Enemies of Rome and Byzantium

Spread throughout the other pages you will undoubtedly have noticed I have placed pictures of Roman and Byzantine armies drawn from my collection of figures. 

On this page I have placed pictures and commentary about most of the armies in my collection that were enemies of Rome or Byzantium at one time or another, I have placed them in the order the Romans/Byzantines first encountered them in battle and have used the four main time periods as listed in the wargamers' chronology page to categorise them. Note that I have listed them in the eras they first made an appearance as enemies as stated above, many continued to be adversaries of Rome in later periods.

Most of the pictures shown elsewhere in the blog and below are armies based on the Mortem et Gloriam (MeG) ruleset. In its largest 'Maximus' form MeG armies generally field the greatest amount of figures on the table top of all the rulesets I use. All the figures required for the smaller MeG game sizes plus L'Art de la Guerre (ADLG) and To the Strongest! (TtS!) can be "cherry-picked" from these armies, though TtS! armies can use as many figures as MeG if one wishes to play that way.

When reading my comments below you will note I refer at times to TUGs and SUGs. These (unfortunately rather ugly) acronyms are MeG terms and stand for Tactical Unit Groups and Skirmish Unit Groups respectively, TUGs are units in close or loose formation expected to hold a place in the combat line, SUGs are skirmishing units that operated in open formation that are not.

Enemies of the Kingdom of Rome

The Etruscans

The Etruscans inhabited the area of modern Tuscany and adjacent lands and were among the earliest enemies of Rome. Rome's last king Tarquinius Superbus, on being overthrown, fled to the Etruscan city of the Tarquinii and using their forces attempted to retake power in 509 BCE, he failed. Luckily for Rome the Etruscans consisted of over a dozen city states that rarely appeared to co-operate effectively for long enabling Rome to eventually overcome them one-by-one. 

A 10,000 point MeG Maximus Etruscan army consisting of: 

Four generals, two TUGs of first class spearmen, eight TUGs of second and third class spearmen also armed with javelins, two TUGs of heavy cavalry and two SUGs, one armed with javelins the other slings.

The Etruscans were reputedly the inventors of the Pilum, to be adopted by the Romans and used with great effect over the centuries. The 2nd and 3rd class infantry above been equipped with it, making them an effective fighting force.

The Latins

The Latin-speaking peoples of Italy, of which Rome was one, lived in the Latium (present day Lazio) region; a fairly hilly and marshy area of west central Italy. They included the Sabines, Volscii and Aequi amongst others. These other Latin cities and tribal groupings, being adjacent to Rome, were among the first peoples the Romans came into conflict with. After several wars and revolts they were defeated and were incorporated into the Roman state by the end of the 4th Century BCE as non-voting citizens.

The above is a 7,000 point MeG Magna Volscii army it includes: three generals, three TUGs of superior quality picked warriors at the rear, eight TUGs of warriors, one TUG of cavalry and three SUGs of javelinmen. At the rear is an unfortified camp.

It was used by Gordon in Game 1 of our campaign. Being a hill tribe they were very effective fighting in rough terrain. The SUGs of javelinmen have been borrowed from my Etruscan army. 

Enemies of the Roman Republic

The North Italian Gauls

The Gauls first came into conflict with the Romans in the early 4th century BCE when they defeated a Roman army and followed it up by sacking all of Rome apart from the citadel on the Capitoline hill (which was saved by a timely warning from geese cackling in fright from a Gallic night attack), this event left a lasting impression on the Roman psyche. 

The term "Gauls" was used by the Romans to describe a multitude of Celtic tribes who occupied large areas of North-western Europe in what is now Northern Italy, Switzerland and France. They split Gaul or Gallia into "Cisalpine" meaning "on this side of the Alps" and "Transalpine" meaning "on the other side of the Alps". Bear in mind this was from the Roman perspective, so Cisalpine Gaul was the area inhabited by the Gauls in North Italy. 

There were numerous conflicts between the Romans and Cisalpine Gallic tribes in the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, however, by the end of the second Punic war the Cisalpine Gauls were sufficiently cowed to cause the Romans no further trouble and were to become Roman provinces shortly thereafter. 

This is a 140 point TtS! Cisalpine Gallic army based on the Gallic army present at the battle of Telamon in 225 BCE. The Gallic tribes had raided south capturing large amounts of booty, however, on retreating north pursued by the Romans they were strategically outflanked by the Romans landing an army on the coast to cut them off. They were forced to stop and fight both armies at the same time closing in a well-co-ordinated pincer movement, with half their army facing each Roman force back-to-back on a range of hills.

There are four commands one each from the Cisalpine Insubres, Boii and Tauriscii tribes and one from the mercenary Gaesatae warrior brotherhood called in from the other side of the Alps. The Gaesatae were dedicated to fighting with an ethos of individual bravery. This was carried to the extreme of its warriors refusing to wear armour or even clothes in battle as that was regarded as a sign of cowardice! This, combined with inadequate shields, made them very vulnerable to missile fire, a fact that the Romans took advantage of on the day of the battle.

The forces include four Heroic Generals, two cavalry units (with heroes), two chariot units, six warrior units (each with heroes) and three light infantry skirmisher units - two of javelinmen and  one of archers. Heroes are a concept in TtS! which allow combat card redraws

On the right end of the hill there is one camp full of booty guarded by the cavalry.

Oscans

Some of the Romans' most implacable foes in the early days of the Republic were the group of people known as the Oscans of which the Samnites turned out to be the chief obstacle to Roman dominance of the Italian peninsula. Other Oscan peoples were the Campanians, the Lucanians and the Bruttians, all of whom were to be eventually subdued by the Romans as they expanded down the peninsula. The Samnites were a mountain people living in the Appennines of central Italy with whom the Romans came to blows with many times in the fifth to third centuries fighting three major wars.

The Samnites were particularly skilled and fierce opponents who managed to out-manoeuvre a Roman army and forced it into a humiliating surrender in 321 BCE in what became know as the Battle of the Caudine Forks. The 'Linen Legion' of the Samnites, presumably so named because of the prevalence of linen armour at the time, was an elite force that left a lasting impression on the Roman army, so much so that one of the four gladiator types commonly found competing in the Roman arena was ever after named 'the Samnite'.

