Showing posts with label Romans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romans. Show all posts

24 July, 2009

Polybian Romans

This is one of my newest armies. I painted the entire army during a week in March while my family was out of town. I already have several of their historical opponents so they fill a hole in my collection.
Most of the figures are Old Glory. Two of the hastati stands and one of princeps are Essex, while the camp is by Baeuda. I have 3 more stands worth of unpainted OG triarii I will paint someday so that I can also use this as a Camillan Roman army.

The Roman consul and his cavalry escort (1x3Cv Gen & 1x3Cv):

The velites (2x2Ps):

The hastati (3x4Bd):

The princeps (3x4Bd):


The triarii (2x4Sp):


The camp consists of 2 pigs being set alight and aimed at the enemy. There is a story from Megara in Greece about flaming pigs being used to frighten enemy elephants, while the Romans used squealing pigs against Pyrhhus' elephants.

Last is a picture of the entire army:

26 April, 2009

Late Imperial Romans - West

This DBA Late Imperial Roman (West) DBA II/78a army depicts the forces of Julian (aka Flavius Claudius Iulianus) at the battle of Strasbourg in 357 vs. the Alamanii. I worked in France one summer and was in Alsace near the battle-site. At this time Julian was Caesar of the West; he did not become Roman Emperor until 361. Also known as Julian the Apostate, he was the last pagan emperor of Rome. I was inspired to paint this army after reading the historical novel "Gods and Legions" by Michael Curtis Ford, which covers the life of Julian. The primary source used to identify the units present was Ammianus Marcellinus; a number of secondary sources were also consulted. Shield patterns are taken from the Notitia Dignatum. Most or all of these units would have followed Julian to the East for his campaign against the Sassanids in 363, so with the addition of another 4Kn element it could be used as a LIR East army as well. Figures are 15mm Old Glory. It was painted in 2007. All shields are hand-painted.
On the left are the Scola scutariorum secunda (1x3Cv); on the right are Julian and the Scola gentilium seniorum (1x3Cv General).

A close-up of Julian and the Scola gentilium seniorum.

The Equites catafractarii (1x4Kn)

The Legiones Palatina: (l-r) Pannoniciani seniores, Primani, Moesiaci seniores (3x4Bd).
The Auxilia Palatina: (l-r) Batavi seniores,Cornuti seniores, Brachiati seniores (3x4Ax).

The Equites primo sagitarii on the left and the Equites Dalmatae Passerentiaci on the right (2x2Lh).

Skirmishers: the Fortenses on the left and the Celtae seniores on the right (2x2Ps).

Balistarii (1xArt)

The Roman camp. I modeled it as a Roman watchtower on the Rhine frontier to go with the army theme of Julian's campaign of 357 in Gaul which culminated in the battle of Strasbourg.