Zagwe Dynasty of Ethiopia: Some historical review (on the 1174 AD)

[Alejandro Sanchez]

Here is another small video note concerning the Ethiopian military culture.

Imitation of ancient Ethiopian game Guks (details you can find in the 1st post):



In Ethiopia there was a special expressive military poetic genre Fukera. The warriors boasted of their exploits and courage in the face of their war chiefs (also war chiefs in the face of Negus) or over the body of the defeated enemy. Here are some modern performance:

[You_Guess_Who]

Okay, lets suppose a MKTW player managed to make Ethiopia great again in the campaign, grown the empire to be the greatest East African empire in history. In that situation, the Neo-Ethiopian Kangdom would certainly be more developed, and adopts some of the way of the people it conquers, more that the Ethiopians historically did. How far would serious African historian like yourselves would take in sake of gameplay without betraying your vision, leaving your mouth foaming in seething scholarly rage?

We in the team are debating on this, especially on arms and armour. Zagwe's condition is something like Irish roster, but even lighter still. How would they answer the development of other factions' roster, while keeping it historically probable?

To preserve the original historical roster, Area of Recruitment Unit approach on subjugated people may be used (like in Broken Crescent, DEI, or R2's Auxilia Barracks); but should it be limited to that?

[Alejandro Sanchez]

I think that they would copy the samples of the most powerful armies of their time. Necessarily more perfect armour, firearms, artillery. Here's an example of the Grand Principality of Moscow - Russian Tsardom. His leaders considered the Ottoman Empire as the best example to follow, so the cavalry changed the knightly type to the sipahi type (and of course changed the combat tactics), appeared streltsy as analog of the janissaries. Some later the Russian army began to copy the weapons and tactics of Western European countries, appeared musketeers and pikemen, hussars and reiters.

[LinusLinothorax]

Personally, I think the heaviest units in the Ethiopian roster should be armoured muslim foederati. They would give Ethiopia the desperately needed charging power without getting too fanciful.

[Slytacular]

The reason I made a big fuss over this, is because the idea of anything past 1212 A.D. becomes pseudo history, and there is little sense in making something "accurate" past the technological time period the mod starts in. I think the idea of keeping Zagwe units in a sort of technological, resource deprived army, is a really wrong and weird way to look at them if they are in a psuedo-historical 14th-15th century empire that covers the entire Mediterranean. I don't mind Zagwe keeping a unique semi-static culture, but they should at least have some access to heavy infantry and cavalry in the tier 2 and tier 3 stage that is native to their culture. Any large military empire had some variety of adaption in their armies to better defeat their opponents. The Romans have a very well recorded and studied technological progression in their armies. The Mongols who have a very stubborn Tengri culture, adapted Chinese artillery and armour, eventually immersed themselves into Islamic culture, and mutated another adaption of military technology.

I wouldn't ask to make the Zagwe faction resemble something they're really not, but I think relying purely on mercenaries for armoured units, or some culturally different unit might be an injustice.

[LinusLinothorax]

I wouldn't ask to make the Zagwe faction resemble something they're really not, but I think relying purely on mercenaries for armoured units, or some culturally different unit might be an injustice.

What do you mean with "culturally different"? Muslim warriors serving the Ethiopian kings either as conscripts or volunteers would be just as historical accurate as the kingdom of Sicily using Muslim Arab warriors.

[Slytacular]

I specified "purely". Sicily has other ranged units that aren't Muslim.

[LinusLinothorax]

I am currently researching the Dahlak sultanate and it seems indeed that they had control over Massawa at this time. The sultanate was founded in around 1060 by members of the Najahid dynasty, an Abyssinian slave dynasty from Yemen.

Must correct myself: The Najahids were not necessarily the founders of the sultanate. They fled to Dahlak in 1060/1 and made it their power base, from where they operated to regain a foothold in Yemen. In 1081 and 1086 respectively they managed to regain Zabid, their former capital. Around a decade later, later we have the tombstone of the sultan of Dahlak (d. 1093). He doesn't have the "Najah" in his name tho, he is just called "al-Sultan al-Mubarak". Literal translation might be "The blessed sultan". The tombstone also remarks that he was the client of a certain Ali b. Ahmad. Not sure who that is, but an Ali b. Ahmad was fighting against the Najahids in Yemen. He died two years before our sultan from Dahlak tho.
Anyway, the sultan ruling Dahlak in 1212 could have been *takes breath* Abu Abdallah Muhammad b. Yahya b. al-Malik Abi s-Sadad, who died in 1230.
Source: Encyclopedia Aethiopica

[Alejandro Sanchez]

Dizzy view!

https://www.360cities.net/image/daniel-korkor-church-1

[LinusLinothorax]

Map depicting the Zagwe kingdom and its neighbours (self-made):

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Slytacular]

Are some areas not highlighted because of people constantly contesting, or are there parts of Africa that literally aren't habitable/settled/occupied?

