Tactica Guide
to the Hellenistic World:

Pergamene Design, Opponents, and Painting

by Rick Stuart

In many respects the Pergamene army is an easy force to design and develop, given in large part that it represents the best that Hellenistic gold could buy. Closer examination, however, reveals that this army has something of a split personality to it. Many armies of the period are "that can be referred to as infantry-intensive, in which the plahanxes were expected to be the crucial arm. In others the opposite was true, with the cavalry being considered the deciding factor.

In the records of the Pergamenes, however, both considerations seem to hold true, given that efforts were made to maintain, at least in part, both an excellent infantry arm and good solid heavy cavalry. This situation can in large measure be traced to the geographical and political position of the Pergamene state. Located near the Asia Minor coast, Pergamene military commanders were no doubt influenced by the traditional preponderance of cavalry drawn from neighboring city-states which, historically, was viewed as more decisive than the local state militias that could be seen as part-time citizen-soldiers of doubtful quality.

In contrast, much of Mesopotamia saw a host of veteran infantry armies confronting each other in the early days of the Alexandrian successors, with thousands of veteran heavy infantry changing sides and offering service to whomever paid the most. Over the course of time, many of these veterans were incorporated into the Pergamene military structure, alongside the aforementioned cavalry. To this was added increasingly large contingents of mercenaries from throughout the Mediterranean, especially high quality peltasts drawn by Pergamene wealth. Finally, political grandstanding to the contrary, the Attalid dynasty had few qualms about hiring large numbers (even entire tribes) of Galatians from the interior to fight alongside their veterans. The resulting polyglot mixture of the Pergamene army makes it a formidable force, though admittedly one that does not have a clear definition of what its role in battle should be.

The Pergamenes offer the astute commander several tactical options which, depending on which specific combat arm he feels most comfortable with, afford several avenues to attack with equal chances of success. That same success will, however, depend on the proper coordination and expert timing of the various components in this army, often against a numerically superior opponent, in order to get maximum advantage out of each and every option available. In short, the Pergamenes are not a force to be taken lightly, nor are theyan armyto be mastered in one evening by newcomers to TACTICA.

PERGAMENE OPPONENTS

We have already seen how Pergamurn remained an on-again, off-again enemy of the Seleucids throughout most of the Hellenistic age. Times of peace generally coincided with periods of economic prosperity and economic exchange between the two states, but a change in Seleucid fortunes or the need for a new ruler to win prestige on the battlefield usually heralded the resumption of hostilities. As previously indicated, the Atalid dynasty in Pergamum was founded on the battlefield victory of the Greek merchants over the troublesome Galatians. Players wishing to simulate a Pergamene versus Galatian combat should modify the Pergamene army by replacing the mercenary Galatians recorded on the list with an additional Pergamene heavy infantry phalanx, and increase the Galatians by adding additional warbands and cavalry as needed.

The Pergamene can also be used to fight some interesting battles with the Macedonian Successors. While historically the Macedonians tended to stay at home and avoid serious combat far afield, there were exceptions to the rule. One such exception in 201 B.C. saw Phillip V of Macedon attempting to acquire the island of Chios, only to be blocked by a combined Rhodian-Pergamene fleet.

Incensed at this turn of events, Phillip ordered his army into Asia Minor, defeating the Pergamenes in a series of engagements and plundering as far as he outskirts of Pergamum city itself. Only the inability to provide adequate food and supplies for his troops through the harsh winter, due to the inferiority of his navy, forced Phillip to withdraw and may well have saved the Pergamene state. [17]

In larger campaign situations, it is equally plausible that battles between the Pergamenes and the Northern Asia Minor state of Pontus could be enacted with a fair degree of "historical" probability.

PAINTING THE PERGAMENES

An inspection of the Pergamene army list will quickly reveal a large number of light infantry figures. For this reason, I recommend players consider building their Pergamene forces in 25mm scale which will facilitate movement of Peltasts and other skirmishers. The 25mm scale will also provide players with a variety of figures classed as "city-militia" types from various manufacturers which will prove excellent examples of Pergamene costume and composition.

Respecting both infantry and cavalry forces, feel free to mix and match troop types. The nucleus of the Pergamene army probably reflected strong Seleucid and Macedonian influences (not surprising since many of their best soldiers were ex-Seleucids and Macedonians).

As such, expect standard dress to reflect the norms found in their counterparts. The term standardization as reflecting a common type of uniform cannot be stressed too much, however. A clear majority of "native" Pergamenes will be mercenary in nature, each bringing his own distinctive type of dress. As a case in point, Pergamene cavalry units could be built using cavalry figures depicting Illyrian and Thessalian dress (the terms here referring to style of dress, not actual origins of the combatants). Similarly Pergamene phalanxes could display figures with or without trousers, some barearmed, some bare-headed, all equally valid depictions. Tunic colors can be best left up to the individual commander's discretion although, for the sake of avoiding confusion, it is suggested that figures within a given unit maintain common cloth colors, at least in the majority, for ease of identification.

Scouting Report

This army reflects the very best that gold can buy. Roughly half are mercenaries intended to take the burden of close combat off of the local citizen levies. When coupled with good light infantry coordination the Pergamene cavalry can pose a serous threat. Typical Pergamene tactics involve using light troops to screen the main battleline while softening up their opponent until the cavalry can deliver the fatal blow. The best defense is to reach the main battleline quickly or defeat any over-eager cavalry charges early on. If either occur the Pergamene army will likely fold up very quickly.

Main Battleline

The three phalanxes and the Galatians constitute the main battleline. The phalangites can be deployed into ranks of either 2, 3, or 4. The Galatians can deploy into ranks of 2 or 4. Deployment turn is turn 2.

Tactica Guide to the Hellenistic World Part Two: The Seleucids and the Pergamese

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