European Bronze Age 15mm DBA Army

Inspired by Ian Pain's work (as seen on the DBA Facebook group), I recently completed a European Bronze Age army (Book I/14b) in 15mm using Copplestone Casting's fantasy barbarian range.  I went for a bit of a fantasy take on it rather than toning it down for DBA - woad face and body paint and big bronze axes and swords, and hints of Lord of the Rings in the shield designs.

The army itself has a Light Chariot or Blade general, a cavalry or blade element, a couple of other blades, two psiloi, and the rest auxilia.

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)

Ancient British 15mm DBA Army

The summer holiday afforded me time to paint up an Ancient British DBA army (an Xmas present from Andy, from Essex Miniatures), complete with lots of woad and based to represent the swamps and forests of this green and pleasant land.  The camp is a scratch built homage to Stonehenge.  The general's element represents Cassivellaunus, although I'm trying to source a suitable Boudicca figure in 15mm.  The only missing element choice is an element of Hordes which can represent sacrificing Druids or wailing women from Tacitus' account of the invasion of Anglesey.  Again, have not yet managed to source suitable figures.

The complete army (from which to choose 12 elements in DBA).

Skirmishing Slingers (Psiloi in DBA)

Cassivellaunus and his nobles in their chariots (Light Chariots in DBA)

The war band screened by the slingers

The infantry (Fast Warband in DBA)

Light Horse