Corps XXII Armenians and Phrygians

No Armenians and the Garrison Phrygians may not look like the Greek and Persian Wars versions but I've got the figures so...

Also, the Garrison/Funcken costumes look better.

Javelins and axes - what's not to like?

I think this is one of the nicer figures in the original range in terms of the costume.

These are 3Ax but I've got others based as 4Sp - useful as pre hoplite spearmen, possibly serving as Lydians or similar? For the Aeolian (Aetolian?)  Greeks of Corps IX I'm thinking of using the unarmoured Greek peltast G11 - got hundreds of the things... (as in... 110 from the  Grant collection, 70 from Harry's, plus ? I did myself!). Aetolians always appear as psiloi or peltasts in army lists and fought that way in battles, so I think using them as hoplites would be unlikely!

The axemen are ex-Harry, part of a unit of 40. After about 6 years I've just gotten round to rebase 18 of them...

Again, nice figures but the axes (bipennes) are a bit fragile and inclined to snap off easily. The colour scheme is from Funcken though not the axeman - it's from a sword and hoplon armed figure.

Lydia v Phrygia DBA

As I'm getting on with some casting, this battle is on the 2' deep board that I also rest my spincaster on.

Figures are all Garrison 20mm though the Phrygian General's chariot is scratch built.

Setup shown from behind the Lydian army.

The Phrygian  right heads to outflank the refused Lydian left...

Whilst the Lydian right heads towards the Phrygians...

Note the double ranked Lydian spears. At this point I'd forgotten that they don't count two ranks against peltasts (Ax).

The Phrygian General plus supports reaches first.

But being pushed back and losing 2 elements of peltasts   didn't seem like a good start.

However...

And...

While the Lydian right was being held up - that small wood had a major effect on the battle...

At which point the Lydians were 4 elements down and lost!

So the armies got put away and out came the casting setup.

Another enjoyable battle. Even fighting solo there are surprises - the way the Lydian right was held up by light archers in the wood - and lost a light horse element in the process - the fact that spears beat the peltasts as expected, but not as easily, one element of spears lost to two elements of peltasts,  and the speed at which the Phrygian right was able to get into action and win the day...

Lydia and Phrygia

This is basically most of the troops that would form the main components of the Satrapies in Asia Minor or other independent states in that general area. As Garrison made an 'Ionian' hoplite, that's the main figure I used for the hoplite component, with the Phrygian javelinman making up most of the rest.

 Lydian cavalry equipped with a long spear.

The figures are more of those I sold to Harry and that have come home.

The original figure was the cavalry standard bearer - remove the standard and you have a decent lancer.

 Ionian hoplites and a unit of G3s in Carian service

This unit is one of my original 1970s units.

 

For the Carians I went all Hollywood with black leather armour and black helmets.

The standard bearer is actually from the later 25mm range that had open hands - he has been given a Gallic cockerel standard  as Carians were nicknamed cocks due to their red helmet plumes.

These 2 units are ex-Harry

Massed peltasts and axemen!

One unit of these are on close order bases to act as 'pre-hoplite spearmen'

 This unit has Greek/Lydian and Persian command groups to give added flexibility.

 This unit of straight peltasts is another of my relic 70's units.

The axemen, though, came from Harry

As did the light cavalry.

 This figure is virtually identical to the Phrygian cavalryman (illustration 76) in the Blandford Warriors and Weapons of Early Times.

And finally a unit of scratchbuilt chariots.