m75

THE MOORISH ARMIES

Spanish sword and scabbard, possibly of the I3th century. The blade is long and broad with a fuller for two thirds of its length. The quillons bear the arms of Castile on one side, of Leon on the other. The hilt is of wood, plated with silver, and the pommel of iron plated with silver-gilt. The scabbard is wood, sheathed in silver-gilt filigree and originally set with seventy-five stones. The scabbard especiaily reflects the Moorish influence on Spanish arms and armour.

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Axe head of the style used by Norman knights when fighting on foot, by some infantry, and by the Byzantine Varangian Guard. The head is 7^in in width, and 6^in from point to point across the blade. Weight would be about three pounds, and a three to four foot haft was normally used.

throwing up a rampart at a camp site where the army was to stop for any length of time. The supply and siege trains mostly employed camels, which enabled the Arab armies to move faster than their enemies. If long distances were to be covered, the infantry might also be provided with camels and horses, and on short forced marches each cavalry-man took a foot soldier up behind him. Physi-cians and surgeons, with a hospital and ambulances (litters carried by camels) also accompanied the army in the field.

The armies of the Ommayad dynasty (755—1031) were basically as described above: a bodyguard, volunteers and feudal levies, reinforced by merce-naries, in this case not Turks but Berbers from North Africa.

The army of the Berber Almoravide dynasty, which invaded Spain in 1086, also had its elite bodyguard, but had as well a regular force of infantry which was armed with long spears, except the front rank, which was armed with throwing javelins. The mounted forces of the Iberian amirs were usually employed on the flanks of this infantry

On the march the army was divided into hve divisions: centre and two wings as for the battleheld, and van and rear guards. The vanguard always remained several miles ahead of the main body and had the task of digging a ditch and