minipreviews: mercenary, regional and foreign units

[Luciano B]

ILLYRIAN WARRIORS

The few artistic sources depicting the Illyrians of the era show clean-shaven warriors wearing short, sleeveless, unbelted tunics decorated with a fondness for vertical stripes.

The northern tribes were distinguished from the tribes nearer to Macedon and Epirus by their preference for oval or squared shields like the types used by the neighbouring Veneti; it seems to have been close connections between the early cultures of northern Italy and Illyria. The southern tribes favoured a small round convex shield similar to the Macedonian type, sometimes decorated in the same style with star and crescent patterns, probably of a similar bronze-faced construction, part of an eventual joint heritage shared by the Macedonian and the Illyrians from early times.

The Greek helmet style called "Illyrian", obsolete in Greece in the early 5th century, lasted in Illyria perhaps as late as the 2nd century. The northern tribes used also Negau type helmets, broad-brimmed pot helmets and wicker helmets reinforced with metal studs and disks.

Occasional sculptures show Greek greaves.

Weapons would be spears, javelins, swords and light axes. The typical sword was a curved weapon with the cutting edge in the inside, also used in Epirus.


Northern Illyrian spearmen, with Negau type helmet and oval shield


Northern Illyrian light infantry, with light axe, squared shield, and helmet reinforced by metal studs and disk, often referred as the "Smarteja" type


Northern Illyrian cavalry, equipped with javelins, axe and pot helmet, as depicted in the Vače belt; leather corslet reinforced by metal studs.


Southern Illyrian swordmen, with the typical curved sword and a late version of the "Illyrian" helmet; detail of the curved sword and of the scabbard


Southern Illyrian spearmen, with Greek greaves, Macedonian-style round shield and early type "Illyrian" helmet


Southern Illyrian cavalry; weapons and shield form the Gradista relief; helmet of Macedonian Type with a flat metal crest (similar to the one found in Lake Ochrida on the Illyrian-Macedonian border, inscribed with the name of the Ilyrian king Monunios)

[Sparton Matticus]

A nice little update... are those the only Illyrian units in the game? Did they have any cavalry?

[Luciano B]

Thanks Sparton

...a couple of light cavalry units are currently under work, one depicting the equipment of the northern Illyrian horsemen, another for the southerners.

[Gaius Baltar]

Great looking models!! Keep em coming!!!!

[Luciano B]

Great looking models!! Keep em coming!!!!

Thanks Gaius

...I took a break from the boring code work and I managed to put together some few further models ...more stuff coming soon...

[iglauskas]

Great preview, Luciano! And good to know that there will be more soon!

And I have just one question:
Did Illiryans used some bodyarmor and thus had heavy infantry/cavalry?

[Luciano B]

Welcome back Iglauskas ...and thanks again for the appreciations.

...the ancient figurative sources, like the Vače pieces or the Ribic urn, show only unarmoured men. The archeological evidence seems to suggest that the use of defensive equipment was mainly restricted ot helmets and shields. Obviously individuals may have used more armour, but I guess that the standard Illyrian warfare didn't allow too heavy equipment. My sources on the matter are mainly Connolly and Duncan Head, and both suggest that some light leather torso protection reinforced with metal studs may be eventually used by Illyrian warriors, since this kind of material was actually used to produce helmets, like the one found at Smarteja. Greaves of the Greek type were also used.

[Luciano B]

...as promised, I added a couple of cavalry units to the preveiw...

[Sparton Matticus]

Coding work is always boring stuff... but it has to be done

The arty 3d/2d models are always the cool bits

Btw love the new units

keep up the good work, i always look fowarding to seeing whats new on these forums

[Luciano B]

...thanks again Sparton ...here a further couple of minpreviews:


PICENTES

Heavy Infantry


Light Infantry


Cavalry



FRENTANI

Spearmen


Light Infantry


Horsemen

[Sparton Matticus]

Love thew new mini preview..

Are these two factions playable? or are the units just recruitable?

Either way another excellent preview.

[Mylae]

they are regional units, recruitable only in certain places.

[iglauskas]

Superb as usual, Luciano!

But I have one question about swastika on the shield of the Picentine heavy infantryman... Was this symbol traditional for the peoples of ancient Italy? I've already seen swastikas on the shield of the Samnite spearman depicted in Osprey's "Early Roman armies" book.

[Luciano B]

Thanks again Sparton and Iglauskas

As far as I know the swastika was a symbol related to the shared heritage of many ancient populations ...it is often used like a geometric decorative motif (probably with some symbolic meaning) in ancient Greek (tetraskelion) and Italic artworks, obviously with no connection with the nazis....

[iglauskas]

Thanks for the quick reply, Luciano!

[Luciano B]

Here a first attempt to reproduce a Sardinian swordsman with the typical leather armour:







...here a reference picture

[Valerius Tiberius]

btw, will Sardinia et Corsica expand? cause in the beta test mod now, they are just 1 settlement on each island

Valerius Tiberius

[Luciano B]

Thanks for you warm and continuous support, florin.

[Darth Nihilus]

wow there units are Great

[Hister]

Yes indeed!