, this is an Egyptian Cavalry thread, and I feel I'm off topic.