Gastraphetes - Bellybow

 

Above are gastraphetes or bellybow (plural is gastraphetai) that I’ve just finished painting. These figures are by Warlord Games and part of a very nice metal range that they’ve just released for their Pyrrhic Wars Hail Caesar supplement. This range includes mounted and foot command figures, Hellenistic artillery and crew and Illyrian warriors. I actually picked up some gastraphetes and kestros or kestrospendone (type of Macedonian slinger) figures before as part of a kickstarter, two fairly obscure troop types, both of which are now available on the Checkpoint Miniatures site.

There is an illustration of bellybow men in action along side other bow-machines (p.50.) in Duncan B Campbell’s excellent Osprey book Besieged: Siege Warfare in the Ancient  World. The old WRG book by Richard Nelson, Armies of the Greek and Persian Wars 500 to 350 BC, has three separate illustrations on the operation of the bellybow (p.43.) and he says this about it (p.42.):

While powerful and accurate, the bellybow was quite impossible to use in the field. When modified, however, by the addition of a rest or stand, and a winch to the sliding stock back, it became a formidable piece of artillery, capable of considerable development.

I've done two e-mtb rides recently with the cooler autumn weather here and below are a few pics. The first was from the Mt Clear campground in Namadgi National Park down the Naas Valley fire trail through to Naas. We crossed the Naas Creek/River about a dozen times and the water was quite high up to calf level on some of the crossings. My battery on my e-mtb actually got wet and just cut out. We removed it and tried to dry it out but no dice, so I had to ride the last seven km or so back to Naas, with no power fortunately it was pretty flat!

The second ride was in the Brindabellas from Mt Creek Road near Uriarra up Two Sticks Road, the Baldy Range fire trail, then down to the Doctors Flat Road. Gavin got a flat tyre on the descent so we spent a bit of time fixing that. This road was in really good nick, quite a bit of it was surfaced with gravel. Towards the end of the valley my battery died and my legs started cramping. Fortunately for me, John and Gavin took turns riding my bike back to Wee Jasper while I took turns on their still full powered e-mtbs. We all enjoyed lunch at the Wee Jasper Distillery.

Peter at Horse Gully Hut on the Naas Valley ride

Lunch spot on the Naas River

End of the Namadgi National Park part
of the ride, farm roads only to Naas 

A dead tortoise on the side of
the Caloola Farm Road

John starting out on Two Sticks Road

Gavin and John riding up to the
Baldy Range fire trail turn off

View from the top of Baldy Range fire trail

Fixing Gavin's flat tyre

Lunch at the Wee Jasper Distillery

Spartans versus Athenians Midgard Game

 

Spartans and Athenians deployed

Opposite end

Forces advance

Spartan medium cavalry rout Athenian light cavalry

Last Wednesday afternoon Craig came over and we played another Midgard game out in the shed. The armies were Spartans and Athenians of the Peloponnesian War. Craig was the attacker with his Athenians and I was the defender with my Spartans. Craig's Athenians had three heroes, eight hoplite units (warriors heavy infantry), two peltast units (warriors heavy infantry with missiles), three skirmisher units (two slingers, one archers) and two light cavalry units (light riders scouts). My Spartans had four heroes, four Spartan hoplite units (warriors heavy infantry), three allied hoplite units (warriors heavy infantry), two Skiritai units (skirmishers light infantry), two skirmisher units (slingers), one Spartan medium cavalry unit (heavy riders medium cavalry) and one Spartan light cavalry unit (light riders scouts). 

Craig had chosen the Omens trait for one of his heroes but rolled a one and immediately lost two reputation tokens! It was not looking good for the Athenians from the outset and their luck with dice didn't improve. The Spartan medium cavalry with attached hero routed an Athenian light cavalry unit and accounted for the other light cavalry unit later in the game. The Spartan light cavalry were shot up and eventually destroyed by the Athenian slingers. Back in the centre the two Athenian peltast units were routed by the Skiritai and allied hoplites who also eventually killed the attached Athenian hero. By the time the Spartan hoplites charged in the centre, it was all over, the Athenians had lost their final reputation token. It was a good win for the Spartans, the first I can remember, we've played a lot of ADLG games, but the Athenians had really terrible luck the whole game.

They line up a charge on the other
Athenian light cavalry unit

Skiritai chase evading skirmishers

Spartan allied hoplites rout Athenian peltasts 

Spartan medium cavalry rout
Athenian light cavalry

Spartan hoplites charge in the centre but
the Athenians have lost their final reputation token

Hatti versus Wilusa Midgard Game

 

Hittites and Trojans deployed

Opposite end

Hittite right flank

Hittite left flank

Trojan right flank

Chariots advance

Trojan chariots charge, Hittites countercharge

Last Sunday Rick, Gary, Rob and I met down at Vikings Club in Lanyon for the monthly meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargames Group. We played a Hittites versus Trojans Midgard game, with Rick and Gary commanding the Trojan defenders and Rob and I commanding the Hittite attackers. The two forces advanced, skirmishers exchanging fire, then the Trojan chariots charged and the Hittite chariots countercharged. Sarpedon, the Lycian king and Trojan ally, was killed, an early casualty. 

In the centre the infantry closed in combat and the chariot combat continued. Eventually the Hittite chariots were destroyed and the now unattached Hittite hero evaded. On the Trojan right flank some spearmen finally managed to catch the Hittite chariots but the Hittites had the advantage in the infantry combat in the centre. A Hittite spearmen unit with attached commander was able to rout the Lycian warriors to finish the game.

Sarpedon is killed

Skirmishers shoot

Infantry close in the centre, chariot combat continues

Hittite chariots are destroyed, Hittite hero evades

Trojan spearmen finally catch Hittite chariots

Hittite archers and Trojan chariots both turn and face

Hittite spearmen rout the Lycian warriors,
finishing the game

Amorite Kingdoms Chariots

 

Here are two Amorite Kingdoms chariots from the time of King Hammurabi of Babylon (c.1792 - c.1750 BC) that I painted about fifteen years. These are Warlord Games figures. 

Etruscan Cavalry

 

Here are some Etruscan cavalry that I've just finished painting. The figures are all by Aventine Miniatures with LBM shield transfers. I posted photos of some Samnite cavalry earlier in the month with the same backdrop but realised this was a duplicate post and deleted it! Anyway I’ve finally finished some Etruscan cavalry, and have started work on more Aventine figures, this time 1st Class Etruscan hoplites.

Late Roman Infantry - Prima Flavia Gallicana Constantia

 

Here are some Late Roman infantry from the archives. These are the Prima Flavia Gallicana Constantia, a pseudocomitatenses unit listed in the Notitia Dignitatum as part of the Magister Peditum’s infantry roster but assigned to the Magister Equitum’s Gallic command. Here’s the link to Luke Ueda Sarson’s site listing them, for those that are interested:

lukeuedasarson.com/NDprimaFlaviaGallicanaConstantia.html

This is an entire box of the Gripping Beast plastics with command figures, spearmen and rear rank archers that I painted about ten years ago when they first came out. The shield transfers are all LBM/Victrix.