[Alejandro Sanchez]

Are some areas not highlighted because of people constantly contesting, or are there parts of Africa that literally aren't habitable/settled/occupied?

There are no more states, only tribal communities.

[Alejandro Sanchez]

I've added here some images dedicated to cervical torc and bracelets. I remind that according to Ethiopian chronicles these jewels is a fee for the service and encouraging for warriors from the king or local chief. These paintings of colonial times, and I don't know what design had these cervical torcs in the middle ages

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

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[You_Guess_Who]

~

Please give some comments on the roster made for Makuria and Zagwe, we want to hear your opinion!:
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ngdom-of-Zagwe
http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...dom-of-Makuria

[Alejandro Sanchez]

Please give some comments on the roster made for Makuria and Zagwe, we want to hear your opinion!:http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...ngdom-of-Zagwehttp://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...dom-of-Makuria

OK, I'll check it.

[Alejandro Sanchez]

As I told you, I don't know the terms which you used in the unit's name.
As for Ethiopian clothing, it seems that in the middle ages pants were shorter, to the knees
Who is the Ethiopian Sarawit? Why are they in robes and turbans? If they are warriors of the vassal Muslim African principalities, they must be looks like more African than Arabs or Persians.
Ordinary Ethiopian warriors wear shamma, which is always removed before the fight, leaving bare torso.
I will not comment High and Late Era because I haven't researched it in detail. But I say that in my opinion the barding was not used in Ethiopia. Also warriors hold the shotel incorrectly, the concave part should be outside.


For Nubians. Give them (including Beja) sandals and shoes. You can add almond-shaped shields to the Nubians.
The Nilots must be completely naked,

After the country of the 'Alwa comes a nation (umma) of Blacks called Takna (Tekne, Bukna) who go naked like the Zanj.

except for their chief, who can wrap the leopard skin around the thighs. In addition, they are typical Negroids, black, thinner, they scar the head and face.

[You_Guess_Who]

Okay, as I am the database manager I'll try to represent the team. My job is amongst others integrating the units the faction developers made into the mod proper. I do not decide the overall structure or research the rosters as a whole, but the job of integrating the rosters includes checking the variant models for bugs (replacing misplaced models, replacing models that clips, applying impostermodels if the dev forgots, and so on), that at times gives me the power of editing the variant models and permission to polish them. With that, I'll try to speak for DFM for now till he pops in.

As for Ethiopian clothing, it seems that in the middle ages pants were shorter, to the knees

We have knee-length shorts just at the knees, and upper calf trousers just before the knees. Changes should be doable. We may need to retexture some leg models that fits, but retexturing is much easier than modelling.

As I told you, I don't know the terms which you used in the unit's name.

Who is the Ethiopian Sarawit

I do not know, all I know from cursory googling suggest Axum-era unit under command of a Nagast. I'm not if the name were still used hundreds of years later.

Why are they in robes and turbans?

I believe in the lack of possible Ethiopian clothing variety to differentiate units per era and per type, he turned into modern 19th cent imagery.

I will not comment High and Late Era because I haven't researched it in detail

Please do! I'll be waiting, the East Africans are unique and should be represented. Personally I am keeping eyes on them with interest.

But I say that in my opinion the barding was not used in Ethiopia

He's basing it on some Fresco, once shown to me somewhen. I do not keep it nor knows the dates which it was painted, have wait till he replies.

Also warriors hold the shotel incorrectly, the concave part should be outside.

That is how CA rigged the shotel in Attila - which is wrong, but rerigging them needs time. On the meantime, we'll have to make do with what we have on hand. We want to in the future rig it the correct way, and maybe straighten the blade for Gurade.
Other than that, Attila also have Crosses on spears, which I see the potential to be turned into standards, but CA installed it backwards for spear counterweights instead. Is rigging the spears downside up worth it, as in, whether the Ethiopian did used them as standards? Also, which kind of standards did Medieval Nubians and Ethiopians would use?

