Searching for any information on the Internet covering the Pre-Islamic Arabs of
the early 3rd century proved rather difficult. There are a number of scholarly
studies published, but these would take care of the cost of a dozen armies.
There are however, small nuggets of information about the Nomadic tribes which did lead me back to the commercial centres, such as Osrhoenae, Edessa, Adiabene and
Singar to name a few. Here, I can only conclude some Nomadic families made rich
through their entrepreneurial ventures in the desert moved to the big
city.
Further, Lakhmid and Ghassānid became frequent terms to describe
those tribes becoming auxiliaries of the East Roman (Byzantine) or Sassanid
Persians. More information is forthcoming as both major powers kept better
records than their predecessors.
Pre-Islamic religion found at Wiki provided useful information for possible
tribal banners. This link brings you to Arab Mythology:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_mythology
The
following may prove useful for those wishing to investigate further
(Wiki):
Ghassanid families
Aldababneh tribe,Abdallah,
Aranki, Ayoub, Ammari, Batarseh, Barakat, Bassit, Bayouth, Chakar, Dmour,
Fallouh (فلّوح), Farah, Farhat, Dababneh,Farhoud, Gharios, Ghanem ,Ghanma,
Ghannoum, Ghulmiyyah, Haber, Habib, Haddad, Hamra, Hattar, Howayek, Haddadin,
Ishaq, Jabara (Jebara or Gebara, Gibara), Kandil, Karadsheh, [Khazen], Kawar,
Khleif, Khoury, Lahd, Layoun, Ltaif, Maalouf, Madanat, Madi, Makhlouf,Al Marjieh
tribe ,Matar, Moghabghab, Mokdad, Mubaydeen, Naber, Nasir, Nayfeh, Nimri, Obeid,
Outayeck, Oweis, Ozaizi, Rached, Rahhal, Razook, Saab, Saad, Saadi, Saah,
Salama, Saliba, Samandar, Samar, Sfeir, Sayegh, Shdid, Sheiks Chemor, Smeirat,
Sweis, Sweidan, Suheimat, Theeba, Touma, Tyan, Zahran.
Searching for an
equivalent list for the Lakhmids did not produce a nice list, but I did
find “Kindah Wars with the Lakhmids”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindah#...h_the_Lakhmids
The tribal names recorded are of the 5th and 6th century, but may have a
longer lineage to an earlier time.
Tuesday 31 March 2015
Tuesday 24 March 2015
Parthia, all three commands in battle array.
All three
commands are deployed on the parade ground. Each are identical in composition
and one could ask, why three commands? Firstly, my Romans (Eastern) are three commands
strong, Sassan have five and with the projected mix of Arabo-Aramean, Armenian
and Pre-Islamic Arabs, there should be enough for a giant size engagement in
the future. Suffice it to say, I enjoy big battles.
Each command
have their banner in a distinct colour which is used as a colour theme for the
elements.
Command one.
Command two.
Command three.
Sunday 22 March 2015
Parthia
Today's post in the series of enemies for the Eastern Roman are the Parthians. The revised 3.0 army lists give Parthia an increase in options; bowmen, both fast and solid Auxilia, and same number of skirmishers. The extra foot will help fighting the Armenians or the hill tribes of the Caucasus. The number of Cataphract (4Kn) are increased by one element giving them a maximum of six and of course lots of LH.
In the Resource
section of Fanaticus are Parthian Army notes, army notes written by Tom Ryan. The article
covers the origins and gives good background information for which I have used to
search further the twilight period of Parthia. As this project does centre on the
last quarter century Parthian Empire and the number of campaigns fought by the
emperors Septimius Severus to Elagabalus the composition of my Parthians will be solely mounted.
At its completion, the Parthian army will consist of three identical commands, each with a theme colour. As the project expands, there will be a number of allies added to the list for both sides to employ.
Parthian command: 1 x Kn (General), 2 x Kn, and 9 x 2LH.
Some handy
links:
Parthian
military overview,
http://www.iranchamber.com/history/p...thian_army.php
Mithras at Dura
Europos
http://archive.archaeology.org/onlin.../dura_europos/
Duro Europos
Synagogue – slideshow
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/art...synagogue.html
Battle of
Nisibis AD 217
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Nisibis_(217)
Wednesday 18 March 2015
II/22 Arabo-Aramean, part 2
The Kingdom of Adiabene,
Unlike Hatra, which was situated on the commercial network as Palmyra, Adiabene's location brought it in constant rivalry with the neighboring Kingdom of Armenia. Her location was situated on the thoroughfare between Armenia and Parthia and later Sassan.