The above is a 7,000 point Samnite MeG Magna army with a Campanian allied command of 321 BCE.

It is comprised of (from left to right):

A Campanian allied command made up of: a competent 'instinctive' allied general, a TUG of superior cavalry, two TUGs of close order warriors armed with long spears fighting in the style of Greek Hoplites and one TUG of loose formation javelinmen.

In the centre are: a brilliant 'professional' C-in-C, two TUGs of Samnite superior, drilled and flexible 'Linen Legion'  javelinmen armed with short spears, two TUGs of Samnite flexible javelinmen, one with the 'melee expert' characteristic and two SUGs of skirmishing javelinmen.

On the right is: a competent 'professional' sub-general, a TUG of armoured cavalry, a TUG of flexible javelin-armed cavalry and a SUG of skirmishing cavalry all armed with javelins.

Behind them all is a camp.

South Italian Magna Graecia

At the beginning of the 3rd century BCE the Romans began moving south down the Italian peninsula into the world of south Italy known as Magna Graecia or Greater Greece. Unable to hold its own against Rome the leaders of Taras (Roman: Tarentum; modern day: Taranto) called in help from across the Adriatic, one of the great captains of the day - King Pyrrhus of Epirus together with his veteran troops, rated by Hannibal as the greatest general of all time. 

Pyrrhus of Epirus

This was the first time the Romans experienced warfare with an army from the Hellenic world, one which included elephants, mounted lancers and the pike phalanx. Though roughly mauled the Roman army held up well, after three hard fought and bloody battles where there was no conclusive victory Pyrrhus was running out of irreplaceable experienced men, hence the term Pyrrhic victory. 

After a foray into Sicily at the behest of the Sicilian Greeks, he defeated the Carthaginians but was then snubbed by the Sicilian Greeks when he wanted to take the war to the Carthaginian homeland in North Africa. Pyrrhus returned back home leaving the Greeks of south Italy and Sicily to their fate.

This is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Pyrrhic army. 

It includes: three generals, one of whom is 'Talented', who is of course Pyrrhus himself.  The infantry consists of: four TUGs of Macedonian/Epirot pike phalanxes along with a TUG of Oscan javelinmen deployed at the front, three TUGs of poor quality Tarentine pike phalanxes in the rear together with a TUG of Indian elephants and a supporting SUG of javelinmen. 

The cavalry includes a TUG of Greek cavalry, a SUG of Tarentine light horse and, at the far end a TUG of elite Xystophoroi or lance armed Companion cavalry.

Iberian, Lusitanian and Celtiberian Spanish

When Rome first became involved with the Iberian peninsula it was populated by Iberian, Lusitanian and Celtiberian tribes with pockets of Carthaginian control, particularly around the wealthy mining areas of the south-west. Several Iberian tribes were allied with the Carthaginians at the start of the second Punic war and also provided many excellent mercenary troops to aid Carthage over the course of that war. 

They were highly skilled fighters capable of standing up to any foe, but the tribes appeared to suffer from an inability to join forces for any length of time against external enemies. After the Carthaginians were ejected from Spain by Publius Cornelius Scipio during the second Punic war, the Spanish entered the Roman sphere of influence. Some tribes accepted Roman suzerainty immediately, others were overcome one by one; a process however that took Rome several centuries.

Above is an 11,000 point MeG Maximus Spanish army of the 3rd century BCE. The flaming wagons that killed Hamilcar Barca (Hannibal's father) can be seen in the front line. They are not actually allowed in a MeG army but look pretty so I couldn't resist adding them in to the photo; one, however, is allowed in the ADLG Iberian Spanish army list. 

The army consists of: four generals, seven TUGs of scutarii, one TUG of cavalry, three SUGs of light horse, three SUGs of skirmishing caetrati and one SUG of slingers. 

At the far end can be seen two TUGs of Celtiberian flexible scutarii in their distinctive black Sagum cloaks, and also in the front line to their front is a SUG of the famed Balearic slingers.

Carthaginians 

The Carthaginians were not a particularly martial race, historically they were descended from Phoenician traders who, on travelling from the Levant in the 9th century BCE, founded a new city in North Africa - Kart Hadesht, or Carthage to the Romans (modern day Tunis). Carthage and other Phoenician cities in the Tunisian area of North Africa became the new bases from which they initially established trading posts and relationships around the Western Mediterranean, and out into the Atlantic, reaching Cornwall. 

Later, these bases were expanded and became Phoenician enclaves from which they expanded their influence and control over parts of North Africa, Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and after the loss of those islands to the Romans large areas of South-west Spain largely using mercenaries recruited from around the Western Mediterranean. 

In 264 BCE they found themselves at war with Rome for the first time - over Sicily when the Romans decided to back the Italiote warrior brotherhood known as the Mamertines in their claim to Messana (modern day Messina). So started the first of three wars for mastery of the western Mediterranean.

This is an ADLG 200 point Carthaginian army based in Sicily during the First Punic War. 

From left to right it includes Numidian light horse, Ligurian medium swordsmen, Sicilian Greek heavy spear hoplites, Gallic heavy swordsmen foot, African elephants (small north African forest elephants now extinct) with accompanying Libyan skirmishers, Liby-phoenician heavy spearmen, Iberian scutarii medium swordsmen with famed Balearic slingers to their front, Phoenician heavy cavalry and Iberian light horse. 

The challenge for all Carthaginian generals was getting such an eclectic force of different nationalities to fight well together.

Hannibal

If there was ever any person who qualified to be an enemy of Rome it was Hannibal Barca, who was made to swear never to be 'a friend of Rome' as a child by his father Hamilcar. He has been made forever famous to all children by his crossing of the Alps at the start of the second Punic war with an army that included elephants in order to strike Rome in its heartlands. 

Amongst military historians he is equally famous for his string of brilliantly conceived victories over the Roman armies in Italy including the great 'double envelopment' manoeuvre which led to a crushing battlefield defeat for the Romans at Cannae in 216 BCE. He was so successful that the Romans were to adopt the strategy advocated by Consul Fabius Maximus "the delayer" of avoiding him in battle while winning the war overseas.

