Heraclea 280 BC - Strength and Honour Game

 

Roman and Epirote armies deployed
with the Siris River in the centre 

Opposite flank - Epirote skirmishers guard the ford

Pyrrhus' pike and Tarentine cavalry advance

Romans under Laevinus advance more haphazardly

Pyrrhus' reserve of elephants arrives on the table

Last Friday afternoon Rick, Garry and Robert came over and we played a Strength and Honour Game of Heraclea 280 BC out in the shed. The scenario was from Conquest: The Age of Alexander and Hannibal (pp.46-47) by Mark Backhouse. This is a supplement for his Strength and Honour rules published by Reisswitz Press and available as a pdf on the Too Fat Lardies' and Karwansaray websites. Rick commanded the Romans under Laevinus and Garry commanded the Epirotes under Pyrrhus. Robert and I watched the game and took photos. We were all pretty rusty with the rules as we haven't played them since earlier in the year. There were quite a few new rules too (pp.8-13), with the different troop types in the new supplement. 

The Agrianes were a tribe who formed elite skirmisher units in Macedonian armies, there's a typo in the supplement and these are spelt as Agrarians. Where the road crossed the Siris River there was a central ford of four squares width which counted as open terrain and most of the infantry combat occurred there. The Roman infantry crossed the river and got stuck in. The legions with Leves skirmish lines in tact were level pegging with the pike but once these were removed, they were down 3 to 4 in combat. The Professional Phalanx rules meant that a grind result for the pike became a push back result. It was tough going for the Romans and the setback cards steadily mounted. The Roman and Italian cavalry arrived as a flanking force on the Epirote right flank. Eventually Pyrrhus' elephants and skirmishers routed but Laevinus' Romans had reached army break point.

Roman and Italian cavalry arrive as a
flanking force on the Epirote right flank

Epirote skirmishers move to guard the flank

Romans cross the river and get stuck in

Allied Italian Legions, without access to the
central ford, are hampered by the river

Romans are pushed back over the river

Pyrrhus' elephants and skirmishers rout but
Laevinus' Romans have reached army break point

Pompeii: Inside a Lost City - National Museum of Australia Exhibition Part Two

 

Bronze statue of Apollo,
1st century CE, excavated 1937,
House of Julius Polybius, triclinium (dining room),
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Alabaster Hydria (water jar),
1st century CE, excavated 1954-56,
Necropolis of Nocera Gate,

Columella (funerary marker), 1st century CE,
excavated 2020-23, Necropolis of Nola Gate

Painted plaster fresco, with a scene of the Nile,
1st century CE, excavated 1953,
House of the Sculptor, Regio VIII, Insulae VII

Fresco of a Garden Scene,
1st Century CE, excavated 1975,
House of the Golden Bracelet,
Regio VII, Insula XVII

Fresco depicting Pegasus, Bellerephon and Athena,
1st Century CE, excavated 1939,
Regio I, Insula VIII

Fresco depicting Calliope,
1st century CE, excavated 1927,
Regio I, Insula VII

Fresco depicting a winged female figure,
1st century CE, excavated 1971,
House of Marcus Fabius Rufus,
Regio VII, Insula XXII

Terracotta Ollae (pots) with pigment,
excavated 1982-2005, Regio I, Insula IX

Cameo glass plaque featuring Ariadne,
late 1st century BCE-early 1st century CE,
excavated 1960, found near the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus,
Regio VII, Insula XVI

Cameo glass plaque featuring Bacchus,
late 1st century BCE-early 1st century CE,
excavated 1960, found near the House of Marcus Fabius Rufus,
Regio VII, Insula XVI

Marble Oscillum (circular ornament),
1st century CE, excavated 1903,
House of the Golden Cupids,
Regio VI, Insula XVI

Marble Oscillum (circular ornament),
1st century CE, excavated 1903,
House of the Golden Cupids,
Regio VI, Insula XVI

Marble pilasters, 1st century CE, excavated 1903,
House of the Golden Cupids,
Regio VI, Insula XVI

Marble pilasters, 1st century CE, excavated 1903,
House of the Golden Cupids,
Regio VI, Insula XVI

L to R Marble mask of a maenad, depicting a female follower
of Bacchus, 1st century CE, excavated 1903,
House of the Golden Cupids,
Regio VI, Insula XVI
Marble mask of Silenus,
1st century CE, excavated 1903,
House of the Golden Cupids,
Regio VI, Insula XVI
Marble mask of Pan,
1st century CE, excavated 1903,
House of the Golden Cupids,
Regio VI, Insula XVI