Painting the army.
Two of the six bowmen are clad in chain-mail and are distinct with their white plumes and cloaks and these are my Palace Guard. The remaining bowmen are painted in muted
colours which brought a nice eastern look to both commands. The darker clothed
figures in reds and brown carrying shield are fast blade.
As both armies are nearly identical in appearance, the only visible difference between the two kingdoms are the banners they carry; the Goddess (Hatra) and the crossed Palm Leaves (Adiabene). This makes combining the two for large scale battles easier.
Both armies have not had a sterling combat record; against the desert nomads, they have not fared to well and as allies for Parthia they were consistent, they fled.
More later when I present scenarios for this project.
Cheers,
Tuesday 17 March 2015
II/22 Arabo-Aramean
Kingdom
of Hatra
Assembling a
list of armies for this project, I wondered if it wise to add any Arabo-Aramean
armies as the desert nomads were a versatile ally for Rome, Parthia and Sassan.
Further
investigation proved II/22c, d, and e could be used within the period covered
by this project and the difference between the army list of 2.2 and 3.0 are not
great. All three options basically have a bodyguard of Kn, with a host of
archers backed by javelineers and swordsmen and camel mounted caravan guard.
Individually, these
may not fare too well against Rome, but for the larger scale battles they could
add an extra dimension to a game. Historically, Hatra did a grand job of
“thumbing” their noses at the Romans but less so against the Sassanid.
The figures
making up the infantry for the two armies are a mix of Old Glory Armenian
infantry and Sassanid archers; two elements of javelin types will be converted
to fast blade.
Not pictured
are Eastern Roman figures in chainmail, helmet and cloak which serve as a
palace guard, the remainder will be painted in muted colours.
I know Essex
offer armoured camels, however, I opted to combine all my purchase from one
source, Old Glory. They offer 6 camel guards to a pack, which was exactly what
was needed.
The design of
the Hatrene banner came from a suggestion by “Swampster” at the Fanaticus
Forum. The article (link) was an invaluable source covering religious symbols of
the period. Next post: the Kingdom of Adiabene.
Cheers,
Saturday 14 March 2015
The Eastern Legions and Auxilia
Here is an overview
of elements forming an eastern option for the early Severan period.
Syria
Legiones (12,000 legionnaires, 72 ballistae)
III Gallica, 4 x 4Bd, 1 x Art
IV Scythica, 4 x 4Bd, 1 x Art
XVI Flavia. 4 x 4Bd, 1 x Art
Auxilia (3,000 cavalry, 1,075 mounted infantry,
7,000 infantry, total: 16,500)
Alae
II Flavia Agrippiana, from Lugdunensis , 1 x 3Cv
I Praetoria C. R., unknown origin, 1 x
3Cv
III Thracum, from Thrace, 1 x
3Cv
Thracum Herculania M., from Thrace, 2 x 3Cv
I Ulpia Singularium , raised by Trajan, 1 x
3Cv
Cohortes
I Ascalonitanorum S., from Judaea, 1 x 4Bw
I Flavia Chalcidenorum S.E., from Syria 1 x 4Bw
II Classica S., from the Fleet, 1
x 4Bw
I Ulpia Dacorum, from Dacia, 1 x
4Ax
VII Gallorum, from Lugdenensis, 1 x
4Ax
I Lucensium E., from Tarraconensis, 1 x
4Ax
IV Lucensium E., from Tarraconensis, 1 x 4Ax
I Ulpia Petraeorum M.E., from Arabia, 2 x
4Ax
V Ulpia Petraeorum M.E., from Arabia, 2 x
4Ax
I Claudia Sugambrorum, from Spain, 1 x 4Ax
I Sugambrorum E., from Spain, 1 x
4Ax
II Thracum Syriaca E., from Thrace, 1 x
4Ax
III Augusta Thracum E., from Thrace, 1 x
4Ax
Equites units will be grouped to create 3 x
2LH
To supplement the above, a further 3 x
2LH
are Equites Indigenae, Itauranorum, and Arabae.
Friday 13 March 2015
General Officers and the battle array.
In Phil Barker’s book, Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome, general officers
wore a muscled corselet with an attic styled helmet this period; beards came
also into fashion.