On proving he could defeat the Romans in battle Hannibal was welcomed by the Cisalpine Gauls and various peoples of south Italy. They provided substantial numbers of troops for his army, however ultimately Hannibal was forced to leave for Africa in 202 BCE, having failed to achieve any lasting strategic victory, to defend against the Roman invasion of Scipio and the ultimate showdown at Zama.

Above is a MeG Maximus 10,000 point Carthaginian army based on the army at Cannae deployed ready to fight as they were on the day with the infantry centre pushed forward. Like all Carthaginian armies the bulk of its forces are mercenaries hired from peoples around the western Mediterranean, 

There are four generals, one of whom is Hannibal (classed as 'Legendary' in MeG terms). 

From left to right and front to rear the units are: two SUGs of Numidian light horse, one SUG of Numidian infantry javelinmen, one TUG of Liby-phoenician spearmen (now wearing Roman armour captured in previous battles), five TUGs of alternating Iberian Spanish and Gallic infantry, one SUG of Balearic slingers, another TUG of Liby-phoenician spearmen, one TUG of Iberian Spanish cavalry and one TUG of Gallic cavalry.

Greeks

The Romans had been in contact with parts of the Greek world from the very founding of the city of Rome due to the number of Greek colonies that had spread Westward along the north Mediterranean shores.

The Greek colonies in the west were all swallowed up by Rome one by one. It wasn't until the last years of the third century BCE that Roman armies began to be sent east to support their involvement in Greek and Macedonian politics that was eventually to lead to the conquest of Greece proper along with the rest of the eastern Mediterranean.

This is a 7,000 point MeG Magna Hellenistic Greek army of the Achaean league in the late third century BCE. By this time the famed Greek Hoplite of earlier centuries had been superseded by the more loosely deployed thureophoroi and the Macedonian inspired Pikemen. The above army consists of (from left to right and rear to front):

At the rear: Four generals. 

Third line: one TUG of drilled close order long-spear armed thorakitai, one TUG of Megalopolitan pikemen, two TUGs of thureophoroi. 

Second line: one SUG of "Tarentine" light horse, one TUG of romphaia-armed Thracians, four TUGs of thureophoroi, one TUG of cavalry.

First line: Two SUGs of euzenoi light infantry javelinmen, between them one SUG of skilled Cretan archers.

Macedonians

Even before Rome had defeated and conquered all major opponents in the west it began to turn its attention to the east. Macedonia and Rome came to blows in a series of four major conflicts from the end of the third century BCE to the mid-second century BCE with Rome of course ultimately coming out the winner. Macedonia was made a province of the Roman republic in 146 BCE.

The above is a typical 10,000 point MeG Maximus Later Macedonian army.

It consists of (from front to rear, left to right):

One SUG of Tarentine light horse. one SUG of skilled Cretan archers, one SUG of euzenoi - light infantry javelinmen and one TUG of Greek cavalry.

Behind is a TUG  of Macedonian cavalry, followed by five pike-armed TUGs - the elite agema and peltastoi and three TUGs of average pikemen. 

In the rear is a unit of thureophoroi and three generals.

Numidians and Moors

The Numidians and Moors were peoples that lived a generally nomadic lifestyle (hence being called "Numidians") across western North Africa i.e. in present day Algeria, Morocco, Mauretania and Southern Tunisia. They were particularly famed for their ability at skirmishing with javelins on horseback and provided, firstly the Carthaginians, and in later years the Romans, with important contingents of javelin-armed light horse. 

They fought several wars with the Romans before the region was subjugated in 25 CE, even then there were several armed revolts by the Moors in the following centuries which had to be put down by force.

This is a 10,000 point Numidian MeG Maximus army of 55 BCE. 

It includes: four generals, one TUG of north African elephants, one TUG of flexible noble cavalry, one TUG of flexible cavalry, two TUGs of infantry tribesmen, two TUGs of  infantry armed and trained in 'Roman fashion', seven SUGs of light horse, and three of infantry skirmishers.

In MeG flexible cavalry has the option of changing formation - in this case they can choose between open skirmish formation or 'loose' formation which is more typical for cavalry intending to fight in melee.

Seleucid Empire

The Hellenistic dominated Seleucid Empire was the largest part of Alexander the Great's empire, a dynasty founded by Seleucus, one of his generals after his death. The Romans first encountered the Seleucids in the first decade of the second century BCE when both sides were vying for control of Greece. Having won that campaign the Romans ventured into Asia Minor and again fought the Seleucid army at the Battle of Magnesia in 189 BCE, the prize at stake was control of the eastern Mediterranean - the Romans won, despite the feared Hannibal himself being present to advise the opposition. 

This is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Seleucid army consisting of: 

Four generals (whoops! I forgot to place them out) one TUG of escorted elephants, two TUGs of close formation armoured cataphracts, two TUGs of pikemen, one TUG of Galatian cavalry, one TUG of Thracian mercenaries, one TUG of thorakitai, one SUG of light horse, one SUG of  skilled Cretan archers, one SUG of slingers, one SUG of javelinmen and two 'Expendables' in the form of scythed chariots.

 Possibly the most interesting units are the 'Expendables' - the scythed chariots, with luck on their side they can be very effective but they tend to fail spectacularly more often than not.

Pontus

The Kingdom of Pontus was one of the states that appeared after the breakup of Alexander the Great's empire. It started as quite a small country on the southern shores of the Black Sea but for a brief period grew to control the greater part of modern day Turkiye and the Crimea under the reign of Mithridates VI Eupator "the Great". It, however, did not survive long as an independent power once Rome turned its attention in its direction following the conclusion of the Social Wars in Italy.

It's armies consisted of a mixture of Hellenistic and Asiatic troop types plus mercenaries from adjacent lands such as Galatians, Thracians, Bastarnae and Sarmatians. In extremis (when facing the existential threat posed by the Romans) large numbers of freed slaves were recruited into the pike phalanxes.

Above is a 10,000 point Pontic MeG army  of 89 BCE. It is a good example of "morphing" as I don't actually have a specifically Pontic army. Morphing is a term used for where you use figures of one nationality to represent another in order to supplement it or even create another in its entirety. When you have built up a miniatures collection to a certain level you find that you can create many armies from the same part of the world and era by morphing. 