Pompeii: Inside a Lost City - National Museum of Australia Exhibition Part One

 

Marble statuette of Venus,
1st century CE, excavated 1973,
Villa Poppaea, Villa A
Oplontis, near Pompeii

Lapilli-encrusted bronze situla (storage vessel)
1st century CE, excavated 2018,
House with the Garden, Regio V, Insula III

Carbonised loaf of bread

Fragment of a sundial, marble, paint, bronze,
1st century CE, excavated 1973,
House of Julius Polybius,
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Silenus nursing baby Bacchus,
marble table leg, 1st century CE,
excavated 1896
House of the Prince of Naples,
Regio VI, Insula XV

Terracotta frying pan, 1st century CE,
excavated 1975, House of Julius Polybius kitchen,
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Terracotta cooking pot, 1st century CE,
excavated 1975, House of Julius Polybius,
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Terracotta jug with incised letters,
1st century CE, excavated 1967,
House of Julius Polybius,
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Terracotta bowl, terra sigillata, 1st century CE,
excavated 1964-70,
House of Julius Polybius,
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Terracotta cup with incised letters,
1st century CE, excavated 1975,
House of Julius Polybius,
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Bronze Oenochoe (jug),
1st century CE, excavated 1978,
House of Julius Polybius,
triclinium (dining room)
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Bronze applique (figure of a dog),
probably from a piece of furniture,
1st century CE, excavated 1978,
House of Julius Polybius,
triclinium (dining room)
Regio IX, Insula XIII

Bronze, silver, copper Patera (ritual dish),
1st century CE, excavated 1978,
House of Julius Polybius,
triclinium (dining room)
Regio IX, Insula XIII

The National Museum of Australia's latest summer blockbuster exhibition, Pompeii: Inside a Lost City, opened on Friday 13th December 2024 and runs until 4 May 2025. The exhibition is in collaboration with Archeologico Di Pompei and Gedeon Programmes, with about 90 objects on loan from the former and all the audio visual content provided by the latter. Unfortunately there was no catalogue this year and some of my caption photos didn't turn out so some objects have minimal or no information about them. Apologies for this and the quality of the photos! There are half dozen articles on the exhibition in The Museum, the magazine for the National Museum of Australia.

A really major part of the exhibition is the audio visual content. From the overwhelming CGI generated reconstruction of the eruption, to stunning videos of frescoes in various villas and multiple, interesting, short videos on recent excavations and various aspects of Pompeii. We visited the incredible sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 2009 and these were definitely highlights of our trip to Italy. I have only taken photos of the objects but the videos really do add an extra dimension to the exhibition which is best seen in person. I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy gaming, painting and blogging for 2025!

Silver spoon, 1st century CE, excavated 1935,
Regio I, Insula VIII,
Silver Simplum (ladle), 1st century CE, excavated 1915,
Regio III, Insula II

Silver cup with embossed cupids, 1st century CE,
excavated 1984, Villa 2, Cava Ranieri,
Terzigno, near Pompeii

L to R Bronze statuette of Ceres, 1st century CE,
Regio II, Insula I
Bronze statuette of Apollo, 1st century CE,
excavated 1937, Regio I, Insula VIII
Bronze statuette of Venus, 1st century CE,
excavated 1914, Regio III, Insula II

L to R Bronze statuette of Hercules, 1st century CE,
excavated 1955, thermopolium (snack bar),
Regio I, Insula XIII
Bronze statuette of Minerva, 1st century CE,
excavated 1955, thermopolium (snack bar),
Regio I, Insula XIII
Bronze statuette of Cupid, 1st century CE,
Regio I, Insula X

Bronze statuette of Lares, 1st century CE,
excavated 1956, lararium (household shrine),
Regio I, Insula XVI
Bronze statuette of Mercury, 1st century CE,
excavated 1908, Boscoreale, near Pompeii

Nymphaeum (water feature), 
first half of the 1st century CE,
House of the Golden Bracelet,
Regio VII, Insula XVII

Bone dice and a bronze ring?

Silver mirror

Bone comb and pins

Spoons 

Bronze oil lamp and Situla (storage vessel)

Glass jar

Plaster cast of a wicker basket

Resin casts of victims of the eruption

Front on view of the same resin
casts of victims of the eruption