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Thread: Preview: Italic and Illyrian Factions

  1. #1

    Default Preview: Italic and Illyrian Factions

    Rhaeti

    According to Livy (Ab urbe Condita, V, 33), the Rhaeti, a people living in the Alps, of dubious origins, were born from some of the Etruscans, who driven from the Po Valley from the Gallic Invasion, had sheltered in the mountain areas of nowdays Veneto, Trentino-Sud Tyrol and Austria, and there melted with the indigenous peoples, gradually becaming barbaric, losing many of their customs and acquiring the local's habits.

    Pliny also mentions the same thing:

    "It is believed that the Rhaeti, descendants of the Etruscans led by Reto, were driven by the Gauls."
    (Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, III, 133)Actually, the reality is still debated, but the theory mostly accepted is that Rhaetians were a very ancient, Pre-Indeuropean people, in part ethnically related to the Ligures, so that the Romans wrote time to time that some mountain tribes -like the Stoni- to be Rhaetic or Ligurian .

    While Ligures had benefit from indeuropean elements in ancient times, and after that by a partial celtization, Rhaetians have maintained more their ancient heritage, even if they received mixed superficial influences by Etruscans, Venetkens and Celts.

    In the brief mentions of the roman sources, Rhaetians are described as barbaric populations, made ​​wild by the harshness of their territory, a warlike people armed with one bladed axes, with the habit of raiding vale villages and traders, a dangerous obstacle to the freedom of transit through the Alps (Strab., IV.6.6.; 6.8.; V.1.6.; Horace Carm. IV 14, 7-6, 17-22).

    The Rhaeti were a fierce and indomitable people indeed, and in Val di Fassa there still is a legend that recalls the desperate defense of the last Rhaetic “Castelliere” (mountain stone rampart) from the Romans of the “evil Munez” (probably Lucius Munatius Plancus, one of the conquerors of Rhaetia), in which the people of the mountains, understanding they were going ultimately to loose, used their own babies as ammunitions, throwing them from the rampart under siege against the Roman legionaries.


    Speaking of the Rhaetic panoply, the evidence are very scarces, and except from Negau and Italic-Alpine helmets, battle axes (also quoted several times by the Romans and depicted in Venetken art) and short swords quite similar to the one of the Celts of mountain region (like Orobii or Lepontii), there isn't a lot.

    Notable artifact is the "rider of Sanzeno", depicting probably a noble warrior:

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    Rhaetic Slingers

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    Rhaetic Skirmishers

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    Rhaetic Levies

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    Rhaetic Spearmen

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    Rhaetic Axemen

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    Rhaetic Nobles

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    Rhaetic Noble Riders

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    Last edited by Iutland; June 05, 2014 at 02:06 PM. Reason: Merge threads

  2. #2

    Default Preview: Ambrones (Ligures) roster

    AMBRONES

    Ambrones was the name used by the Ligures to define themselves.

    We came to know this by an interesting statement of Plutarch about a very curious fact that happened shortly before the clash between the Roman and the Teuton armies at Aquae Sextiae.
    When a german tribe part of the Teuton army, named “Ambrones”, shouted their warcry, that actually was their tribal name, the Ligurian Auxiliaries within the Roman armies, although surprised, respond shouting the same word in remand, because “Ambrones” was also the name they used to define themselves (Parallel Lives, Life of Marius, 10, 5-6).

    Needles to say, there is no real etymological or cultural link between the Germanic Ambrones and the Ambrones of Liguria.

    The origin of Ambrones is still unknown, but probably their people was formed by the overlapping of an Indoeuropean element to a Pre-Indeuropean substrare akin to Rhaetians, and after that by another overlapping of celtic elements.

    Even if some region the Ambrones intermingled deeply with the Celts, giving life to tribes like the Salluii in Provence or the Taurini in Piedmont, that were define by the Romans as “Celtoligi” (Celto-Ligurians) or “Semigalli” (Demi-Gauls), generally they maintain their individuality as a different people, and Posidonius wrote that

    Many times a huge and big Gaul has been beaten by a small Ligurian
    (Posidonius, V, 39, 6)


    Diodorus describes the Ambrones being:

    "Tough and rugged , small in stature , lean, nervous […] because of continuous physical work and the scarcity of food , remain in the body strong and vigorous […] with muscular bodies […]Generally women of these places are as strong as men and men as beasts .. . they are brave and noble , not only in war but also in those conditions of life not devoid of danger "
    (Diod . IV , 20,1,2)

    Actually they were known for being poor line fighters, for lacking a lot in discipline (with the notable exception of the Apuani) and for having poor weapons and armors… and actually archaeological findings give us more or less an image of a poorer version of the gallic panoply.