It consists of four Generals, the cavalry includes one TUG of cataphracts, one TUG of lance-armed Sarmatian nobles, one TUG of javelin-armed Hellenistic cavalry and one SUG of Asiatic horse archers. 

The infantry includes four TUGs of pikemen, including two of freed slaves, and TUGs of  mercenary Thracians, Galatians and Bastarnae plus one SUG of skirmishing archers.

Behind them all is an unfortified camp.

Armenians

Armenia suffered from lying between the great powers of the day, to the West - Romans/Byzantines, and to the East - Seleucia, Parthia and Persia in turn. Armenian lands were fought over and conquered by all sides several times, but occasionally they managed to assert their independence. 

One such time was under King Tigranes the Great. His kingdom prospered at the same time as Pontus in the last century BCE, the two forming a close alliance. Tigranes tried to stand up to Roman demands to hand over his father-in-law - Mithridates VI of Pontus who had fled there after being defeated in the Third Mithridatic War. The Romans were determined to get their hands on Mithridates due to his orchestration of  the murder of 90,000+ Romans in the "Asian Vespers". This refusal led to war and Tigranes' defeat at the hands of Lucius Licinius Lucullus' veteran Roman army, eventually being reduced to vassal status.

The above is a picture of  the 7,000 point MeG Magna Armenian army of 83 BCE used by Gordon in the first run through of the campaign that we played (see Game 7). 

It is another example of morphing. The four generals, the four cataphract TUGs and the five horse archer SUGs have been taken from my Parthian army; the "fake legionaries" TUG has been taken from my Numidian army, one tribesmen TUG and the javelinmen SUG are from my Seleucid army; the other tribesmen and the archer TUGs are taken from my small Hatrene army, Et Voila! an Armenian army springs into existence for a day. 

One General, one TUG of cataphracts, one SUG of horse archers and the TUG of archers (the general and three units on the left) were actually used by Gordon to represent a Media-Atropatene allied command (a small statelet of the time in the north-west corner of present day Iran). In MeG, if an ally is fielded, depending on the first command card draw, they can become hesitant (refuse to become involved in the fight) or even start deserting, so it is always a risk when they do appear on the battlefield. ADLG has similar provisions.

Early German tribes

The Romans' first encounter with Germans was a severe shock. Two German tribes, the Cimbri and Teutones together with allied Gauls, marched South looking for lands to settle, defeating army after army as they travelled. It took a root and branch reform of the Roman army by Gaius Marius before they were defeated. 

Julius Caesar encountered them during his campaign to subjugate Gaul and even ventured across the Rhine in a demonstration of Roman power, but it wasn't until Augustus became Emperor that serious attempts were made at conquest. This all came to a bitter end in the 1st century CE after a Roman army was wiped out in the Battle of the Teutoburg forest in 9 CE and the subsequent realisation that, despite successfully marching deep into Germania to take revenge on the perpetrators, conquering it would take too many resources. The Roman armies withdrew to the Rhine and Danube which became the frontiers and German tribes were to be a constant thorn in the Empire's side thereafter.

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus army representing the forces available to Herman (aka Arminius) at the Battle of the Teutoburg forest in 9 CE. 

It includes  four generals - two from the Chatti tribe including Herman (a MeG Legendary general), one from the Cherusci tribe and one from the Bructeri tribe. The army consists of four flexible Chatti infantry TUGs and one cavalry TUG, three infantry TUGs from each of the Cherusci and Bructeri plus two Chatti SUGs of javelinmen.

Transalpine Gauls, Aquitani & Belgae

The Romans were to occupy the southern Mediterranean coast of Gaul fairly easily after the end of the Second Punic War, naming it Provence. They came into major conflict with the Celts that made up the tribal groupings known as the Gauls, Aquitani & Belgae when Caesar defeated an attempt by the Helvetii to migrate south-westwards and decided to advance his political career by conquering the region in the sixth decade BCE, launching a major invasion. By this time the continental Celts had abandoned the chariot in favour of javelin-armed cavalry, though the bulk of their armies consisted of multitudes of foot warriors. 

The culture was still tribal however, with numerous tribes who were often at war with each other as much as anyone else, which disunity Caesar was able to use to his advantage to eventually divide and conquer the entire region. 

Vercingetorix

Shortly after Caesar had conquered all three regions the Gauls rose in revolt and were to finally unite and appoint an overall commander named Vercingetorix in an attempt to recover their freedom. He rallied the Gallic, Aquitanian and Belgae tribes in his effort to defeat the Romans reputedly calling up over three hundred thousand men but, after one victory at Gergovia was eventually to fail, being defeated and captured by Caesar at the epic siege of Alesia in 52 BCE. He ended his days being paraded in Rome and eventually thrown from the Tarpeian rock.

This is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Aquitani army of the 1st century BCE. 

There are: four generals, four cavalry TUGs, two noble foot TUGs, five warrior TUGs and three SUGs - one each of javelinmen, slingers and archers. 

At the back there is one small TUG of "Soldurii", these were common in Aquitani armies being fanatic bodyguards sworn to protect the C-in-C with their lives. In MeG the C-in-C must remain with them at all times.

All the infantry units are classified as "flexible", meaning they can change formation to suit the terrain and opponents. This is represented in the game by having some bases with three figures to a base and some with four; when the TUG is in close formation the figures with four to a base are put at the front of the unit and when changing the TUG to loose formation these are replaced with those with three to a base.

Ancient Britons

The British Isles were initially known to the Mediterranean world as the Tin Islands due to the trade in Cornish tin deposits, but British tribes only came into contact with Rome during Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul when Caesar accused the Britons of aiding his enemies. Caesar's punitive military excursion in 55-54 BCE is well known but he didn't stay. Within a century Rome invaded but never fully succeeded in conquering all the British Isles resulting in the various walls being built to guard the northern frontier.

This is a MeG Maximus 10,000 point Ancient British army of 43 CE. 

It includes four generals, four TUGs of loose formation javelin-armed chariots, three SUGs of javelin-armed light horse, six TUGs of loose formation devastating charger warriors, one TUG of superior quality nobles and two SUGs of skirmishers, one armed with javelins, the other with slings.

Parthians

The Parthians were a central Asian tribal confederation that slowly took over the eastern and central portions of the Seleucid Empire from the 3rd century BCE, whilst the Romans absorbed the west; lasting several centuries until falling to a renascent Persian dynasty. 

