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Thread: [UNITS] The Greco-Bactrians (Out-Dated)

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    Default [UNITS] The Greco-Bactrians (Out-Dated)

    Greco-Bactrian Kingdom


    The Greco-Baktrians constitute the Eastern most fringes of the Hellenistic world. The satrapy of Bactria, occupied as it was by Iranian tribesmen, was first formed as part of the Persian Empire (or perhaps under the Medians) upon its annexation by Cyrus the Great. It is located between the natural borders of the Hindu Kush and the Oxus River. The region itself was known for its highly fertile valleys and mountainous fortresses as well as its control over the trade routes with the East. It developed highly urbanized centers of trade and constituted one of the wealthiest regions in the Persian and Seleucid Empires. It is named after its capital city.

    Alexander the Great established control over the region only after difficult fighting and fierce resistance from the local warlords who controlled it. After his victory at Gaugamela, the Persian King Darius III fled East with the satrap of Bactria, Bessus. In 330 BC, Bessus along with a small group of high ranking conspirators stabbed their King and left him near death to be discovered by the Macedonian's who followed along in hot pursuit. For a short while the rebellious satrap named himself King of all Kings, assuming the royal name of Artaxerxes V, and returned to his mountainous home region. He burned his crops and fled East across the Oxus with a contingent of native cavalry whom would later desert him before he was finally betrayed to Ptolemy I (later give the surname Soter). His betrayer, another satrap named Spitamenes, would prove to be more difficult to deal with. With the strong Eastern cavalry behind him, he mounted the ancient equivalent of a guerrilla campaign against the Macedonians which lasted for the better part of two years before coming to an end in December of 328. In order to control the difficult region, Alexander would establish a series of military outposts and colonies which would become the basis of Macedonian rule and Hellenization in the century thereafter. He further united the satrapies of Bactria and Sogdia into one unified command. In the Wars of the Successors, it would pass into the hands of Seleucus I Nicator (the victor) who had earlier been married to a daughter of Spitamenes named Apama (he had been betrayed by his wife who sent his head to the Macedonians as a sign of her loyalty).

    Sometime in around 250 BC, the satrap of the now unified Bactria and Sogdiana named Diodotus would declare his independence from the weakened Seleucid Empire which found itself occupied by the Syrian Wars against the Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt. He took the title of King of the thousand cities of Bactria, and struck his own coins. This roughly coincided with the rebellion of the governor of Parthia, Andragoras. The two formed an alliance against the Seleucids which would be interrupted by the conquest of Parthia by the Dahae tribe of the Parni under the control of Arsaces. This new threat would hinder trade with the Hellenistic world and lead to a war between the two rebellious regions. More importantly, however, it led to the formation of a powerful threat on Bactria's Western frontier. The line of Diodotus would be overthrown by that of Euthydemus I whom styled himself as a God, but descendent from Greeks who had settled in the region generations earlier.

    In 208 BC Antiochus III would subdue Euthydemus, but also recognize his Kingship over Bactria and establish a marriage alliance with him. His ambitious son Demetrius I stand ready to succeed him. Despite setbacks in battle, the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom has a wealth of resources and room for natural expansion. The Elite guard of the Bactrian Kingdom retained the traditional arms and armour of the hoplite of their faraway homeland, and paired with the natural cavalry forces of the native populations, they are a formidable and versatile military force when properly motivated and led.


    Icon by Melcor

    The Army

    The Elite guard of the Bactrian Kingdom retained the traditional arms and armour of the hoplite of their faraway homeland. Two golden clasps from the Tillya-tepe necropolis depicts what appears from their expensive and decorated equipment to be Bactrian elite foot guard. Armoured in a beautiful musculata/thorax cuirass of bronze or iron, with an iron plated skirt in the Yue-chin fashion rather than traditional Greek pteryges. The warriors wear the Bactrian version of the Attic helm with a wide brim. Other elite troops are often depicted wearing Boetoian helms with a local flare of influence. The guard unit carry large brimmed shield which appear to be very similar to the Greek hoplite aspis. They are not armed in greaves but wear Thessalian or Iphicratic boots which extend all the way to the knee. This probably allowed them more flexibility in the mountainous Bactrian terrain. As his main arm he carries a spear, shorter than the Greek doru and is probably of the longhe dual purpose type, made for thrusting and throwing. At his waist hangs a beautiful sword with a griffin shaped pommel, which lends weight to the idea that he portrays a Royal guard or Elite unit. Both the xiphos and kopis are well attested through archaeological finds in Bactria.

