Late Roman Cavalry - Equites Honoriani Iuniores

Here are some Late Roman cavalry I've finally finished painting, from the new plastic Gripping Beast box set, Late Roman Heavy Cavalry. They are the Equites Honoriani Iuniores who were under the command of the Comes Africae in the Notitia Dignitatum. The shield transfers are by LBM. I added a draco from a spare from the plastic Late Roman infantry box. The horse and riders are the same basic poses from the unarmoured Dark Age cavalry set Gripping Beast released last year.

These could easily be used to make armoured barbarian cavalry like Goths and Vandals as there are round or oval shields and plenty of helmeted head options. There are few minor issues - there are no saddles on the horses only saddle cloths, the spears have no butt spikes and the bridles on the horses seem to be missing metal cross pieces but these could be easily fixed with some modelling putty if it bothers you that much. Many metal Late Roman cavalry ranges are the same.

Numidian Elephants

Here are two Numidian elephants and crew that I've just finished painting. The elephants and crew are from the Victrix African War Elephant set, with Victrix Numidian transfers. You get two ellies and a choice of four types of crew - Ptolemaic, Carthaginian, Numidian and Roman. These elephants are North African forest elephants (Loxodonta Africana Phaorohensis), an extinct subspecies of the African bush elephants (Loxodonta Africana Cyclotis). Below are some comparison shots of some of the other African elephant ranges that are available.

African Elephants L to R - Victrix, Crusader, 1st Corps & Aventine

Victrix, Gripping Beast, Relic & Foundry

Hittites versus New Kingdom Egyptians ADLG Game

Hittites deployed on the left, Egyptians on the right

View from the opposite end of the table

Hittite right flank

Egyptian left flank

Hittite left flank

Egyptian right flank

The Hittites advance

Last Sunday down at the Vikings Club Garry and I played a Hittite versus New Kingdom Egyptian 200 point L'Art de la Guerre (ADLG) game. Garry commanded three corps of Egyptians and I commanded the same number of Hittites. The Hittites had some early success with their chariots on both flanks but once the infantry closed they suffered heavy casualties. The Sherden proved very tough in the centre and even the Egyptian bowmen proved surprisingly effective against the Hittite spearmen. Thanks to Garry for a fun game, it is always good to get these armies out and roll a few dice!

The Egyptians hold and use their superior bow fire

Chariots close on the Hittite left flank

Infantry in the centre exchange fire

Infantry in the centre close in melee

Egyptian light infantry destroy a Syrian light chariot unit

Hittite infantry suffer heavy casualties

Hittite army becomes demoralised and is defeated

Hittite Chariots, Chariot Runners and Gasgan Warriors

Here are some Hittite Chariots, Hittite Chariot Runners and Gasgan Warriors that I've just finished painting. The chariots and crew and the chariot runners are by Wargames Foundry. The Gasgan Warriors are by Cutting Edge Miniatures, from their Later Anatolian Highlander pack. All these figures will get a run tomorrow down at the club as we have a Hittites vs New Kingdom Egyptians ADLG game lined up.

Yazilikaya

Chamber A Twelve Gods of the Underworld and a Mountain God

Chamber A

Chamber A (reliefs nos.25-33)

Chamber A Relief of Great King Tudhaliya IV

Chamber A

Chamber A

Chamber A

Chamber A

Chamber A female deities (reliefs nos. 49-50)

Chamber A female deities (reliefs nos. 51-54)

The rock sanctuary of Yazilikaya (= rock with writing) is about 1.5km northeast of the Great Temple at Hattusa. Although it was in use from the 15th century BC it wasn't until the 13th century that the reliefs of (mainly) deities were carved. There are 65 reliefs in Chamber A and 15 in Chamber B. It is hard to see the detail in some of the reliefs because of the level of light and shade. There are optimum times of day for viewing them. It is also hard to identify what some of the reliefs are actually of, in the photos, so I have just labelled these with the relevant chamber - Chamber A.

If you're interested in the reliefs at Yazilikaya a great book to get is Gods Carved in Stone The Hittite Rock Sanctuary of Yazilikaya by Jurgen Seeher. This is a beautifully produced book with 205 pages packed with text, colour and black white photos, drawings and plan diagrams. Two highly recommended Hittite site travel guides are Hattusha-Guide A Day in the Hittite Capital by Jurgen Seeher (this covers both Hattusa and Yazilikaya) and Anatolia: On the Trail of the Hittite Civilization by Ali Kilicaya and Erdal Yazici (this covers a very wide range of sites and museums in Turkey).

Chamber A female deities (reliefs nos. 49-54)

Chamber A

Chamber A climactic scene (reliefs nos.41-46)

Chamber A

Chamber B Twelve Gods of the Underworld

Chamber B The 'Sword God',  Nergal of the Underworld

Chamber B Great King Tudhaliya IV embraced by the god Sharrumma

Chamber B Great King Tudhaliya IV embraced by the god Sharrumma

View of Hattusa from Yazilikaya