They came into conflict with Rome many times, causing severe problems to the Roman army due to their entirely horse-borne style of warfare which was ideally suited to the plains of the Middle-east. They famously all but destroyed the army of the Triumvir Crassus at the Battle of Carrhae in 53 BCE where the Romans let themselves be surrounded in the deserts of Northern Syria partly due to Crassus' arrogance.

 

This is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Parthian army, including: 

Four generals, three TUGs of close formation, heavily armoured, "cataphracts" and in the front line twelve SUGs of skirmishing horse archers. 

Parthian tactics against the Romans was almost invariably for the horse archers to skirmish with the Roman army, shooting with their bows and retreating to safety when threatened. The archers were even trained to shoot as they retreated hence the well-known phrase the "Parthian shot". 

The heavy lance-armed cataphracts would be sent in to finish the Romans off when they were sufficiently weakened; being so heavily armoured they couldn't charge at speed but relied on the massive pressure from the weight of their armoured horses to push through and disrupt the Roman lines at the points of contact.

Enemies of the Roman Empire

Dacians

The Dacians lived in the area of modern day Romania and fought a series of conflicts with Rome around the end of the first century CE and the beginning of the second. They, along with their Bastarnae and Sarmatian allies, fought fiercely but the Dacians were eventually defeated. Dacia was to become the last substantial new territory added to the Roman empire in Europe.

This is a MeG Maximus 10,000 point Dacian army, including a Bastarnae allied command on the right.

 The Dacians include three generals, two TUGs of superior quality nobles armed with the fearsome falx, five TUGs of loose formation warriors, two TUGs of bowmen, a SUG of skirmishing infantry and a SUG of light horse. 

The Bastarnae command includes another TUG of nobles armed with the falx, two TUGs of 'flexible' formation warriors and a TUG of cavalry. 

In MeG the flexible characteristic of the Bastarnae warrior units gives them the option to deploy in either close or loose formation. Close formation enables them to stand up better to enemy close formation opponents and to enemy cavalry in the open; troops in loose formation are better at fighting in rough terrain.

A unit of nobles armed with the scythe-like falx. This weapon caused immense consternation to the Roman soldiers when they first encountered it due to the grievous wounds it caused to the head and shoulders necessitating the issue of extra head and shoulder armour to the legionaries.

Marcomanni

The Marcomanni were a German tribal confederation based north of present day Austria who came to blows with the Romans several times in the second half of the Second Century CE. They were close allies with the Iazyges, a Sarmatian tribe renowned with fighting on horseback (they were reportedly not capable of fighting on foot) and the Quadi. The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius spent most of his twenty year reign fighting and eventually defeating the Marcomanni as shown in the marvellous opening scenes of the film Gladiator in the German forests.

The above is a 140 point Tts! Marcomannic army of 166-190 CE, the period of the 'Marcomannic Wars',  consisting of four commands: 

Two infantry commands each consisting of a heroic general on foot (one senior) four druhitz warbands, of which three are classified as Raw, one with a unit of skutonoz skirmishing archers the other with a camp.

Two cavalry commands, one with two units of Marcomanni cavalry and a unit of juwunthijiz skirmishing youths armed with javelins, the other substituting one Marcomanni cavalry unit with a unit of Iazygian Sarmatian cavalry lancers. The juwunthijiz are, under TtS! rules allowed to support the cavalry in combat.

All of the formed units have heroes and an army standard of relics from a sacred grove is with one of the druhitz warbands.

Early Franks

The Word "Frank" was first recorded as a new confederation of the existing north German tribes on Rome's borders around the middle of the third century CE which was, for a period,  to split into two sub-groups - the Ripaurian and the Salian Franks. The Franks had a long relationship with the Romans, sometimes as enemies sometimes providing large contingents of Foederate (mercenary units) to the Roman army. They were eventually to take over large areas of northern France and Belgium in the fifth century CE as the Roman Empire in the west declined. 

This is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus early Frankish army consisting of: 

Four generals, one TUG of noble cavalry, one TUG of fanatical dismounted noble cavalry in close formation, two TUGs of flexible  'best' warriors, six TUGs of flexible warriors, one SUG of javelinmen and two SUGs of bowmen. In MeG all the bases of a unit made up of fanatics must be destroyed to totally wipe out the unit.

The generic 'dark age warrior' miniature figures that make up this army are virtually indistinguishable to those in quite a few other German/Gothic 'Volkerwanderung' nations so can be easily morphed into the infantry contingents of those e.g. Alamanni, Burgundi, Rugi, Saxon, Suevi, Thuringii, Juthungi, Tervingi and early Vandals amongst others. Contingents can also be added to Roman armies as Foederate (mercenaries).

Ostrogoths

The Ostrogoths (or Greuthingi) appeared from the North of Europe in the third century CE and rapidly took to fighting on horseback, conquering the peoples occupying the steppe-lands of modern day Ukraine in short order. Unfortunately this put them right in the path of the Huns when they later swept westwards into Europe, being subjugated in turn in the late fourth century. They obtained their freedom from the Huns after the death of Attila.

The picture above shows a MeG Maximus 10,000 point Ostrogoth army of the 3rd century CE. It consists of: 

Four generals, seven TUGs of cavalry with the 'Devastating charger' characteristic, four TUGs of loose formation foot archers and two SUGs of skirmishing foot archers.

The 'Devastating charger' characteristic gives significant bonuses in the charge phase (not surprisingly) but makes those units hard to control when they move into charge reach of the enemy. They will charge without orders unless held back by their commanders, even trampling over their own infantry if they are in the way!

Like the Early Frank army above, the Ostrogothic cavalry and infantry figures can be used as Roman Foederate and are capable of being morphed into several similar Gothic and Germanic Dark Age nations e.g. Heruls, Sciri, Gepids and even African Vandals.

Picts

The Picts took over from the Caledonians as the major threat to Roman power in northern Britain in the third century CE, though their fighting style remained the same. Like the rest of Britain pre-Roman conquest they were brave but had fallen behind in military knowhow and equipment, for example they were still using chariots centuries after the other peoples of Europe had abandoned their use.

 The picture shows a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Pictish army of the 3rd century CE. 