    Native and Light Troops

    Baktrian Akontistai (Bactrian Mountain Men)
    The term akontistai was used by the Greeks to refer to mountain dwelling uncivilized people. By nature, the akontistai from Bactria were hardy due to the unforgiving Iranian mountain environment. They make excellent skirmishers, having learnt to hunt from a young age and are at home in rough terrain. Coming from poor subsistence communities, they lack armour but make up for it with speed and stamina. Their ferocious nature and speed allows them to act as a flanking unit and they can deal quick damage with their heavy javelins and axes but their lack of armour means they won’t last long in melee. They wear leather jerkins over crude Median dress.
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    Baktrian Toxotai (Bactrian Archers)

    The bow featured prominently in the art of Bactrian warfare. Both iconographical and archaeological finds show infantry armed with composite bows, similar to the Persian and Scythian design. Archery was an important skill in the East and in Bactria, even more so since it boarded with the Saka and Parthians who specialized in range warfare. The arrows were made of reed and could shoot further than those of wooden shafts giving these troops long range. The bow was short an easy to handle giving these troops a high rate of fire. The foot archers could use a slightly larger bow than the cavalry units and so could outrange the horse archers who often threatened the Bactrian borders. They are unarmoured and depicted in iconography wearing Median dress of baggy trousers and long-sleeved kaftans.
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    Baktrian Pantodapoi (Bactrian Native Spearmen)
    Levy spearmen drawn from the native population and armed with a light wicker shield and a crude spear. These men lack the training, discipline and high graded weapons of their Hellenic masters and Iranian nobles in Hellenic service. They wear no armour and will be the first to throw down their weapons and run when the pressure builds too much. Being the lowly peasants of Bactrian society, one can’t expect too much more. They are however cheap to raise and equip, and can hopefully stand in the battle line long enough for the more elite units to do their job. They wear local versions of long-sleeved tunics and eastern trousers and a felt cap of sorts.
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    Baktriane Pelekophoroi (Bactrian Axemen)
    The celebrated rhyta drinking horns discovered at Treasure house of Old Nisa, depict a variety of weapons and soldiers from the Greco-Bactrian period. A large number of two-handed war axes feature upon the rhyta. They are poleaxes with single round cutting blades. We know very little about the soldiers bearing these axes but the prevalence of axe on the drinking horn demonstrates their prominent use in war. Most likely drawn from the native population the warriors wore local style of Median dress. The size of the axe meant the troops could not carry a shield and therefore must have worn some sort of armour. The large motions required to swing the axe meant that the armour must have been flexible (maybe a local version of scale, linen, leather or padded armour). Greek styled helms featured prominently in Bactrian art, even for native troops. Their weapon made them an ideal unit to counter heavy armour and the length of the poleaxe gave them a good advantage over cavalry. The lack of a shield, however, made the vulnerable to missiles.
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    Sagariophoroi (Pickaxe Men)

