Antiochus and the seleucid army had landed in europe. Organization and tactics in the great campaigns cambridge classical studies at. Seleucid and ptolemaic reformed armies 168145 bc 1 seleucid. Jul 31, 2015 the battle of gabiene took place in january 316. I expected a bit of a challenge but i got absolutely crushed, every single nation which bordered me decided to declare war, the only 2 nations which didnt were media and sardes. The seleucid dynasty was founded by seleucus i nicator.
The seleucid army was the army of the seleucid empire, one of the numerous hellenistic states. Spyridon bakas the army of alexander was an army made for campaigns, conquests and dedicated to the purpose of continuous expansion. Bronze coins of side pamphylia in the southern levant the numismatic chronicle 177. Why did the seleucid empire lose the battle of magnesia. Seleucus i nicator founded it following the division of the macedonian empire. Seleucid army, eventually establishing the maccabees as the hasmonean dynasty of rulers of israel. Feb 15, 2017 seleucid was tough logistically, since it was sandwiched in the middle of competing factions with a weak army initially, and unstable satrapies, but that made it interesting. Seleucids have access to troops from anatolia to india, and have the most access to indian elephants. The early seleucid rulers implemented policies to encourage a homogeneous empire which blended hellenistic cultural values with those of the near east. The seleucid army download the seleucid army ebook pdf or read online books in pdf, epub, and mobi format. Jul 23, 2011 this army list below is the second part of a large successor project for this year and again i would welcome knowledgable advice on its composition and possible expansion. Seleucid empire, and thus needed constant military garrisons. The seleucid army was the army of the seleucid empire, one of the numerous hellenistic states that emerged after the death of alexander the great as with the other major hellenistic armies, the seleucid army fought primarily in the grecomacedonian style, with its main body being the phalanx.
Oct 18, 20 id really appreciate some help on how to survive the seleucid campaign. However, the king of armenia, tigranes the great, invaded and took control of syria in 83 bce. Ive played a bit as macedon, usually have about 56 pikes per army, then some flanking infantry hoplitesthureos spears and swords, cav and skirmishers usually try to go for a mix of slingsarchers and peltasts, but the seleucids syrian heavy archers look pretty good so id probably go mostly with them and just 12 peltasts for close up. Judeaisrael moves to the seleucid dynasty based in antioch in syria ca. The greek or macedonian dynasties were never fully accepted as more than occupants, and in hindsight their reign has been neglected. Late seleucid army king antiochus the great with army standard bearer cavalry 8 x companion cavalry half barding 10 x agema seleucid cataphracts full barding. The seleucid kingdom, now confined to syria, was beset by recurrent civil wars.
Place a marker for each army on the movement track. The following numbers of the armies of antiochus iii at raphia and magnesia and the soldiers antiochus iv present during a festival at daphne for that reason are. The seleucid army organization and tacfics in the great campaigns bezalel barkochva senior lecturer in hellenistic and ancient jewish history telaviv university. Internal disputes weakened the revived state, and it eventually fell victim to the romans. The seleucids were powerful but they had a number of problems. To me, it sounds like this faction has everything going for it from a military standpoint. Download pdf the seleucid army free online new books.
Rather like philip before him, there seems little evidence that antiochus had any personal animus against rome. Of or relating to a hellenistic dynasty founded by. Xyston some of their macedonians are creeping up the scale, but generaly ok to mix with others. With luck and skill you can exterminate half the enemy army before going in. For the first time, visitors will be able to walk through an ancient athenian neighborhood that survived from classical to byzantine times. This is a 1976 study of the organization and tactics of the seleucid armies from 312 to 129 bc. Seleucid synonyms, seleucid pronunciation, seleucid translation, english dictionary definition of seleucid. Heres the description of the seleucids on the total war wiki. Oct 22, 2019 the seleucid empire began to crumble after 100 bce and was finally toppled by rome through the efforts of its general pompey the great l.
Seleucid officer of the royal guard middle 3rd century b. For one, antiochus iii attacked roman allies in greece and asia minor and in the war that followed were defeated and had crippling peace terms. Like any hellenistic monarch, antiochus was pursuing every hellenistic rulers basic opportunistic, expansionist policy, and he had seen in philips embarrassment a chance to. Click download or read online button to the seleucid army book pdf for free now. Cimmeria had a strong military evolving over research and time, but lacked the heavy cavalry, and did not face the tough start on logistics. This brought the seleucid empire into direct contact with the dominant mediterranean power of rome. Seleucid army like the ptolemaic army, the seleucid army was built around the phalangists. Antigonuss army, which was much reduced because of the losses at paraitakene, now numbered 22,000 infantry, and 9,000 cavalry, more than 7,000 fewer men than he had in 317. The respective time periods of 320280bc, 279205bc, 204167bc and 16683bc puts them in a position to fight several of the armies from my greek city states collection, the romans and even the spartans or thracians. Jens jakobsson, 2004 the hellenistic period is one of the most controversial in the history of iran.
At the center he placed his most reliable soldiers, a 10,000 strong unit of veteran macedonian pikemen known as the silver shields. Seleucid army marching triumphantly with theurophoroi in. I ordered a pack of elephants and cataphracts from old glory to see how they compare. The seleucid army by bezalel barkochva, 1976, cambridge university press edition, in english. Parthian campaign of demetrius ii nicator, 1469 bce then 1296 bce. Certainly the price is hard to beat as if you belong to the old glory army you get 40% off the regular price. Mar 21, 2019 the seleucid army by bezalel barkochva, 1976, cambridge university press edition, in english. The seleucid army organization and tactics in the great.