It consists of four generals, two TUGs of javelin-armed chariots, two SUGs of javelin-armed light horse, three TUGs of protected flexible spearmen, six TUGs of unprotected loose formation spearmen, one TUG of  superior quality flexible Attacotti mercenaries and three SUGs of skirmishing archers.

The chariots perform well in good terrain but are very poor at operating in rough ground.

Sassanid Persian Empire (aka Sasanian Persia)

A native Persian dynasty - the Sassanids - overthrew the Parthian Arcasid dynasty in 224 CE reviving Persian power and imperial ambitions, it lasted until falling to the Moslem Arabs in 651 CE. The Persians and the Romans/Byzantines came to blows many times over the centuries as they vied for influence and control of intervening lands from the Caucasus to the horn of Africa.

This is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Sassanid dynasty Persian army of 338 CE. 

The Sassanids regularly fielded Indian elephants and infantry in support of their cavalry, though the infantry weren't able to stand up to the Roman legions. The Persians initially could deploy as many lance-armed Cataphracts as the Parthians but over time this number reduced to be replaced by the heavily armoured but more loosely deployed bow-armed Asavaran. 

This army includes four generals, two TUGs of Indian elephants, two TUGs of cataphracts, four TUGs of bow-armed Asavaran, two SUGs of skirmishing horse archers, and three infantry TUGs - an archer unit, a spearmen unit and a swordsmen unit. 

The Asavaran have all been given the, new for MeG in 2023, "shower shooting" capability; it will be interesting to see how they perform on table with this ability as I haven't had the opportunity to try them out as yet.

The Huns

The Huns burst upon the European scene in the late 4th century, driving other peoples before them and subjugating those who stayed. The reason for the whole barbarian "Volkerwanderung", or movement of peoples westward, that destroyed the Western Roman Empire has been plausibly laid at their door. Their origins are obscure, they have been linked to the Xiong-nu peoples that lived in regions of northern China in centuries past, but no firm link has been established. In any case their arrival was like a whirlwind and they left death and destruction in their path. They reached their peak under Attila but quickly faded to obscurity after his death.

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus army of Huns. 

There are three generals, one TUG of nobles (front and centre), eight TUGs of flexible horse archers and one SUG of Alan horse archers bottom right. 

A theoretically simple army to operate, they are skilled bowmen who historically skirmished in front of  their opponent shooting continuously from horseback until part of the enemy line showed it had been weakened, then they massed opposite the weakened sector and charged in for the kill.

Attila the Hun, the Scourge of God

In 451 CE Attila launched his long-feared attack westwards into Gaul. He took with him all the might of the Huns and the peoples he had subjugated, in particular the Gepids and the Ostrogoths, but also included notable contingents of Heruls, Franks, Burgundians and Rugians. 

To counter his move the Roman Patrician Flavius Aetius managed to bring together an army of all the peoples of Gaul who stood to lose their lives or liberty. In addition to the regular Roman army there were forces from several other nations and peoples including a group of Alans under their leader Sangiban, of reportedly doubtful loyalty, another group of Franks under King Merovech, plus a large contingent of  Tolosan Visigoths under the 80 year-old King Theoderic. 

They met on the Catalaunian plains, near Chalons, and fought one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of the ancient world. It was to prove to be a turning point in the fortunes of Attila and his people as he lost the battle and was forced to retreat. Within a few years the Hunnic Empire had been swept away as the subject races, no longer cowed into submission, rebelled. 

It also proved to be the swansong of the Western Roman Empire, for despite winning several battles and returning some provinces to imperial control in the years following the defeat of Attila, twenty-five years later in 476 CE it too had ceased to exist; to historians marking the end of the Ancient world and the start of the Medieval.

The above is a 300 point ADLG army representing the Hunnic army at the Battle of the Catalaunian plains. 

On the left of the picture is a command of Gepids under their King Ardaric, next to the right is Atilla's command of Huns with Frankish and Burgundian infantry, followed by another command of Huns under Laudericus with a unit of Heruls, and lastly a command of Ostrogoths under Kings Thiudimer and Valamir with one unit of Huns on the extreme right.

Tolosan Visigoths

After venturing into Italy under Alaric and sacking Rome the Visigoths moved to firstly south-west France and then Spain in the 5th century CE, initially making Tolosa (modern day Toulouse) their capital until driven out by the Franks. They provided a large proportion of the forces present at the Battle of the Catalaunian Plains in 451 CE that stopped Attila's Huns.

Above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus 5th century CE Tolosan Visigoth army and includes:

Four generals, four TUGs of Gardingi cavalry, two TUGs of superior quality Bucellarii heavy cavalry, four TUGs of flexible spearmen, one TUG of legacy Roman auxilia plus two SUGs, one of slingers and one of archers.

Enemies of the Byzantine Empire

Italian Ostrogoths

After the fall of the last vestiges of the Western Roman Empire to its Germanic foederati in Italy the Ostrogoths moved South, defeated Odoacer, and made themselves masters of Italy after a short war ending in 493 CE. They came into conflict with the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire when Justinian decided to send forces West to retake Italy in 535 CE, so started the twenty year long Byzantine reconquest of Italy under Belisarius and Narses. 

Unfortunately for the Byzantines, just as the Arabs were to shortly take advantage of Byzantine exhaustion after their decades long war with the Persians to seize vast areas of Byzantine territory in the east, so a Germanic coalition led by the Lombards were to do the same in Italy in the late 560s undoing most of the gains the Byzantine army had made against the Ostrogoths.

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus army of the Italian Kingdom of the Ostrogoths.

In the centre are six TUGs of Ostrogoth heavy cavalry, the four on the flanks are average quality, the two in the centre are superior quality. All have the Devastating Charger and Melee Expert characteristics. In the rear are four generals.

On their left are a TUG of Gothic archers hiding behind mantlets, a SUG of skirmishing archers and behind them two TUGs of Gothic spearmen with missile support provided by archers.

On their right is a flexible TUG of bow-armed Hunnic mercenaries in front and a TUG of drilled bow-armed Byzantine cavalry deserters behind.