    The Sagaris, axe of Scythian origin, became very popular throughout the old Achaemenid Empire, including the Satrapy of Bactria which bordered on parts of Scythia. It had a long shaft, a metal head with a wide axe head on the one side and a sharp pick-like beak on the other. The wide axe head could deliver heavy blows resulting in terrible wounds while the beak had excellent armour piercing capabilities. Already adopted by infantry in the Achaemenid period, it continued to see use in the Greco-Bactrian kingdom. The Sagaris was a one handed weapon and could be used with shield. Because the axe required wide arching swings, the shield tended to be a light round or crescent shape shield of wicker and covered in leather. Drawn from a type of middle class of Bactrian society, they could afford light armour of leather or linen worn over typical Median dress.
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    Indikoi Toxotai (Indian Archers)
    Recruited from Indian territories held by Bactria, these soldiers are armed with an enormous long bow as tall as a man. Arrian writes that the arrows shot from the bow were longer than 4feet and that “nothing can withstand one shot by an Indian archer, neither shield nor breast-plate nor anything else that is strong”. Although these bows had tremendous penetration power, it was very difficult to draw and had a very slow rate of fire. Reloading, drawing, and aiming took much longer than most other bows and left the bowmen vulnerable during this time. Since the draw weight of the bows were so heavy, the shafts of the arrows had to be thicker and so it had a shorter range than the composite bow. These men wore very little armour, dressed primarily only in a linen kilt. They wore their beards long, often dyed them in different colours and wore their long hair in a top-knot.
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    Indikoi Makros Machairaphoroi (Indian Two-Handed Swordsmen)
    These swordsmen hail from Indian territories under Bactrian sway. The men carry large two-handed swords of 4.5 feet in length. The blade was primarily used in hacking and slashing motions, brought down with great force from above upon the victim. Since both hands were required to wield the sword, the men carried only a small shield of ox hide, which was tied to their forearm. As customary of most Indians, they wear a cotton linen kilt, dye their bears various colours and wear their hair in a top-knot. While their initial attack was ferocious, causing terrible carnage with their big swords, they were unable to stay in melee too long due to their lack of armour and small light shields. They were thus best used for flanking and rear attack or a headlong charge at an enemy already suffering from low morale.
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    Elephantes Indikoi (Indian Elephants)
    Bactria was the link between India and the Seleucids for the supply of war-elephants. Once Bactria revolted, the Seleucids lost their main source of elephants and had to rely solely on the small stud farms in Syria. Bactria on the other hand could now boost its own army with the beast as it no longer needed to send large numbers to Babylon. These massive beasts of war carried giant towers containing four men with bows, javelins or pikes, giving these troops excellent high perches from which to snipe at enemy troops. The elephant itself however was the main weapon. Its massive tusks could impale men and horses, while its truck could scatter enemy soldiers in all directions, while the feet trampled all around it. They were a perfect counter to cavalry as their sheer size and smell confused and frightened horses. The beasts were however a double-edged sword. They were easily panicked or frightened by noise, and driven to run amok when wounded, and then often turned on their own men, killing indiscriminately.
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    Elephants Kataphraktoi Indikoi (Indian Armored Elephants)
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    Royal and Hellenic Contingents
    Katoikoi Phalangitai (Military-Settler Phalanx)
    The Bactrian Kingdom inherited from the Seleucids the Katoikoi military-settlement system. Theses katoikoi were Greco-Macedonian soldiers who from the time of Alexander’s campaigns started to settle in Bactria, building Greek cities, converting other Iranian settlements and colonizing the Iranian plateau as their own. This practice was continued under the Antigonids and then the Seleucids, and to a lesser extent the new Bactrian Greek Kings. Hellenes were lured by the riches of the East and promises of a brighter future. The Greek settlers were allotted hereditary plots of land by the Greek rulers and in return provided military service. Once campaign season came to an end, these men were dismissed to returned and cultivate their farms. The Bactrian katoikoi were armed in the same fashion as their former Seleucid overlords armed with the long 6.5 m Sarissa pike and small pelta of 60 cm diameter. Both the straight xiphos and curved kopis remained very popular as attested by archaeological finds. Since Bactria lay on the edges of Hellenism and formed only a small break-away part of the Seleucid Empire, the manpower to supply the phalanx was far less than most other Hellenistic Kingdoms, and could only field small numbers of phalangites.
    Iconographical evidence show that even the Greco-Macedonians adopted Bactrian fashion and many Greeks are depicted wearing trousers and long sleeve tunics, no doubt the harsh climate of Iranian districts played a factor in this. This was probably not the case for the older more traditional Greeks.
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    Baktrian Thureophoroi (Thureos Bearers)
    The thureos shield made its way to Bactria through mercenaries in Seleucid employment. Thureophoroi are attested in the Bactrian kingdom through iconographic and archaeological finds. A terracotta find from Begram shows and Indo-Greek infantry soldier with no armour but in a Greek tunic and bearing a thureos shield. Unfortunately his arms and helm cannot be made out due to the damage of the plate. He might have been armed in similar fashion as other Hellenistic thureophoroi; with javelins or the dual purpose longe, as well as a short sword.
    These troops were a medium type infantry, able to skirmish but also hold their own in melee. They lacked the heavy armour and equipment to last long against heavier opponents but made up for this in their agility, speed and ability to operate in rough terrain. They could easily outflank heavier troops and strike at their flanks or rear. They carried several javelins to weaken their opponents before they close for melee with their spears or swords.
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    Baktrian Thorakitai (Cuirassiers)

    A remarkable terracotta find from the Kampyre-tepe Citadel depicts a Bactrian soldier in a thorax (most likely iron or bronze) with pteryges thy-protectors in the Greek fashion. He carries a beautifully decorated thureos, with what appears to be a lizard and a short, straight bladed xiphos. He head is protected with a conical helm, sporting long flowing plumes. These troops, due to their armour could stand in the main battle line but due to their lighter equipment (sword, thureos and javelins) they could also operate in rough terrain, supporting other light troops and act as assault infantry. The Seleucids were known to employ these type of units and the Bactrians probably adopted this fighting style for their own troops.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Baktrian Agema (Royal Guard)