The game tells you a seleucid campaign will have a normal difficulty level when it starts out so i fired up a very hard campaign. The phalanx was a large, dense formation of men armed with small shields and a long pike called the. This thesis argues that the iconography on seleucid coins was created in order to appeal. Ethnic constructions in the seleucid military by del john. The seleucid army has the largest army, and has the best cavalry, eventually developing cataphracts to support the phalanx. These machines are priceless whe taking cities because they are able from a safe position to devastate enemy forces which are behind the walls, leading to panic. With his huge army he aimed to establish the seleucid empire as the foremost power in the hellenic world, but these plans put the empire on a.
Was the ancient seleucid army a powerful fighting force. Eumenes army numbered 36,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and 114 elephants. Army school of advanced military studies united states army command and general staff college fort leavenworth, kansas ay 0405 approved for public release. Ive played a bit as macedon, usually have about 56 pikes per army, then some flanking infantry hoplitesthureos spears and swords, cav and skirmishers usually try to go for a mix of slingsarchers and peltasts, but the seleucid s syrian heavy archers look pretty good so id probably go mostly with them and just 12 peltasts for close up. Id really appreciate some help on how to survive the seleucid campaign. Seleucid elite and special mission infantry middle 3rd. Of course as an anal stick up my arse binder i do think that the term peltasts for thureophoroi in successor armies is a bit over simplified but then. Seleucid army composition tactics total war forums.
The army is designed to cover all four seleucid lists from ii19a to ii19d. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the wikimedia foundation, inc. These superb cavalrymen are an armoured fist to drive deep into enemy ranks. From laconian war to seleucid war i weapons and warfare. Seleucus i nicator founded it following the division of the macedonian empire vastly expanded by alexander the great. Each army gets all of its starting forces, commanded by the general at the top of its list. Seleucid light troops are not as good quality as some. Seleucus final military campaign was against his former ally lysimachus.
This army list covers seleucid forces from the end of alexanders funeral games to the abolition of the dynasty by pompey. The first part of the book discusses the numerical strength of the armies, their sources of manpower, the contingents of the regular army, their equipment and historical development, the chain of command, training and discipline. Adopting the titles king of asia and great king, the macedonian rulers of the seleucid dynasty laid claim to the territory of the former achaemenid empire during the hellenistic period. But the successors armies like the seleucid army had a different mission from. May 04, 2011 seleucids had more elephants than any of the others award yourself another one. I have a standard army composition for all of my pikehoplite based campaigns, although its a little different for egypt and the selucids. Roman hastati engaged with seleucid phalanxes the battle of magnesia took place in the winter of 1. Seleucid definition of seleucid by the free dictionary.
The seleucid empire began to crumble after 100 bce and was finally toppled by rome through the efforts of its general pompey the great l. Jan 28, 2017 seleucid and ptolemaic reformed armies 168145 bc 1 seleucid army by nick sekunda and angus mcbride illustrator. I tend to use the medium quality manufacturers for rank and file, and beautiful. This army list covers roman armies the reforms of marius until those of augustus. The jewish revolts against the seleucid and roman empires, 166 bc73 ad a monograph by ltc william t. The army of alexander was an army made for campaigns, conquests and dedicated to the purpose of continuous expansion and when the armies of the hellenistic era are mentioned one thinks of massed ranks of pike armed infantry and roaring war elephants. As to figures, given this is a high variety army go with a wide variety of figure makers. Seleucid officer of the royal guard koryvantes association. They have all the later seleucid troops based on the dapnae parade, the sculptures themselves are heavily inspired by the colour plates of the book the seleucid army by nick sekunda. For example one really does not need to know that a skirmisher slinger in his seleucid army is a trallian goat herder, or idumenaean goat header, or a goat herder from the taurus mountains. The seleucid army montvert publications now defunct.
Tmtechnical manuals range 115 army publishing directorate. Mar 29, 2012 this is a 1976 study of the organization and tactics of the seleucid armies from 312 to 129 bc. For those guys i usually go with 4 pikes, 6 swordsman, 3 ballista, cavalry gneeral, 2 elephants, 2 units of archers, and 2 units of cavalry. Antiochus and the seleucids lost because their army, although numerically superior, was more chaotic and tactically unsound in its battle decisions. Furnished with expert cavalry, including cataphracts, horse skirmishers and war elephants, seleucid armies also sport a solid core of excellent spear and pike infantry provided by a growing number of greekspeaking colonists.
But the successors armies like the seleucid army had a different mission. Seleucid was tough logistically, since it was sandwiched in the middle of competing factions with a weak army initially, and unstable satrapies, but that made it interesting. At its greatest extent the seleucid statesometimes called the kingdom of syriaincluded not only syria but also mesopotamia, part of asia minor, the iranian plateau, and part of middle. This elite heavy cavalry unit has the training and equipment to handle any battlefield encounter. Seleucid article about seleucid by the free dictionary. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. Organization and tactics in the great campaigns by bezalel barkochva and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. In 33 bce, by military victory, the macedonian alexander ended the persian empire. Seleucids had more elephants than any of the others award yourself another one. Nov 23, 2014 the seleucids were powerful but they had a number of problems. Such as its weakness that it was largely ignored by both sides in the long wars between the romans and mithridates of pontus 8865 bce. This army list below is the second part of a large successor project for this year and again i would welcome knowledgable advice on its composition and possible expansion. Seleucid empire, founded in 312311 bce by seleucus i nicator, formerly a general in the army of alexander the great.