    On the other hand, they were quite feared for their ambush abilities, so we decide to give to a lot of their units Stalking and Guerrila Deployment.


    Ambrones Slingers

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    Ambrones Skirmishers

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    Ambrones Levies

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    Ligurian/Ambrones Head of Dogliani. Actually a 400 a.C. finding, the same cap is attested on the marching spearmen the Celto-Ligurian Cottius'arch



    Ambrones Spearmen

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    Ambrones Swordsmen

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    Apuani Warriors

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    Ambrones Nobles

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    Celtoligan Cavalry - Celtoligi Warriors

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  3. #3

    Default Preview: Venetkens roster

    The Venetkens

    Called Veneti or Eneti by the Romans and Henetoi by the Greeks, according to an ancient myth these brave people were originatin from Paphlagonia, in Asia, and took part in the Trojan War as allied of Troy.
    After the fall of the city, they came to the east shores of northern Italy under the guide of Antenores, a Trojan noble on the run, in a similar way Aeneas did.

    This myth, that attributes also the founding of Padua to Antenores and his Henetoi, was long handed down by Strabo (V, 1, 4) and Livy (I,1,1-3), as a demonstration of the ancient link, friendship and kinship between Venetkens and Romans

    Actually, Venetkens were an Italic people, originating from Central Europe, strictly related to Latins and that in his material production had been influenced by the east branch of Hallstatt Culture.

    With the Gallic Invasion of Northern Italy (approx 400 B.C.), the Venetkens were almost the only people of the Po Valley to mantain there independence, an not only: actually, if the first contact with the Celts were obviously rough, Venetkens manage no only to stop the Gallic invasion more or less at their borders, but after defeating the invaders, progressively to establish relations of friendshio with them (in the specific, the Cenomanes Gauls), by mixed marriages and commerce.

    We can't say that the Venetkens became "Celtizised", but actually, they took from the Celts a lot of military equipment, as swords, helmets, chainmails and shields, and actually, if the IV B.C. Venetken warrior was a hoplite, the III B.C. one was equipped more or less like a Gaul, with some archaic local elements like kopis swords, linothorakes or Negau Helmet.

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    Yes, I know, this one look like a squamata apparently, but examining the original piece, the common thought of archaeologists is that is a representation of a so called hamata (chainmail), represented in the same way the chainmails of spanish Edetani were.



    The horse was a very important animal in Venetkens culture, and a lot of Venetkens warriors and nobles were buried along with their horse... also, they were famed for their cavalry.
    A curious characteristic of Venetkens was the common habit of using of an azure-blue color for clothes, that the Romans called “Caeruleum Veneticum”.


    Opitergine Slingers
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    Venetken Spearmen
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    Venetken Swordsmen

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    Venetken Horsemen

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    Venetkens Nobles

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    Venetken Noble Cavalry

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    Cenomanes Skirmish Cavalry - Cenomanes Warriors
    The Cenomanes were a Gaulish tribe whose territory bordered ad East with the Venetkens, and at West with the Insubres, and actually have managed to settle peacefully some communities even inside Venetken territory.
    Alwais in feud with the Insubres, fearing that the powerful Insubrian Confederacy would ultimately absorb them, the Cenomanes seeked the alliance and the help of the Venetkens (and by them, Rome).

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    Rhaetians Levies - Euganei Skirmishers

    Inside Venetken territory in mountainous areas, and along their northern borders, were also some communities of Rhaetic people, in particular -but not only- the Euganei tribes of the Euganei Hills.
    A mountain dwelling people, probably the former original inhabitants of the area, we can probably identify Rhaetic axemen as allied forces inside Venetken army even in previous periods, looking at the Certosa Situla.

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  4. #4

    Default Illyrian roster

    ILLYRIAN ROSTER
    (Delmetae, Daorsi, Ardiaei, Breuci)


    With the term Illyrians are defined all that tribes that share an authentic language and culture, coming from the East Hallstatt Cultural Facies and living in the area of modern ex-Jugoslavija and Albania.
    Even if the different Illyrian tribes were quite different one another, being somehow celticized in the north and hellenized in the south, Classical writers identified a common root for all of them, and common habits (for example, the use of tattoo).
    Illyrians were also famed pirates, and their ships, Lembos, Pristis and Libyrnis, were well known for being very fast and highly maneuverable, and were even copied by more civilized nations like Makedonia.