    The Elite guard of the Bactrian Kingdom retained the traditional arms and armour of the hoplite of their faraway homeland. Tow golden clasps from the Tillya-tepe necropolis depicts what appears from their expensive and decorated equipment to be Bactrian elite foot guard. Armoured in a beautiful musculata/thorax cuirass of bronze or iron, with an iron plated skirt in the Yue-chin fashion rather than traditional Greek pteryges. The warriors wear the Bactrian version of the Attic helm with a wide brim. Other elite troops are often depicted wearing Boetoian helms with a local flare of influence. The guard unit carry large brimmed shield which appear to be very similar to the Greek hoplite aspis. They are not armed in greaves but wear Thessalian or Iphicratic boots which extend all the way to the knee. This probably allowed them more flexibility in the mountainous Bactrian terrain. As his main arm he carries a spear, shorter than the Greek doru and is probably of the longhe dual purpose type, made for thrusting and throwing. At his waist hangs a beautiful sword with a griffin shaped pommel, which lends weight to the idea that he portrays a Royal guard or Elite unit. Both the xiphos and kopis are well attested through archaeological finds in Bactria.
    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 


    Katoikoi Hippeis (Military-Settler Cavalry)
    The lonchoporoi were military-settlers of Graeco-Macedonian decent, given larger portions of land grants allowing them the means of raising their own horses and supplying the Bactrian army with cavalry. They fought with the Greek lonche, a spear for both throwing and melee purpose. Since the lonche could be wielded in one hand, these troops could carry a shield in the other. The combination of their lino-thorax and shield gave them good protection, making them good for melee purposes, but at the same time keeping them light enough for driving off lighter cavalry and infantry.
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    Katoikoi Hippotoxotai (Military-Settler Horsearchers)
    Being surrounded by hostile Nomadic tribesmen, whose armies consisted in the majority of horse archers, the Bactrian kings had to adapt or die. They thus rearmed and train certain elements of their cavalry to fight as horse archers. Bactrain coins depict Greek cavalry armoured in traditional Greek armour but armed with Scythian styled bows as well as cavalry spears. While they gave could give a good account of themselves as archers, they could hardly be the equal of the Nomadic counterparts who learned archery and horsemanship from childhood. They thus retained the lance, making them a dual purpose, able to engage enemy from long range but act as light chargers as well. They are clearly depicted as armoured which at least made them more durable than most other horse archers.
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    Baktriane Epilektoi Hippeis (Chosen Bactrian nobles)
    The Greek rulers of Bactria were quick to realize that the Greek minority of the population were far too few to fill all the prominent and elite roles in the army. The new Greek kings thus turned to the already established Iranian nobles and Tribal chieftains to supplement their heavy cavalry regiments. By incorporating the native elite into the regular cavalry, the Bactrian Kings could easily field much larger cavalry regiments than most other Hellenistic societies. At the Battle of the River Arius, Euthydemos of Bactria could field an army of 10 000 cavalry.

    Iranian nobles were well suited for the role, having learned to ride and fight from horseback from a young age. Armed with two Persian cavalry spears. The first was cast at the enemy before the charge and the remainder kept for melee. The short shafts of the spears made them ideal for hand to hand fighting and left the other hand free to carry a shield. While they lack the discipline of the Greek cavalry, their wealth and Noble birth allows them to be clad in high quality local scale corsets as well as Greek cuirasses for those who were taken by Greek style.
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    Baktriane Kataphraktoi (Cataphracts)
    Bactria was heavily influenced in military term by their Iranian nomadic neighbors and the Parthians. As a result, kataphraktoi cavalry started to appear in Greco-Bactrian armies. These super-heavy cavalrymen were armoured from head to toe with cuirasses, heavy helms (often covering the entire face) and segmented plate armour covering the arms and legs. Their large Nisean horses were armoured as well. Examples of both horse and the cavalryman’s armour have been excavated at Aļ Khanoum. Armed with the Iranian two-handed kontos lance, these horsemen of bronze could deliver a devastating initial charge and wreak havoc in a melee against other cavalry as their amour made them far less susceptible to harm. All the heavy armour however came at a price. The horse and man quickly tired carrying such heavy armour. They therefore were not able to make multiple charges without rest in-between. Nor were they able to chase after other cavalry units or they would quickly succumb to exhaustion as the Palmyran kataphraktoi did, chasing after the Roman horse. The Roman horse, once the enemy were exhausted, promptly turned about and made short work of the heavily armourd cataphracts. Their other weakness was their loss of agility and nimbleness. At Magnesia, these units were too slow to get out of the way of the scythed chariots and were cut to pieces. Livy attributes this to their heavy armour. Their use was limited but could be devastating.
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    Somatophylakes (Kings Guard)
    Historically numbering 300 horsemen, these elite cavalry units form the bodyguards of the Bactrian kings, the very best of the best Greco-Bactrian society could produce. Numerous depictions of these units on coins show them to have retained Hellenistic styled arms and armor. They were clad in the very best of heavy iron or bronze cuirasses with pteryges thy guards, Boetoian type helmets and cavalry boots, making them extremely resilient on the battlefield. They were armed with the two-handed Greek xyston cavalry lance and a traditional kopis sword.

