Pre-Steam Graphics Showcase

[fairline]

Thanks again Tanelorn

Originally posted by tanelorn
Minor note on the swords. The hoplite used his short sword as a secondary weapon, often this was the leaf-shaped top heavy "Kopis"= cutter to hack through shields.

I've tried copying one shown in Connolly onto a couple of the hoplites; he suggests it was more popular in the 4th C. than eaarlier, so I've left hoplite short swords on the rest. Added a few more spears too.

Alexanders cavalry used a curved blade, the "Xyston"= scraper.

I thought the Xyston was the cavalry equivalent of the Sarissa, ie a very long pike?

Are you positive about the Alpha on the Athenian shields? Athens standard was (and is) the "glaux"= Owl, Minerva's symbol.

Not sure at all! Sekunda was the source again; he mentions lead tokens found in Athens dating from early Hellenistic times which show hoplite/phalangite armour. Apparently these were used as 'chitties' for armour issued by the state to expand the army to the poorer sections of society. Several show an Argive/Hoplon shield with an Alpha symbol, and he suggests they may have been used in late classical times as well, when Athens started issuing state armour.

As a compromise, I've made an attempt at the owl symbol as a unit shield.

[curtsibling]

The legend continues!

[tanelorn]

Again, unparalleled artistic perfection and detail. You are right about the xyston too, it was indeed the name for the 4m- 12ft cavalry sarissa (as opposed to the pezetairoi's 6m- 16ft and later successor 21ft sarissa), my bad. Question: is the Persian line infantry the "Cadaces" mock-hoplite troop fielded (and anihilated) at Issus? I've read they were trained as hoplites, or (supposedly are speculated to have been-) a hoplite-peltast hybrid that threw javelins first.

I also have a (modern) drawing of an early Hoplite in full battle gear from the museum at Olympia. He is fully encased in cast bronze plate armour, top to bottom, including the full length of his arms and legs, plus a guard for the abdomen. However, it is admitted that no single hoplite could have gone into battle that way, for practical reasons. It is rather a composite of parts found on the site. In massed hoplite formations it gave little advantage, its weight being a greater liability. I'll have it scanned and posted by tomorrow.
At least well into the archaic period, Greeks fought in personal combat in the tradition of the Homeric epics, the big bosses being transported into battle in such heavy armor by chariots (Cyrenaic hoplites kept doing this for different reasons). The last great battle that this happened was that of the Lelantian fields, when the Athenian citizen phalanx crushed the traditional force of Chalkis.
Such armor is similar in concept with the Mycenean "Dendra" (site of origin) armor, that again encased the warior in sheets of bronze, almost a milenia before...

[fairline]

Thanks (again!) gents

T: I have pics of the dendrite panoply, and the ordinary Mycenean soldiers with 'figure-of-eight' cowhide shields, but very little on post-Mycenean/pre-750BC Greek proto-hoplites. This early heavy panoply sounds interesting. Any chance you could draw him?

[St Leo]

I am looking for some African (Mali- or Songhai-esque) units. Any suggestions?

[fairline]

Got any source pics Leo?

[GoPostal]

I like the Lakedaimonian Shield

[St Leo]

No, not really. All Google Images can find is sexy Timbuktu architecture.

Merchants
Tuareg with sword
Irrelevant Camel Rider
Irrelevant Camel Rider Statue

One of the merchants in a different pose holding the Tuareg's sword might work.

Eh. My filler images work fine anyways.

[Leonidas]

Here are improved units for John Ellis' scenario "Hellas". I have added others' graphics and/or re-touched and modified some existing ones:



Edit: uploaded corrected units file.

[fairline]

Whoa, that's spooky! Just posted a set of graphics files for Hellas myself

[fairline]

Leonidas, you may want to post a gif as the jpeg is distorted...

[Leonidas]

Thanks for the heads up.

Weird.

The units file for "Hellas" has been corrected.

[Gagliaudo]

@Leonidas:
Good work !

@Fairline:
For you, see the other thread of yours

[Leonidas]

In honour of the Spartans

The Top Row:

The basic unit is by Erwan and the shield is from John Ellis' "Hellas" scenario.

I re-sized the units, re-coloured, and then modified them.

The Second and Third Rows:

These are AoE units that were converted to Civ2 by St Leo. I then modified, re-coloured, and grouped them.

Cheers!

[tanelorn]

Very nice, Leo.