Out my small excess stock I found three candidates for the position of general; two Greek Successor generals and one Gallic Chieftain. The Greeks would need fur trim for the cloak and the height of plumage atop the helmet should be increased a bit. The horses are fine, but the saddle cloth could be lengthened.
The helmet for the chieftain would need to be built up and the trousers trimmed to Roman styled breeches. As he is the only one with shield, I shall need to trim this a bit to conform with the style of the time.
Original figures.
Conversion.
The three commands in battle array.
Command 1
Command 2
Command 3
Out my small excess stock I found three candidates for the position of general; two Greek Successor generals and one Gallic Chieftain. The Greeks would need fur trim for the cloak and the height of plumage atop the helmet should be increased a bit. The horses are fine, but the saddle cloth could be lengthened.
The helmet for the chieftain would need to be built up and the trousers trimmed to Roman styled breeches. As he is the only one with shield, I shall need to trim this a bit to conform with the style of the time.
Original figures.
Conversion.
The three commands in battle array.
Command 1
Command 2
Command 3
Thursday 12 March 2015
Indigenous Troops in Roman service.
Light Horse
The Middle Imperial Roman army have one LH per command with an option for an extra LH. For the eastern army, these would represent irregular troops raised from the native realms.
I have large numbers of horse archers for Parthian and Sassanid, so I have
chosen javelin armed types for which I will use the Lurkio Late Moors. These
have a suitable Arab-like appearance and perfect for my
Indigenae Idiota.
Lurkio “Moorish” Light Cavalry
Recommended reading:
The Roman Cavalry, From the First to the Third
Century A.D. by K. Dixon and P. Southern
Along with the small order of indigenous (LH) mounted I also added baggage camels. This was my first order with Lukio miniatures, but the horses are a bit taller than Old Glory ones, but that should not be noticeable when painted.
Quality of castings are very good with virtually
no cleaning needed. The attendants for the camels are actually Moorish slingers
and these match well with Old Glory figures.
Wednesday 11 March 2015
Artillery and archers
The Middle
Imperial Roman list include more options for which I have now added artillery
and bowmen to my Eastern Army. This means 3 x 4Bw and 1 x Art will be added to
each command; extra bowmen will be used to fill the Hatrene and Characene
ranks. Funny how these projects seem to grow.
In the
foreground are the Roman elements and to their rear are the extras based as 3Bw
for the Arabo-Aramean armies.
Tuesday 10 March 2015
Cavalry
Comparing the Early to Middle Imperial Roman list
feature an increase in cavalry and the appearance of heavily armoured types,
the cataphract.
The latter were original formed from Parthian
refugees, but as Parthians are still a viable opponent in our campaigns, I
shall use only cavalry and light horse. Below are the elements needed for the
three commands.
Alae
II Flavia Agrippiana, from Lugdunensis 1 x 3Cv
I Praetoria C. R., not known 1 x 3Cv
III Thracum, from Thrace 1 x 3Cv
Thracum Herculania M., from Thrace 2 x 3Cv
Light Horse
An element of light horse is listed for the Middle
Imperial army list. A second element is an option for the eastern Romans. This
reflects the “Illyrian” regiments raised from the Promoti and Mauri units.
Promoti are the Legionary cavalry and as such should
have similar clothing and shield pattern as their host Legion. One such LH is
done with the exception of the shield design.
This is speculation, but further light horse may
have come from the existing auxilia regiments having mounted units or Equitata.
In Barker's book, these were grouped together to form part of the battlefield
cavalry.
Looking at Cheesman's list for the eastern
provinces there are a high proportion of Auxilia Equitata located on the
frontier. Excavations of the Auxilia forts have found a number with stables. As
their primary role is scouting I will paint up two more LH from the Equitata
units, keeping the same shield pattern as their parent unit.
Recommended reading:
The Roman Cavalry, From the First to the Third
Century A.D. by K. Dixon and P. Southern
Monday 9 March 2015
The Auxilia
Auxiliary Shield patterns.
Shields appearing in Phil Barker’s book are taken
from Trajan’s column. From these we can see four general patterns, those with
an eagle emblazoned have been awarded Roman citizenship for valour on the
battlefield, Jupiter’s eagle and lightning bolts represent volunteers raised
among the Roman citizens and shields depicted with a wreath are awarded the title
Torquata and the remainder have designs, swirls and stars. The latter may have
significance to the region they were recruited from, but this is speculation.