Langobards/Lombards

The Germanic confederation of tribes known variously as the Langobards or Lombards moved south from the Pannonian/Hungarian plains in the late sixth century and invaded Byzantine Italy in 568 CE looking for a better life. Unfortunately for the Byzantine Empire they had only secured Italy from the Ostrogoths a few years earlier and when invasion came, combined with a period of plague and famine caused by a mini ice-age, were in no position to withstand this new invasion. North and central Italy was permanently lost in short order though they managed to hold on to parts of Sicily and some territories in the South until the arrival of the Normans in the eleventh century.

The above is a 140 point TtS! Early Lombard army of 568 CE deployed on a map marked out in 4" squares.

It consists of (from left to right):

Command 1: Two units of Lombard Gasindi retainers cavalry lancers (one with attached heroic general) and a unit of bowmen in front and two camps at the rear. 

Command 2: Two units of noble Lombard Gastaldi cavalry lancers (one with a senior heroic general attached - King Alboin) and a unit of bowmen in front.

Command three: Two units of Gastaldi (one with attached heroic general) and a unit of bowmen. A third cavalry unit - of Gasindi - is off table waiting to come on a flank.

Command four: Two units of Gasindi and a unit of light infantry bowmen.

All that remains to do is assign the three hero, lance & ammo markers and the army is ready for action.

Avars

The Avars were a nomadic tribal confederation that basically took up where the Huns left off, in fact absorbing what was left of the Hun peoples, subject races and territories as they moved west. They were a major threat to the Byzantine empire in the Balkans for several centuries from the sixth century onwards until being replaced by the Bulgars in the southern Balkans in turn. They were eventually to succumb to the Franks and Bulgars in the early ninth century.

Their military capabilities were highly respected by the Byzantines due to their practice of drilling their soldiers and commanders to improve their performance on the battlefield.  

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Avar army of 617 CE.

It consists, from the left, in the second rank of one TUG of drilled superior quality Avar nobles flanked by two TUGs of drilled average quality Avar cavalry and in the front rank of three flexible TUGs of subject peoples bow-armed cavalry.

Immediately to their left, in the rear is a TUG of Bulgar nobles and to their front a flexible TUG of Bulgar cavalry.

On the right are two TUGs of subject Slav spearmen with a SUG of Slav javelinmen and a second SUG consisting of archers.

In the rear are four generals.

The Avars were very similar in appearance and army composition to other races that lived on the central and east European grasslands of Hungary and Southern Ukraine prior to the appearance of the Mongols such as the Bulgars, the Magyars, the Pechenegs, the Ghuzz and the Khazars amongst others, so can be easily morphed into those nation's armies. 

When studying this period it is easy to find sub-tribes changing allegiance from one tribal confederation to another as each race takes it place in the sun. One common theme is their dominance over, and subjugation of, the more sedentary Slavic and other tribes/peoples that occupied the region at that time, who provided useful infantry contingents to most of them.

Arabs

The  Moslem Arabs burst on the scene in the seventh century taking advantage of their initial religious zeal and the temporary weakness of the regional superpowers - Persia and Byzantium - who had recently fought each other to exhaustion, to carve out for themselves a large Asian and African empire in short order. Sassanid Persia was destroyed and the Byzantine Empire halved in size in the process permanently losing Syria, Palestine and the entirety of their African provinces. Though several attempts were made by the Arabs to take Constantinople in the seventh and eighth centuries they were to ultimately fail.

The above picture shows a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Umayyad Dynasty army of the early eighth century.

From left to right are one SUG of Khurasani horse archers followed by three infantry TUGs: one TUG of Dailami mercenaries, one TUG of Ghazi and other religious volunteers and one TUG of Jund (standing army) archers. 

In the centre are two TUGs of Syrian Jund drilled infantry in front with one TUG of flexible Turkish Ghilmen horse archers on the left and three TUGs of drilled Syrian Jund cavalry, one of which is superior quality. 

To their right is a SUG of skirmishing archers in front with a flexible TUG of Bedouin cavalry behind.

At the rear are three generals.

Bulgars

The Bulgars, having freed themselves from Avar domination in the mid-7th century CE, became the next peoples to dominate the southern Balkan peninsula, forming in turn the First and Second Bulgarian Empires. The Bulgars along with the remnant tribes of preceding horse-based nomads were eventually to be absorbed into the large Slavic population forming a distinct society with a Bulgar aristocratic elite.

The Bulgars and Byzantines were to fight several wars and also to form important alliances over the centuries. The First Empire was brought to an end by the Byzantines in 1018 CE under Basil II "the Bulgar Basher" and was to reform as the Second Empire in 1185 CE until being subjugated by the Ottoman Turks in 1396 CE.

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Bulgar army of  768 CE, early in the period of the 1st Bulgarian Empire.

It consists of:

Front rank: Two SUGs of Bulgar skirmishing horse archers either side of a SUG of Slav bowmen and another of javelinmen.

Second rank: Three TUGs of Bulgar bow-armed cavalry, in-between which are two TUGs of Slav loose-formation foot. These have the 'Fleet of Foot' characteristic which enables them to move particularly fast compared to other loose formation infantry.

Third rank: In the centre are two superior-quality drilled cavalry TUG's of the Khan's retinue. They have the ability to 'Shoot & charge' as well as being 'Melee Experts'. Either side of them are two more TUG's of Bulgarian Boyars, one of which is Superior quality, the other Average; they also have the 'Shoot & charge' ability.

In the rear are four generals, one of whom is the Khan himself, classified as 'Brilliant', the other three are competent.

At the back is the Bulgarian camp classified as 'Mobile'.

Rus'

The Rus' appeared on the scene in the 9th century on the merger of the populations of Viking settlers who had sailed up and settled along the major rivers and local Slavic tribes. By the 10th century Rus' armies were expanding their territory in all directions and raiding far and wide, including Bulgaria and Byzantium. The first major Rus' kingdom to have dealings with Byzantium had its capital at Kiev and was to expand and prosper until the Mongols arrived on the scene in the 13th century when the centre of Rus' civilisation moved north to Moscow after their destruction of Kiev.

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Rus' army based on the army that fought the Byzantines in 970 CE so includes Pecheneg and Bulgar allied commands.

On the left is the Pecheneg allied contingent consisting of a TUG of foot archers, a TUG of Noble cavalry lancers and a SUG of horse archers. The general is to their rear.

