a comparative study of a Roman frontier province. - Historia Antigua

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12. See above note 7. Marichal 1979,448, presented evidence for Libyan
camel drivers supplying the garrison at Bu Njem. For some relief
carvings showing camel "caravans" at Ghirza, see Brogan 1954,129 and
Pl. XVIIa.
13. Bates 1914,16-17; Evenari et al 1970,308-11; Bovill 1968,15-16;
Briggs 1960,17-23.
14. As note 13.
15. Demougeot 1960,247, observed that the Arab invasions of the seventh
century were accomplished largely by cavalry forces. Ocba conquered
the Fezzan in A. D. 666-67 with 400 cavalry, supported by 400 camels
used as baggage animals, El Bekri, 1913 trans., 32-35.
16. Vegetius, III, 23, camelos aliquante nationes apud veteres in acie
produxerunt ut Ursiliani intra Afri cam vet ceteri Mazices hodieque
producunt.
17. Corippus, loh, VI, 194-95, tunc equites peditesque ruunt altisque
camelis/Maurorum qui more sedent.
18. Corippus II, 91-96; 474; IV, 597-618; V, 351; 377; 421-33; VIII, 40;
Procopius, Wars, III, 8.25-28; IV, 11.17-56. Pringle 1981,248 n. 101,
notes that Ibn Khaldun, Mugaddima II, 78 (trans. Rosenthal) referred
to a similar tactic among the Berbers called al-Majbudah, whereby they
dispersed their camels and other pack animals in lines to steady the
fighting men and to provide a base line to fall back on. Vegetius, III,
23 (see note 16 above) was surely referring to the same tactic of
drawing camels into lines as a form of rudimentary defensive line.
19. In c. A. D. 523, Cabaon defeated a Vandal army, using this tactic against
the feared Vandal cavalry. However, the Byzantine generals Solomon and
John Troglodita, countered the ploy by dismounting and launching a
concerted infantry attack (A. D. 534 and 546).
20. Pringle 1981,15-16; Courtois 1955,100, n 7; Gautier 1952,182-85;
Camps 1980,124-27.
21. Courtois 1955,100, n7. On the basis that the camp had an internal
area of c. 3 ha, he calculated that the "rampart" would have required
c. 5,000 camels.
22. Synesius, Catastasis I, col 1569; Tomlin 1979,266. Compare also
Synesius, Letter 130, where he mentioned the rustling of camel herds.
23. Ammianus Marcellinus, XXVIII, 6,5. In view of the widespread use of
the camel for agricultural and transportation purposes in Tripolitania,
there is no reason to follow Courtois 1955,100, n6, who proposed to
emend the text so that Romanus' demand read only 400 camels. There
is no evidence that the Laguatan were the only people who possessed
thousands of camels, and the testimony of Synesius (note 22 above)
implies that they got some of their camels by pillaging the herds of
the cities. Courtois' argument that nineteenth century caravans rarely
exceeded 1,000 camels is not proof that larger numbers could not travel
together in the desert, as his own calculation shows (note 21, above).
24. Nowhere in the account of the Austuriani raids on Tripolitania
(Ammianus Marcellinus, XXVIII, 6,1-5; 13-14) are camels mentioned in
connection with the raiders. The demand for camels to be provided by
the Lepcitani for the comes Romanus is the only reference as we have
seen (note 23 above). Yet Courtois 1955,102 referred to "preuve
decisive de la presence d'un important chaptel camelin daps 1'arrizre
pays de Leptis Magna"; Desanges 1962,82 noted "ce sont des nomades
chameliers"; the same is true in even the most recent accounts,
Pringle 1981,15; Camps 1980,124-28.