Battle of Aphahunk 998

[Erpingham]

Here's an interesting blog about a rather obscure battle.  Plenty of quoted newly translated Armenian text.  I leave it to those who specialise in this area to say whether it is significant.

This caught my eye for one of those discussions about army organisation

The Armenian/Iberian army "were organized not according to the formation of a line of battle, but everyone charged by family and seniority of contingents", though the impression is one of uncontrolled advance.  Lots  too on Armenian/Iberian sword skills and how they could cut down cavalry and horses. I'll leave it to the army list writers to interpret that one.

[Duncan Head]

"employing a Dalmastanean shield-wall" = Daylami?

From vague memory I think this battle is discussed in Paul Blaum's article "Life in a Rough Neighborhood: Byzantium, Islam and the Rawwadid Kurds" (International Journal of Kurdish Studies, 1996) - there was formerly a copy of this article, or of a draft of it, available on the web but I can't see it on open access now. IIRC I have a copy at home, and it mentions Dailami troops in Rawadid service.

Later: Yes, checked it now, there's a few paragraphs; apparently there are two main accounts of the battle, one from Stephen of Taron as quoted in the blog and one from Matthew of Edessa, and they're quite different.