Dear Laurel --
You wrote "European armies were only capable of moving in slow masses ".
It wasn't the " speed " alone that set the tribes of the steppes apart !
The Sarmatians were the inventors of Chain Mail and the Stirrup -- both gave
tremendous advantages in combat !
The steppe tribes were very well armed and used double recurve bows of
tremendous power and short length when compared to the European longbows .
They were also armed with long spears , long and short swords , axes and
armor , etc .
Also , I wouldn't leap to any conclusion regarding ""( I have wondered
whether that reddish hair could have been traced back to some poor woman
captured in a Viking raid and traded eastward.) "" The Sarmations were BLOND
according to the writers
of antiquity -- among their neighbors were the Finns , etc.; thus red hair is
NOT indicative of any social status or origin !!
I have not studied the MONGOLS per se , however , the Saumatian women and
other
women of the steppes were often buried with their weapons ; often went into
combat alongside their men or alone -- they were the direct descendents of
the women of the Greek Amazon legends !! ( Herodatus IV, 110-117 ).
"Only after killing an enemy were they allowed to marry !" (Jettmar VI , 56 )
I too found Harold Lamb to be a remarkable author .
His book on Hannibal was among the very first additions to my personal
library many decades ago .
Best regards ,
Joe Greigg ( William B. Sinclair - England/Wales 1835 )
Wilmington, Delaware , USA
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