Neo-Elamites

 

Happy New Year to everyone for 2024!

Here are some Neo-Elamites that I've just finished painting. They were both allies and enemies of the Neo-Assyrians and Neo-Babylonians at various stages. The figures are all Eureka Miniatures. The only other 28mm Neo-Elamite ranges that I'm aware of are the Warlord archers which I have and the Steve Barber Models range as well, which are very nice but no Kallapani (the mule drawn carts with archers) as yet. Eventually I hope to refight the Battle of Til-Tuba or River Ulai which was fought against the Neo-Assyrian forces of Ashurbanipal in c. 653 BCE. There is a very interesting short British Museum YouTube video discussing the six panels of reliefs depicting this battle from Ashurbanipal's palace in Nineveh:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpe7fevbReA

Just before Christmas I went on a short mountain biking trip to Beechworth with Peter and Hans using our e-mtbs. We did the Epic Indigo loop between Beechworth and Yackandandah (lots of climbing in the second half) and the Diggers' Loop the following morning before driving back. Here are a few photos.

Starting out

A rest before the final climb

Wallaby Mine equipment

A koala resting up! The base of the sapling is
visible in the previous photo. 

Ashurbanipal - King of the World, King of Assyria.

 

Here is a Neo-Assyrian King, on campaign in his chariot, that I've finally finished painting. He is supposed to be Ashurbanipal, the last great Neo-Assyrian king who ruled from 669 to c. 631 BC. Figures and chariots are by Wargames Foundry. A great book to get if you're interested is I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria edited by Gareth Brereton a publication which accompanied the 2018 and 2019 exhibition at the British Museum.

 

Neo-Assyrian Sab Sharri

 

Here's two mixed spearmen and bowmen units of Neo-Assyrian Sab Sharri from the archives. They're also a mix of ranges with mostly Foundry command in the front rank, a Hinchliffe officer and spearmen and Eureka bowmen in the rear ranks. 

One of my most useful reference books for this period and earlier is the WRG book by Nigel Stillman and Nigel Tallis, Armies of the Ancient Near East 3,000 BC to 539BC, which is unfortunately out of print. I read on the Society of Ancients forum recently that this will be back in print soon, perhaps with an updated bibliography like Duncan Head's classic Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars 359 BC to 146 BC. Good news for all the biblical fans out there!

Later Sargonid Assyrians versus Kimmerians Mortem et Gloriam Game

 

Side view with Assyrians left, Kimmerians right

Opposite end

Assyrian left flank

Assyrian centre

Assyrian right flank

Kimmerian right flank

Kimmerian centre

Kimmerian left flank

Last Tuesday afternoon I played a solo MeG Pacto game out in the shed. The Later Sargonid Assyrians took on an all cavalry Kimmerian force. This was my first MeG game with these armies, it was all a bit hit and miss, trial and error! The Kimmerian left flank optimistically charged the Assyrians early in the game, the noble cavalry broke in combat, while the horse archers retreated. The noble cavalry did managed to break the opposing Assyrian cavalry. On the Assyrian left flank the chariots and cavalry charged. The Kimmerian nobles eventually broke and one of the horse archer units evaded repeatedly until almost driven from the table. Meanwhile in the centre the skilled Kimmerian horse archers whittled away at the Assyrian Kisir Sharuti and Sab Sharri infantry. In the end they destroyed the entire centre and broke the Assyrian army.

Armies advance

Shooting starts

Kimmerian left flank charges

Combat doesn't go well

A retreat and a rout

Assyrian left flank charges

Horse archers evade, nobles countercharge

Assyrian cavalry charge again

Assyrians break in the centre

Neo-Assyrian Chariot and Command

 

Here's a Neo-Assyrian chariot and some command figures that I've just finished painting. The chariot, crew and horses are by Eureka Miniatures and the command figures and Scythian noble cavalry figure are by Wargames Foundry. I was given the watchtower with lamassu (large winged bulls) from the collection of our mate, Bern Entriken, who sadly passed away last year. Bern had large Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian armies and we had some great games with them over the years. 

Apparently the Nergal Gate of Nineveh (Mosul, Iraq) featured two of these lamassu, they were probably painted originally, and you can see a pair in the British Museum. See the post on Assyrian Reliefs at the British Museum Part One for photos. I have a small solo MeG game planned with my Neo-Assyrians and Kimmerians/Scythians, these figures will feature in that. Ancient Warfare magazine Volume XIV, Issue 6, had a great issue issue on the Neo-Assyrians recently check that out if you're interested.

I played my first Vassal, Command and Colors Ancients (CCA) game with an opponent on Tuesday night, the scenario was Zama. Vassal is an open sourced game engine for building and playing online adaptions of board and card games.  We diced for sides and I got the Carthaginians. I was getting slaughtering 4-0, then through a combination of lucky dice and good cards I managed to come from behind and win 8-5, even killing Scipio in the process. It was a cracking game and the Vassal module is definitely worth downloading, as there are heaps of games on it, a great resource in times of lockdown!

Scythians versus Neo-Assyrians Chariots Rampant Game

Table view from the Scythians' side

View from the Assyrians' side

Scythians advance

Assyrian cavalry mixed bow and spear

Sab Sharri mixed bow and spear

Chaldean slingers and Assyrian chariots

Sab Sharri mixed bow and spear

Assyrian cavalry mixed bow and spear

Scythian horse archers

Scythian noble cavalry

Scythian horse archers

Scythian horse archers

Last Sunday afternoon out in the shed I played a solo Chariots Rampant game with the Scythians taking on the Neo-Assyrians somewhere in the highlands of Uratu (Armenia). Chariots Rampant is a Bronze Age variant of Lion Rampant and can be found in Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy magazine Issue 82. The scenario was the standard Bloodbath encounter, the two sides were 32 points and, except for a single skirmisher unit of Chaldean slingers, every unit was bow armed. The Scythians suffered early casualties and a horse archer unit was forced to retreat battered in the face of some withering fire from the Assyrians. A unit of Scythian noble cavalry recklessly charged a Sab Sharri unit, and while they won the combat they were forced to retreat battered. Eventually sheer weight of numbers told and the Scythians' bow fire wore the Assyrians down and their left flank routed.

Scythian noble cavalry

Scythian horse archers

Scythian horse archers

Both sides advance

Scythian horse archers retreat battered in the centre

Scythian noble cavalry charge the Sab Sharri

They win the combat but retreat battered

Casualties from missile fire mount

Scythian horse archers make skirmish moves

Sab Sharri advance

Assyrian left flank routs

Assyrian chariots are the only unscathed unit