    Justin claimed that these troops were of such high caliber that they could repulse enemy forces much larger than themselves.
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    Credits
    Cpt. Cortes | Lucio Boreno
    Lucio is the main creator of these units in terms of putting them together and conducting research. He wrote the variantmeshes and they are his creation.

    Mithias
    A mostly silent contributor to this mod. His research was vital to the creation of this roster as well as others.

    Arthalion
    The bulk of the new textures and models came from Arthalion's work which he graciously allowed us to use as the base for these units some months back. Without his generosity, these units would look far different.

    CyrpticOutcast
    CrypticOutcast helped Lucio to complete the units and piece them all together.

    Aguirre
    A number of models used in the creation of these units were taken from the wonderful work done by Aguirre.

    The Total War Hellas Team
    M.E.P Unit Pack (Macedonia | Epirus | Pontus | Seleucids) is here
    S.A.P Unit Pack (Sparta | Athens | Ptolemeans l Bactria) is here
    M.H.F.Unit Pack (Rhodes l Pergamon l Massalia l Cimmeria is here

    Divide et Impera
    As always going forward, a number of DeI elements have been incoropraed into the above units.

    The Legionaire Army Mod
    Last, but not least. This one will make an appearance in just about every unit preview we do. Simply put, a massive and beautiful overhaul of Rome 2's units with a large number of new elements. Some of the best modding work anyone has done. We would like to thank Attila once again for the permission, but also the rest of the team - Aguirre (again), KLA, DramaBelli, Moonwalker, Tenerife_Boy, and loulakion.

    M@x1mus | Greeks at War Mod
    M@x1mus is a member of the Greeks at War mod for Rome II. He provided Lucio with assistance on the shield decals for our hoplons.

    Last edited by ABH2; November 20, 2015 at 08:16 PM.


  2. #2
    Argive Strategos's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Absolutely amazing

  3. #3

    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    The Bactrians were my favorite faction in R2/DeI, so I'm extremely excited to see these in action. They look fantastic!

  4. #4
    Argive Strategos's Avatar Civis
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    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Will the bactrians have persian elite archers? like the way they did in DEI? Also, what unit is stronger, the Bactrian cataphracts, the Bactrian nobles or the Kings guard?

  5. #5

    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Well, Persian Elite Archers will be recruitable from AOR system, not as regular unit. Nobles are a good melee unit, the better one in the roster. Between cataphracts and kings guard, kings guard is better, is the elite of the elite, those who can protect the king while cataphracts is the most heavy cavalry, both are shock cavalry. Also Kings Guard will be only bodyguard, no regular unit. So, cataphracts are the most heavy unit and Nobles are the better cavalry unit for melee combat.


    Ancient Empires Member: Unit Maker

  6. #6

    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Great preview guys!!! Wow I'm on the credits ^^

  7. #7
    Willhelm123's Avatar Decanus
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    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Love these units, just one thing, much of the historical description doesnt match the images, such as it saying they wear trousers and long sleeves or wicker shields, then the pictures don't have that.
    AE Dev, mainly units

  8. #8
    Hoplite of Ilis's Avatar Domesticus
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    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Reason to play Attila...

  9. #9

    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Yes Willhelm, I understand in a wrong way their description and made it pure native hellenic, but I already change it to make it more historically accurate, I'll take pictures and update the preview


    Ancient Empires Member: Unit Maker

  10. #10
    Visarion's Avatar Alexandros
    Artifex

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    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Great to see that the old guard is still here and adapting

  11. #11

    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    Nice, but horse cataphract should change. This horse is parthian 100 bc. Nisai horse is for parthia , no bactria. Pls change armour horse cataphract

  12. #12
    Willhelm123's Avatar Decanus
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    Default Re: [PREVIEW] The Greco-Bactrians (WIP)

    This preview is very outdated, if you look in the mod almost none of these units remain in this form
    AE Dev, mainly units

  13. #13

    Default Re: [UNITS] The Greco-Bactrians (Out-Dated)

    I think that it would be nice if you add chariots to the Bactrian roster, because Herodotus mentions the widespread use of chariots among the Bactrians.Greco-Bactrian armies also included small elite units of companion cavalry. I really like this mod by the way.

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