Achaean 15mm DBA Army

My Homeric 15mm DBA project is now complete.  Having painted up the Trojan army of Priam and Hector, this month I finished the Achaeans - the army of Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ajax and Achilles.  The figures are from the 'Z' range by Museum Miniatures (with the Trojan Horse by Rapier Miniatures) and I think they have done a superb job both in the sculpting, but also in the design - drawing strongly on the archaeological evidence.

"As when a swarm of of clustering bees pours out of a cave, so the Achaean warriors rushed out of their ships and tents, a vast and overwhelming force" (Homer, Iliad)

The Rapier Miniatures Trojan Horse is in 6mm scale, but it works well enough I think.  I painted up a couple of Greeks sallying out.  Their boar tusks helmets are well attested in the archaeological evidence such as this example dating from around 1400 BC, now in the Athens Museum 

The heroic charioteers are depicted in boar's tusk helmets and wearing full bronze armour based on the Dendra Panoply which dates from around 1500BC and can be seen in the Archaeological Museum of Nafplion

Agamemnon and his bodyguards.  The big, 'figure of eight' shields are attested in the famous Lion Hunt Dagger - a 16th century BC artefact found in the shaft graves in Mycenae.  It also shows figures with 'tower shields'.

Menelaus and his supporters.  I have chosen to give him a red beard given Homer describes him as 'xanthos' (either blond or a redhead).

Ajax - "the strongest of all the Achaeans" - and his men.  Homer describes him as of immense stature -"valiant and tall, towering above the Argives with his head and broad shoulders".  Black-haired, he carried a massive shield "of seven-fold bull's hide, and on the outermost, bronze" and Museum Miniatures have obliged with a nice tower shield.

Achilles (in Dendra-style armour) and his Myrmidons, with weapons and poses from the Lion Dagger

More Myrmidons.  Museum have based these figures on the soldiers depicted on the Mycenaean Warrior Vase, found by Schliemann in Mycenae and dating to the 13th or 12th centuries BC.

The heroes in battle array

The Achaean infantry are depicted with figure of eight shields, tall spears, and either in Dendra armour, kilts, or nude.

Trojan 15mm DBA Army

Not much time for painting so far this year, but I did manage to finish a Trojan 15mm DBA army which Andy kindly bought me for Xmas.  The figures are the new 'Z' range by Museum Miniatures (with the addition of one Essex miniatures base).  The Heroes in their light chariots dismount to fight as Blades. Just need some Achaeans now to oppose them.  And a suitable baggage/camp element.

The whole army, with alternate elements

Hector in his chariot

Spearmen

Light Chariots (count as Cavalry in DBA)

The dismounted Heroes - Blades in DBA

The light troops - Archers and Slingers - plus Sarpedon's Lycians (Fast Blades)

Hittite Chariots

Three flavours of Hittite chariot finished - the King's chariot with armoured horses, 2 heavy chariots, and 1 light chariot.  Appropriately these are 15mm Chariot Miniatures.

Heavy Chariot - 3 crew and armoured horses

Another heavy chariot with 3 crew and armoured horses

The King's heavy chariot - again 3 crew and armoured horses

The 2 crew light chariot

The full chariot wing

Sea Peoples DBA army

This Christmas' project has been painting up a Sea Peoples army for De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA) - which was a very kind present from Andy.  Each DBA army is 12 pieces or 'elements', and the Sea Peoples order of battle is the same for version 2 and 3 of the rules.  The figures are from Chariot Miniatures and the set comprises all the figures and bases needed to make up the army list with all the possible variant options.

The Sea Peoples were active in the 12th century BC and seemingly caused lots of grief to Egypt, Anatolia, Canaan and Syria.  Whether or not they were actually one homogenous group is debatable, but the literature suggests that they fielded bronze-armoured swordsmen who could stand up to the chariots of their enemies.

The full set of figures (minus an element of Psiloi that I bizarrely missed off the photo)

The General in a 2-horse, 3-crew heavy chariot

The central element is an alternate General (on foot) with 2 other elements of Blades - the armoured retinue of subordinate chieftains

Two of the three Psiloi elements - light archers

Three elements of Auxilia - Javenlinmen that can are alternates for the Psiloi

The Javelinmen in profile...

Six elements of Swordsmen (Blades)

Andy also got me a Hittite DBA Army pack, so will aim to do those next...