My Auxiliary are those which served in the Syrian
province as noted by G.L. Cheesman in his book The Auxilia of the Roman
Imperial Army. To facilitate the painting of 12 elements of Auxilia, I would
select six shield colours and later add to each a unique pattern. In this manner I can repeat a pattern but on a different coloured shield.
From Cheesman’s book, you can find the Auxilia
listed by province from which they were recruited from and by the province
which they were stationed.
Cheesman: http://www.archive.org/stream/auxili...ge/n5/mode/2up
I am aware since the publication of the book,
there has been new research into the subject of Auxilia, but there has not been
enough done for the eastern provinces. Here is where my artistic license can be
loosed.
Cohortes
I Ascalonitanorum S. from Judaea 1 x 4Bw
I Flavia Chalcidenorum S.E. from Syria 1 x 4Bw
II Classica S. from the Fleet 1 x 4Bw
I Ulpia Dacorum from Dacia 1 x 4Ax
VII Gallorum from Lugdenensis 1 x 4Ax
I Lucensium E. from Tarraconensis 1 x 4Ax
IV Lucensium E. from Tarraconensis 1 x 4Ax
I Ulpia Petraeorum M.E. from Arabia 2 x 4Ax
V Ulpia Petraeorum M.E. from Arabia 2 x 4Ax
I Claudia Sugambrorum from Spain 1 x 4Ax
I Sugambrorum E. form Spain 1 x 4Ax
II Thracum Syriaca E. from Thrace 1 x 4Ax
III Augusta Thracum E. from Thrace 1 x 4Ax
The bowmen are optional on the Middle Imperial
Roman list as are the psiloi which will be native slingers. Of the ten
regiments listed above, two are double strength and will have two elements in place
of one.
In the foreground are eight standard size cohort,
second are two milliaria which are now done. I selected 6 shield patterns
duplicating the pattern for units with different background.
Most common designs were crescent moons, stars and
spines. To add diversity, the tunics are not all white,
but for example the Spanish units have black, Arab, brown and the Gallic, a
blue grey.
Sunday 8 March 2015
Storm Within the (Roman) Empire
Two years ago I began collecting armies of the 15th
century as a starter project while DBA 3.0 was in its draft stage. As the rules reached its final revision,
I started the Severan Dynasty, a much larger project which was followed closely at
the DBA Fanaticus Forum.
Unfortunately, reorganizing
my Photobucket account, the 250 photos of the Severan thread and other projects lost their link. Rather than restoring the links, an easier option is to restore here the entire “Armies and Enemies of Rome – the Severan Dynasty”. This not only covers the armies of the 2nd/3rd century that fought Rome, but terrain
items and interesting campaign and scenario ideas for anyone interested in this
dynamic period of history.
Middle
Imperial Romans.
Some years back, the
proposed 3.0 list for II/64 Middle Imperial Roman caught my eye. I noted no new
items, but the list did offer a flexible composition to build an army. Rather than build one, I opted to collect three commands with options.
As a start, I selected the eastern frontier as the list of enemies offered a variety of troop types. Along with the Sassanid, already in my collection, I would add Parthia, Arabo-Aramean (Hatra
and Characene), Pre-Islamic Arabs and Armenians. This would make a fine
representation a late 2nd/ early 3rd century campaign.
Eastern Frontier
Starting with the Legions, I choose the III Gallica, IV Scythica and the XVI Flavia
Firma to represent the core strength for each command. Those wishing to do
research for their own collections, I can recommend the following link:
The Legions:
http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/legions.htm
For my own selected
legions, these links will take you to their unit history.
III Gallica:
http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/iii_gallica.html , emblem, the Bull
IV Scythica :
http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/iiii_scythica.html , emblem, the Capricorn
XVI Flavia Firma:
http://www.livius.org/le-lh/legio/xvi_flavia_firma.html , emblem, the Lion
Regarding shield patterns, I choose a pragmatic approach to their depiction.
* The majority of shields
depict two pair of wings and lightning bolts.
* The colour red is known to cover
the back of the shield, but the front side is still open to further research.
* We do know the ground colour of shields in the later period as represented in
the Notitia Dignitatum, so a general direction can be made.
* For my three
legions (4 x 4Bd) I have selected red, ochre and tan, each with two pair of
wings and lightning bolts.
Next posting; the Auxilia
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)