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

[You_Guess_Who]

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

Is it because ceremonial, or is it because it should be fabric caparison, not thick barding?

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

Gotcha, I think I know something I can use for that.

You can add mounted and foot Somalis, foot Afar, foot Oromo

How do they fight and look? Akin to Ethiopian units (spear, javelin, shortbows, curved daggers, clubs, shotel for late period, lionsmane headgear, shawls) or something unique and distinctive (camel riding, two handed clubs, throwing clubs, slings, longbows, more sudanese style equipments, more tribal equipments, imported equipments?)? AFAIK Afar people have distinctive hairstyle which Attila have a model for.

Oh right, for Ethiopian T1 basic spear unit, you're suggesting that a more barechested look just like the hadar and highland angada, but with shorter trousers should be ideal? I can think of bronze armband/bracelet I can use for them, something missing from Ethiopian units right now. One thing I notice is because of the limited knowledge, differentiating units from age-to-age or unit-to-unit are more difficult, so the appearance tend to mix up. Doing so might help differentiate between the T1 Sarawit to the T2 Sewa.

[KAM 2150]

In case of horse barding, while not from that time period, we have written sources that Ptolemaic Egypt hired 500 cavalrymen from Meroe that had quilted armour for horse and rider.


Here are some images of how we tried to recreate it for DeI:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

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[You_Guess_Who]

Still I feel, unlike DEI which takes more of "what if" position of all faction can develop, we're more conservative; in that we only give higher tier unit based on what their successors did field in reality. The farthest we took what if position are Cilician Armenia. Keeps the Westernized looks, based on surviving Hospitallers of Cyprus and Rhodes. T3 are armoured in Italian plate armour, instead of Yushman, because, well, Cilician Armenia was conquered in late 14th cent.

I have to say, Meroe was Sudan, and for Makuria we do have Heavily Quilted Lancers, so we're okay for that department. I think Ritter plays it faster and looser, as the look of DEI's quilted lancers have Central African elements than East African. Popped collars, padded helmets - Kanem Bornu horsemen even had two-pronged lances if you want to increase the coolness factor.

But man, those screenshots just make me wanna mooch up models and textures more from DEI, those are too great. Us here are mostly just slapping texture as fast as possible to get the damn mod finishes quicker. The open-faced Chamfron of the model, reed lance shaft, and is that a club hanging by the rider's leg? Nice details. Great texturer, he is.

[Dontfearme22]

Agreed, I love the chamfrom design. Yeah its definitely anachronistic but the visual quality is top-notch.

[Alejandro Sanchez]

In case of horse barding, while not from that time period, we have written sources that Ptolemaic Egypt hired 500 cavalrymen from Meroe that had quilted armour for horse and rider.

It's interesting. Can you tell me the name of the primary source, I want to read it.

[Alejandro Sanchez]

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

This is an ordinary Ethiopian warrior. He's wearing pants, shamma and lemd. So you misinterpreted his suit. In battle he is dressed only in pants and lemd. Shamma will be twisted and wrapped around the waist, or left in the camp. As for the headscarf, I don't know its origin. Some (the minority) warriors of the colonial time have it. But most Ethiopian warriors don't cover their heads with anything.

[You_Guess_Who]

Okay, how about these?

Bukna Warband, now with loincloth instead of skirts

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sarawit, Shamma wrapped around waist, Upper calf length trousers

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Shamma slung around neck and shoulders, shorter knee-length trousers

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Shamma slung through one shoulder, shorter knee-length trousers

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Which ones are Yay, which ones are Nay? There's also one shoulder slung fur pelt variant.
I found some arm torq models, but only bracelet models fits now, our african models have too swole biceps for the upper arm torq without torq model re-rig.

[Alejandro Sanchez]

Okay, how about these?Bukna Warband, now with loincloth instead of skirts

Now it seems real ) You can add scarred pattern to skin.

SarawitWhich ones are Yay, which ones are Nay? There's also one shoulder slung fur pelt variant.

The 1st is OK. The other two you can leave to diversify. Not enough woolen cape lemd, it's worn in the usual way or over one shoulder.

How do they fight and look? Akin to Ethiopian units (spear, javelin, shortbows, curved daggers, clubs, shotel for late period, lionsmane headgear, shawls) or something unique and distinctive (camel riding, two handed clubs, throwing clubs, slings, longbows, more sudanese style equipments, more tribal equipments, imported equipments?)? AFAIK Afar people have distinctive hairstyle which Attila have a model for.

Basic weapon for Somalis and Afar is javelins, round leather shield (different types for Somalis and Afar), spear and dagger (different types for Somalis and Afar). For mounted Somalis too. Both have the following clothing: a piece of fabric around the waist (instead of pants) and a piece of fabric on the shoulders (Somalis and Afars draped differently), sandals on his feet. Their hairstyles is variations of Afro, which stuck a wooden stick. Somali chief can have a turban on Arabic style.
Also Ethiopian Chronicles mention bows and iron clubs.

Afar


Somalis



I can give you a lot of such images when I'm home.

With regard to the Oromo, in Middle Ages they were similar to Nilots (except of the phenotype), but I think wore leather aprons. This question I need to clarify )

[You_Guess_Who]

Not enough woolen cape lemd, it's worn in the usual way or over one shoulder.
Basic weapon for Somalis and Afar is javelins, round leather shield (different types for Somalis and Afar), spear and dagger (different types for Somalis and Afar). For mounted Somalis too. Both have the following clothing: a piece of fabric around the waist (instead of pants) and a piece of fabric on the shoulders (Somalis and Afars draped differently), sandals on his feet. Their hairstyles is variations of Afro, which stuck a wooden stick. Somali chief can have a turban on Arabic style.
Also Ethiopian Chronicles mention bows and iron clubs.

Oh the woolen lemd variant is in, I just didn't take a screenshot of it.

Different spears? I guess the Somalian spear blades are narrower?

Did either of them mount Camels, or only Horses?

Iron clubs? I've heard Sudanese soldiers in service to the Fatimids used iron clubs as well, but what I am not sure is how long and how is it wielded. Broken Crescent and some wargame miniatures interprets them as two-handed long stick, but David Nicolle interprets it it as one handed mace around 1m in total length. Or is it closer to African wooden clubs in shape and size?

[Alejandro Sanchez]

Different spears? I guess the Somalian spear blades are narrower?

I spoke of the various types of shields and daggers of the Somalis and the Afar. But if we talk about spears and javelins, there were different forms of tips, the length of the shaft, light and heavy javelins etc. Even within one tribal group.

Did either of them mount Camels, or only Horses?

I have never read anything like this in Ethiopian, Arab or European sources. It seems that only Beja and Nubians fought on camels.

Iron clubs? I've heard Sudanese soldiers in service to the Fatimids used iron clubs as well, but what I am not sure is how long and how is it wielded. Broken Crescent and some wargame miniatures interprets them as two-handed long stick, but David Nicolle interprets it it as one handed mace around 1m in total length. Or is it closer to African wooden clubs in shape and size?

I know about them from the single source - The Tale about campaign of the king Amda Seyon. There is no description except that they are made of iron. I think the two-handed option is unrealistic. In my opinion an East African warrior always fights with a shield (because of the large spread of throwing weapons), then the mace should be one-handed. Probably it's the analogue of African wooden club with a metal finial or middle Eastern mace.