samedi 10 septembre 2016

[List II/19] Seleucids χήρχή Σελεύκεια late 4th century BC


This is not one of my armies, but one of my son Antony's. It corresponds to a pompous period of the Seleucid kingdom and there is a plethora of "noble" troops and gadgets (elephants, floats). The army however predates the use of cataphractory cavalry.

It is built on the BBDBA format.



Basileus Nikator (Seleucos) and the rest of the staff

Séleucos
 

The large number of elephants resulted from the agreement between Séleucos and Chandragupta. Indeed, from 308, he engaged against the Indian prince Chandragupta Maurya a long conflict, which is settled by a treaty of peace in 303: Seleucos must abandon the Indian satrapies of the empire (Gandhara), as well as the oriental parts Arachosia and Gedrosia, but he succeeded in preserving Bactria. This exchange of territories is accompanied by an alliance sealed by a marriage between a Seleucid (unidentified) princess and the emperor maurya. Seleucus also sends Megasthenes into the embassy at the court of Pataliputra on the Ganges, and receives a contingent of 500 elephants of war. It is traditionally at this period that the beginning of the formation of the Seleucid Empire is placed.






Scythed chariots

Heavy cavalry

Bactrians


Chalkaspids
Argyraspids
Psiloi


Link about the Seleucid: here
Link about one of the seleucid's neightborss and enemies: here