Cypriot City States list?

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Aetius
Corporal - Strongpoint
Corporal - Strongpoint
Posts: 55
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:54 am

Cypriot City States list?

Post by Aetius »

I'm not sure where this army would potentially fit - probably at an allied army in 'Immortal Fire' or an army in it's own right in 'Swifter than Eagles' or will there be another book that will cover missing Biblical/Antiquities lists such as Early Hebrew & Middianites etc?

My own thoughts on the Cypriot City States list is as follows:

You've only really got 3 main native troop types:
Spearmen
Slingers & javelinmen
Chariots (2 alternate types)

The bulk of the army is spear armed protected infantry (large round, multi-bossed shields, strap-on greaves, conical helmets - some with cloth avantails): personally I'd prefer these depicted as HF, Average, Undrilled, Defensive Spear in the early era (based on the Minoan & Mycenaean style). However, looking at the host of pottery figurines that are available for study - the ones with the felt/thick armour & avantails seem to have very short spears (although that might be a pottery production issue rather than their actual size) - so MF, Average, protected, short spear might me more in keeping with the 'flavour' of other 'Swifter than Eagles' lists - but I'm uncertain that this represents the way they interacted with the chariots.
I'd allow these in big battle groups - 6 to 12 and have at least 30 as compulsory. There doesn't appear to be any reference or depiction of archers supporting the spearmen like in Mycenaean or Minoan armies.

The Slingers & Javelinmen are pretty straightforward undrilled LF - but should be a low % of the overall troops available. Maybe a couple of battle groups of 6 slings & 1 BG of 6 javelins - lots of pottery slingshot have been unearthed and very few arrow heads at all.

The chariots fall into 2 types - standard 4 horse, 3 crew, Heavy Chariots - light spears & bows - in the later period, along the Assyrian model lines (remember most of the Cypriot City States were Assyrian vassals ahead of the Persian conquest). There are some really nice 4 horse, 3 crew, bronze & clay votive chariot models in the British Museum.
Or there are the earlier 2 Horse Heavy, 2 crew, Heavy Chariots - light spear - [or should it be lance for Mycenaean 'heroic' charioteers] without a bow, in the Greek Heroic tradition. There is a pottery vase depicting this type of chariot. This vase also shows what appears to be an unarmoured horseman (leading another rider less horse) - however, looking at it more closely this is clearly the un-yoked chariot team from a chariot shown in the background of the vase.
Again like the LF there should only be 2 BG of 4 chariots of either type (one or the other being available at different times) & I'd have them both as drilled, superior.
I'd not make any of the chariots compulsory as certain of the central mountain & northern Cypriot states show no evidence of using chariots at all.

You can then add in some alternative 'foreign' troops:

In the earlier period you could have a 2 BGs 4-6 Sea Peoples: MF, protected, superior, undrilled, Impact Foot, swordsmen.
NB: there is a really nice, Cypriot carved seal stone in the British Museum that clearly shows a reed crested, kilted fighter, welding a long straight sword in an over-arm slashing stroke. He is attacking an acorn helmeted spearman behind a tower shield. Pretty good info from a precious stone no bigger than your thumb nail!

As a later alterative to the Sea People BGs - you could replace these with native (proto-Assyrian style javelinmen) MF. average, undrilled, short spear, swordsmen. These are depicted in very similar style to later Assyrian lighter infantry, with crested helmets, cross chest 'webbing' and short sleeved T shirt type tunics and medium size round shields. Again, I'd only allow 2 BG's 4 - 6 of these.

Later on when the Cypriot states rebelled against Persian rule they imported Lydian and Karian Hoplites - so again up to 4 BG's of 6 HF, Armoured, Drilled, Average, Offensive Spear would become available. These could be fielded with the 4 horse Heavy Chariots & the proto- Assyrian MF, but not the Sea People & 2 Horse Chariots.
Maybe in the later armies the Core Cypriot HF should be armed with light spear, sword rather than classified as Defensive spearmen?

From an Allies perspective:
In the early period the armies should have Allied Mycenaean/Minoan troops, or Assyrians and maybe allied Sea Peoples (but all mutually exclusive).
In the later era, Siatic Egypt offered promises of help against the Persians during the great rebellion - help that never materialised! But still you could have them as an allied list.

The Cypriot City States Allies list could be used by Early Persians and Assyrians.

So there you have it.
If there's a downloadable army list builder I'm happy to have a go at pulling this together.

Cheers
Mark
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