In the centre are the Rus' who are all infantry, consisting of a main battle line of four TUG spearmen with front ranks of noble Druzhina, another TUG of spearmen behind them and a SUG of skirmishing archers in front. Behind them are two generals, including the C-in-C, and a camp to the rear.

On the right is the Bulgar contingent, consisting of the allied general, an elite cavalry TUG of the khan's guard, a TUG of elite cavalry Boyars and a TUG of Slavic infantry.

In MeG allied commands may turn out to be hesitant and not move for a time, or even suffer desertion if their initial Command Card draws are bad, so including them in an army is always a risk. 

Normans in Italy and Sicily

In the 11th century CE Norman adventurers, who had originally been invited in as mercenaries, began to carve footholds out for themselves in Southern Italy, eventually taking control of most of the South of Italy and also Sicily. This put them in direct conflict with the Byzantine Empire which had managed to retain some lands in the area following the Lombard invasion of five centuries earlier.

The army above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Norman army of 1042 CE drawn from the MeG 'Normans in Italy and Sicily' army list.

It includes three Generals, two TUGs of superior quality Norman milites (early knights), four TUGs of average quality milites, one TUG of average quality Lombard cavalry, two TUGs of spearmen (one of Norman pedites, one consisting of Italian town militia) and one TUG of infantry bowmen. There is also one SUG of Norman scouts on the far right.

The Norman milites are all Charging Lancers and also have the Devastating Charger characteristic, making them incredibly powerful in the MeG charge phase. They are no slouches in the combat phase either as they all have the Melee Expert characteristic.

Seljuk Empire

In the 11th century the Seljuk Turks, who had been moving steadily westward arrived on the borders of the Byzantine Empire, quickly displacing the Moslem Arab states as the main threat from the East. In 1071 CE at Manzikert the Byzantines suffered a defeat of such magnitude that they rapidly lost the Anatolian highlands, never to be recovered, and were on the defensive in Asia Minor for evermore.

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus Seljuk Empire army of  the mid 10th century CE.

It consists of:

On the left: one TUG of flexible Turcoman tribesmen cavalry behind which are two TUGs of  superior and drilled Mamluk cavalry.

In the centre: three SUGs of poor quality skirmishers - two archers and one javelinmen, behind them two TUGs of Seljuk infantry tribesmen and at the rear one TUG of flexible Dailami mercenaries.

On the right: two more TUGs of Turcoman tribesmen, both comprised of skilled bowmen. Behind them is one TUG of the Sultan's guard - of exceptional quality.

The Fourth Crusade

Whilst all the other religious crusades ordered by the Pope in Rome were arguably of some benefit to Byzantium, unfortunately the fourth crusade was definitely not. The sea journey of that crusade was side-tracked in 1204 to Constantinople by the promises of financial reward from the deposed Emperor Alexios III which, when not forthcoming and after some double-dealing, led the crusaders to attack and plunder the city. 

Whilst the capital was to be recovered some six decades later in 1261 CE and the remnants of the Byzantine Empire were to stagger on for two and a half more centuries, seemingly forever beset by internal power struggles, it never fully recovered its strength sufficiently to hold its own against ever more powerful enemies without costly external help. Many historians regard the capture of Constantinople by the Christian Crusaders as the true end of the Roman Empire.

The above is a 10,000 point MeG Maximus army of the crusaders of the fourth crusade.

It consists of four TUGs of superior quality crusader knights and sergeants, one TUG of Frankish spearmen, two TUGs of Frankish crossbowmen and two SUGs of skirmishing archers.

On the right of the picture are two TUGs of Venetian allies, one of marines and one of crossbowmen.

At the rear are four generals.

The Khanate of the Golden Horde

In the 13th century Ghengis Khan and the Mongols burst upon the world. Whilst they caused massive disruption to established kingdoms and empires in the entirety of Eastern and Central Asia their impact in Western Asia and Eastern Europe was limited to certain areas as the Mongol tide reached a high point and came to a halt. Too large to survive as a single entity for long within a few decades the Mongol Empire created by Genghis Khan had fractured into several separate, though still vast, Khanates that were as likely to fight each other as anyone else. 

In the West the khanates that were to impact on the Byzantine Empire were the Golden Horde in Russia and Ukraine and the Il-khanate in the Middle East. The Mongols and the Byzantine Empire were to clash only once in the early 1260s when two tumens of the Golden Horde (20,000 men), whilst supporting the Bulgarians, raided Thrace. 

Above is a 10,000 point MeG army consisting of four generals, the Khan's bodyguard of fully armoured cavalry in the centre rear acing as a reserve and three TUGs of best equipped cavalry forming the centre. 

Three flexible TUGs of less well equipped cavalry, two TUGs of flexible Bulgarian cavalry and one SUG of horse archers are split between either flank.

All the cavalry are equipped with bow, several UGs of which are 'skilled' per the MeG rules.

Behind them all is a mobile camp

Ottoman Turks

The final enemy to be faced by the Byzantines was of course the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Like the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century CE, the Eastern Empire's demise was long drawn out and, after the involvement of the crusaders of the fourth crusade, fragmented. Despite odd hold-out regions it was finally considered to have been brought to end with the fall of Constantinople in 1485 CE to the Ottoman Turks. 

The last descendant of the Eastern Roman Emperor who died defending the walls of Constantinople ended his days begging the Pope in Rome, or anyone else who would listen, for assistance to retake the city from the Turks; assistance that never came.

The above picture is of a MeG Maximus 10,000 point Ottoman Turk army of 1430 CE.

In the front ranks, from left to right are: a SUG of superior quality 'Deli' light horse, a SUG of 'Akinji' horse archers, a SUG of early heavy artillery with barricades as protection, a TUG of superior quality 'Janissary' archers and swordsmen, a SUG of skirmishing archers with a TUG of 'Voynuks' behind armed with polearms, a TUG of 'Azab' archers and another SUG of Akinjis. On the far right is a SUG of 'Djanbazan' bow-armed light horse.

In the second rank are two TUGs of average quality bow-armed 'Sipahi' flanking a TUG of superior quality Sipahi and a TUG of superior quality and drilled 'Qapu Khalqi' armoured horse.

Behind them all are four generals.