Tuesday 27 November 2018

10mm Hoplites

I have now finished my first unit of 10mm hoplites. These are the earlier hoplites from Magister Militum. In the Men of Bronze rules, there is supposed to be a 'leader' figure to act as a measuring/line of sight point. Because the polemarch of a phalanx is supposed to be in the front right of the formation, I've gone with a sacrificing priest out front as the marker. 

These hoplites are intended - initially at least - as 'Macedonians'. Or, rather, Greeks from cities in Macedonia. Or Greek mercenaries in Macedonia. All of these seem to have been a feature - if a minor one - of Macedonian armies from the reign of Perdikkas II (454-413 BC); even the Highland Macedonian kingdom of Lynkos seems to have had access to hoplites.

"Brasidas and Perdiccas started on a second joint expedition into Lyncus against Arrhabaeus; the latter with the forces of his Macedonian subjects, and a corps of heavy infantry (ὁπλίτας) composed of Hellenes domiciled in the country; the former with the Peloponnesians whom he still had with him and the Chalcidians, Acanthians, and the rest in such force as they were able. In all there were about three thousand Hellenic heavy infantry, accompanied by all the Macedonian cavalry with the Chalcidians, near one thousand strong, besides an immense crowd of barbarians ... After this the Lyncestian heavy infantry (ὁπλιτῶν) advanced from their hill to join their cavalry and offered battle ..."
Thucydides 4.124.1-3

Perdikkas' son Archelaos (413-399 BC) appears to have also made use of hoplites: "Of these there was no great number, most of those now found in the country having been erected subsequently by Archelaus, the son of Perdiccas, on his accession, who also cut straight roads, and otherwise put the kingdom on a better footing as regards horses, heavy infantry (ὅπλοις), and other war material than had been done by all the eight kings that preceded him."
Thucydides 2.100.2


A rather confusing reference in Anaximenes (FGrH 72 f4) states that 'Alexander' organised the Macedonian infantry and gave then the title pezhetairoi (foot companions). However, it is unclear whether he means Alexander I, Alexander II or Alexander III. If the firat Alexander, that would implying that regular Macedonian infantry (hoplites?) existed from the early fifth century BC. Alexander II reigned only briefly (371-369) and therefore seems seems an unlikely reformer, and Alexander III inherited Philip II's already reformed army. 

For this Greco-Macedonian phalanx, then I went with a lot of Argead stars/suns and horsey themes, with a liberal mix of other more generic stuff on the shields. As a first attempt at free handing 10mm hoplons, I'm happy with the way they turned out.





5 comments:

  1. What a splendid unit, well done!

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  2. Figures look fine. I'm puzzled at the "Macedonian hoplites", however. They didn't use 'em, you know.

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  3. 10mm! Wow! That's a lot of detail in that scale. Very nice.

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