For Nubians. Give them (including Beja) sandals and shoes

Nubians which wears trousers includes shoes with the trousers models. There is standalone shoe models as well. Sandals, on hand we have those Roman knotted till mid-calf sandas integral to some feet models, but we don't have slippers as of now.

You can add almond-shaped shields to the Nubians.

We have them, can be added in quickly. Like the ones used by Bukna Warband?

The Nilots must be completely naked

So loincloths instead of skirts?

Note that in the current release, there are some changes applied into the rosters:
The Tier 3 Sudanese Footmen are now Kaskara Swordsmen. The swords used as of now are placeholders, so hilt, blade, and scabbard are too elaborate. Scabbard suspension also from belt instead of shoulder loophole.

All tiers have Quilted Spearmen added. Basically better Nubian Tribesmen, for mid-quality. (The tribesmen are basic levy type unit)

In addition to that, do you think the rosters are complete? Are there more units that can or should be added?

Thank you for the critique - we need them, most of the team-members and players, me included, knows squat about East Africans, so we won't realise anything if something is off or just plain wrong.

[Alejandro Sanchez]

I don't know the technical details, so the technical solutions at your discretion )

Please do! I'll be waiting, the East Africans are unique and should be represented. Personally I am keeping eyes on them with interest.

I haven't time for this.

He's basing it on some Fresco, once shown to me somewhen. I do not keep it nor knows the dates which it was painted, have wait till he replies.

I saw one such mural, and there is clearly ceremonial horse decoration.

Also, which kind of standards did Medieval Nubians and Ethiopians would use?

I don't know of any description, pictorial source or archaeological find about it. I can show you only a XIIIth-century mural from an Egyptian monastery with flags. I don't know what the source of these flags is (Christian or Muslim).

We have them, can be added in quickly. Like the ones used by Bukna Warband?

Like Mahdists' dark brown shields from the skin of a bull or hippopotamus.

So loincloths instead of skirts?

Decide for itself. I can only say that Nilitoc men wore no clothes until the XXth century. They wore a belt on the naked body to insert a wooden mace.

In addition to that, do you think the rosters are complete? Are there more units that can or should be added?Thank you for the critique - we need them, most of the team-members and players, me included, knows squat about East Africans, so we won't realise anything if something is off or just plain wrong.

Personally, I would remove Sarawit, they are not like the inhabitants of the Ethiopian highland or the African Horn.You can add mounted and foot Somalis, foot Afar, foot Oromo (the latter is starting to settle in these lands in the middle ages and change the balance of forces in the region). They can be mercenaries or warriors of vassal princes.

[Dontfearme22]

What YGW said is accurate, so I will just add to the most contentious points, the Ethiopain Sarawit and the horse barding:

Ethiopian Sarawit is meant as a broad basic infantry unit. The name comes from this paper:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

http://www.persee.fr/doc/ethio_0066-...1_T4_0084_0000

Heres the term being used:


And heres it being used within the mods period:


The Sarawit / Sewa change tier to tier is to easily differentiate the tiers, assuming if it was used in the early 1300s it was used in the late 1200s. Given how conservative Ethiopian armies are, I thought it was a fair guess.

Horse Barding:

The bardings are from these frescos at Debra Berham:


Outside the period, but with Ethiopia it felt safer than it might with other factions. Both images show kings, but I extended the barding to certain other units to make them stand out more.

http://warfare.ga/18C/Ethiopian-Gond...raBerhan-c.htm
http://warfare.ga/18C/Ethiopian-Gond...raBerhan-b.htm

[Dontfearme22]

I am having lots of issues using TWC right now, so this is in a second comment because its too difficult to edit my main post.

The idea behind the Ethiopian Sarawits appearance was to evoke wrapped headdresses like this:


and these:


For flags, I have found some references to plain colored, or cross flags in later periods. Flags for me are a priority to add to the faction down the line (I personally can't do any immediate changes). If the horse barding is all entirely ceremonial, maybe it could be replaced with something simplier. Luckily all the other suggested changes are quick to make.

Again, thanks for your input. Its invaluable to improving the mod.