Scholars have always been attracted to the Roman heavy armoured cavalry, regarding them as the early precursors of the armoured knights of the Middle Ages. Imperial Rome was already employing foreign heavy cavalry from the East during the 1st century AD; by AD 120 the army had also formed its own first integral regiment of heavy armoured cavalry, probably by merging two existing Gallic and Pannonian units. Under continuing pressure from the Parthians and Sassanian Persians, who excelled in this type of troops, in the 3rd and 4th centuries the Romans both continued to employ units from allied client states and to expand their own cataphractarii and clibanorii. By the end of the 4th century these regiments had become the elite of the armies in both the Western and Eastern Empires. Drawing upon a wide range of literary, artistic and archaeological sources, this book examines the history, tactics and equipment of these units, including the armour of both the troopers and their horses. It is illustrated with photos and archaeological drawings, and with eight newly researched colour plates reconstructing these armoured riders over the centuries. Book jacket.