    Illyrian Archers
    Illyrian slingers
    Illyrian Skirmishers
    Illyrian Levies
    Illyrian Levy Spearmen
    Illyrian Spearmen
    Illyrian Axemen
    Illyrian Riders
    Illyrian Hoplitai
    Illyrian Cavalry
    Peltastai Agrianoi
    Iapodes Skirmishers
    Iapodes Warriors

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    Illyrian Archers
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    Illyrian Slingers


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    Illyrian Skirmishers


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    Being Illyrian culture an offspring of the Eastern facies of Hallstatt culture, the most common shield used by Illyrians was the thyreos, wile the Negau helmet was also common.
    Along with the Negau, there was also a characteristic illyrian helmet probably of Cretan-Mycaenean origin.
    As hand weapon, the axe was widely used, along with curved knifes and kopis sword, the latter believed by archaeologists to have developed here in the Balkans.

    Illyrian Levies

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    Illyrian Levy Spearmen


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    Illyrian panoply sometimes included also cardiophilax, probably an heritage of ancient hallstatt curture, or bronze thorax for the richer, professional warriors.
    Illyrian Warriors on the Vace Plate:
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    Illyrian Spearmen

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    Illyrian Axemen

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    Illyrian Warriors

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    Illyrian Riders

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    Tribes from center-southern Illyria, like the Ardiaei and the Daorsi, were strongly influenced by Greeks and Epirotes, and their nobles were equipped with holpite-like panoplies that mimic Greeks and Macedonians.

    Illyrian belt plate showing Illyrian Hoplites killing a Celt (probably a Scordistae)

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    Illyrian Hoplites


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    Illyrian Cavalry

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    Peltastai Agrianoi

    The Agrianes were a tribe of mixed Thracian-Illyrian-Paeonian stock, famed for being one of the best skirmishers of the Hellenic world.
    Praised javelinemen, they were recruited in big numbers even by Alexander the Great, and proved crucial for the resolution of various battles.

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    Iapodes were a fierce people of Northern Illyria, of mixed Celtic and Illyrian stock, probably born from the mixture of Pannonian warbands and local Illyrians..
    As distinctive trait, they employed some celtic weaponry and they were expecially known for a charachteristic whicker helmet, sometimes reinforced with bronze appliqués.
    Their weapons are similar to celtic ones, and like all Illyrian and Thracian they are tattooed” (Herodotus, VII, 5, 4)

    Whicker Iapodes helmet with metal reinforcements and phalerae:
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    Iapodes Skirmishers

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    Iapodes Warriors

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  5. #5
    Dontfearme22's Avatar Campidoctor
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    Default Re: Illyrian roster

    Nice work on the shields and helmet

  6. #6

    Default Re: Illyrian roster

    Thank you! Iutland is very good with textures... thanks to him we have nice Iapodes helmets for the Illyrian, and the correct round wooden shields with iron boss for Eastern Germans ;-)

  7. #7

    Default Re: Preview: Ambrones (Ligures) roster

    yo these guys wore robes all the men did

  8. #8

    Default Re: Preview: Ambrones (Ligures) roster

    Very cool units!

  9. #9
    stupar123's Avatar Miles
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    Default Re: Illyrian roster

    This roster is really well done! Good job (y)

  10. #10
    Visarion's Avatar Alexandros
    Artifex

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    Default Re: Preview: Italic and Illyrian Factions

    the Illyrians are really great!

  11. #11
    LeicsFox's Avatar Tiro
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    Default Re: Preview: Italic and Illyrian Factions

    This mod is looks amazing

    I would just query about the Illyrians, since they were such famed (infamous) pirates will they have access to some flavored naval units in that vein
    Fiat justitia ruat caelum


  12. #12

    Default Re: Preview: Italic and Illyrian Factions

    Quote Originally Posted by johncm49 View Post
    This mod is looks amazing

    I would just query about the Illyrians, since they were such famed (infamous) pirates will they have access to some flavored naval units in that vein
    Thank you

    The Illyrian factions will have access to:
    Lembos with Slingers, Archers, Levies, Levy Spearmen or Javelinmen
    Pristis with Slingers, Axemen, Spearmen or Javelinmen
    Libyrnis with Archers, Axemen or Spearmen

  13. #13
    LeicsFox's Avatar Tiro
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    Default Re: Preview: Italic and Illyrian Factions

    ok, thanks
    Fiat justitia ruat caelum


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