The following eleven army lists are meant to supplement the twenty four lists included in the DBA rules which cover the Biblical era. They will add new historical opponents for the existing lists as well as filling some gaps for those fighting campaigns, particularly those based on the maps in The Penguin Atlas of Ancient History, referenced in the DBA rules booklet. These lists were designed from existing WRG 7th army lists published commercially or in past issues of Spearpoint and Slingshot. All the lists included can be made from figures available commercially without the necessity for making conversions. It should be noted that these lists are not designed to create "killer armies" but should have a reasonable chance to win against historically matched opponents. MARTU, GUTI, LULLUBI OR EARLY HURRIAN The Martu (Amorites) were desert nomads thought to have originated in what is now modern Syria. Allied with the Elamites, they were responsible for overthrowing the Third Dynasty of Ur, effectively extinguishing the Sumerian empire, although its culture would continue to influence succeeding civilizations for centuries. Later, the Amorites were expelled from Southern cities such as Larsa by their former allies. The Amorites then settled widely over the fertile crescent, the first such nomadic migration we have any record of, but by no means the last. The Guti and Lullubi were barbarian tribes from the Zagros mountains often raiding Sumeria. Their attacks could disrupt trade between cities and even result in famine as fields were left uncultivated during their predations. It was the Gutians who overran and ended the Akkadian empire, ruling Sumeria for a century. The Gurian dynasty was overthrown by the king of Erech, Utukhegal, founder of the Third Dynasty of Ur. The incursions of the Guti were frequently hit and run affairs, with the raiders gone before they could be engaged by the regular troops, earning the Guti the epithet "fleet snake of the mountains." The Guti also used long boats to raid down the canals. The Hurrians represent the nomadic people before the arrival of the Aryan Mittanni. Opponents: Sumerian and Akkadian, Old Elamite, Hurri Mittani. Martu or Guti: 6 3Wb, 1 3Wb or 2Ps, 5 2Ps OLD ELAMITE The Elamite list included in the DBA rules cover the later period of Elamite history, when they proved a worthy opponent for the Assyrians. However, with a slight modification to the existing list, the older periods of Elamite history can be represented. The Elamites were a Caucasian people who lived in the Zagros mountains and formed a loose confederation of city states of which Susa was the most important. They frequently fought the Sumerians and tradition recorded that the first historical king of Sumer, Kishi, disarmed Elam and "carried its weapons away." Later conflicts involved the Akkadians (Sargon I conquered Susa), the Old Babylonian empire of Hammurabi, the Sealand dynasties (allied with Kassite Babylon) and the Kassite Babylonians, destroying the empire of the latter and carrying away the image of Marduk back to Susa. They were expelled from Babylon by Nebuhadenezzar I in 113713C. Like the Sumerians, they endured Gutian raids. Opponents: Sumerian and Akkadian, Guti or Martu. Old Elamite: 3 HCh, 2 LCh, 5 4Bw,2 2Ps HURRI-MITANNI The Hurri-Mitanni army was the product of two separate ethnic strains - the Hurrians or Horites (see earlier list for Guti, Lullubi or Early Hurrian) who originated in the region of Lake Van and migrated all over the fertile crescent and Anatolia via upper Mesopotamia, and the Mitanni. The Mitanni were of Indo- Aryan origin, associated closely with horse breeding and training. They probably invented the maryannu system of an upper class of land holding chariot warrior nobles with a much larger, lower social class forming the rest of the army. While some authors suggest the Mitanni, based on their innovative chariot warfare suppressed the indigenous Hurrians, others believe the contact was peaceful and forged via intermarriage. The capital of the Hurri-Mitanni state was Washukanni whose exact location has not been discovered, but was probably somewhere near the Habur river. The Hurri-Mitanni were one of the super powers of the ancient near east during the second millenium B.C. and at its height their influence extended to the Mediterranean, the Zagros Mountains, and Lake Van; Assyria was their vassal state. They fought the early Hittites for control of Northern Syria and the Taurus Mountains. Egypt's greatest pharoah, Thutmosis III conquered Hurri-Mitanni possessions in Syria and even crossed the Euphrates. However, the Hurri- Mitanni eventually counterattacked and drove the Egyptians back. A treaty was grudgingly signed, but the two powers warmed to each other as both became concerned with the rising power of the Hittites. In fact, when Amenophis III (the father of the heretic pharoah Akenaten) became ill, Shuttanna, the reigning Mitanni king sent a statue of Ishtar from Niveneh to help heal him. Amenophis III also had a Mitanni princess in his harem. The Hittites continually raided the Mitanni borders; and after the murder of Tushratta, the last independent king, his son fled to the Hittites for asylum. The Hittites then installed him on the Mitanni throne as a puppet of a small buffer state against the Assyrians who had taken the opportunity to repudiate Mitanni overlordship. Eventually, most of the old Mitanni homeland was incorporated into the Assyrian Empire. This army is essential if one is to recreate campaigns in this era. Opponents: 11 New Kingdom Egyptian, 12 Early Assyrian, Martu or Guti, 4b Early Syrian, 9 Hittite Hurri-Mitanni: 6LCh, 1 4Bw or 4Sp, 1 3Ax or 2 Ps(Martu), 3 2Ps ARAZAWAN 1500-1000 B.C. The Arazawan army list represents various kingdoms occupying the southwestern part of Anatolia. These minor kingdoms often fought each other and the Hittites until the Hittites successfully conquered these states. As Hittite vassals, they supplied troops for the Hittite army at Kadesh. The Arazawan states also fought the Sea peoples, Aramean Syrians and probably the Mycenaneans as well. This list would also be a reasonable approximation to the historical Trojan Army. Opponents: 9 Hittile, 10 Mycenean Greek, 14a Sea Peoples Arazawan: 4 LCh,4 4SpJ 3Wb(Sea Peoples or Philistine),3 2Ps PHYRGIAN The Phyrgians were a Thracian people who crossed into Anatolia before the Trojan War according to ancient Greek tradition, although the modern view follows Strabo the geographer who held the migration took place after the Trojan War. Initially their domain was confined to the northwest part of Anatolia by the Hittite Empire. However, after 1200 BC, possibly in alliance with the Gasgan tribes, they helped destroy the Hittite empire. In the Iliad, Priam mentions having fought with the Phyrgians against the Amazons (Cimmerians or bearless Hittites?). The early Phyrgians fought the Assyrians around 1112-1072 BC; by the end of the 8th century they were a major political power in the area under their greatest king, Miclas. The capital of the kingdom was established at Gordium (where Alexander the Great later cut the famous Gordian knot). The Phyrgians had some contact with the Greeks, as Miclas was said to have married a Greek princess. The Phyrgians buried their dead in mounds or tumuli. The second largest surviving tumulus from the ancient world was found at Gordium. A small wooden chamber was found in it which contained the skeleton of an old man (Midas?). The Phyrgians came into continual conflict with the Assyrians, not always to their advantage-they paid tribute to Sargon II. However, the Phyrgians were not destroyed by the Assyrians, but by the Cimmerians in 695 BC, who invaded from the North. Gordium and a few of the larger cities recovered and survived as city states subject to the Lydian empire. The old Phyrgian territory was absorbed by the Medes after they conquered the Lydians in 560 BC. At its widest extent the Phyrgian kingdom extended south to the Cicilian plain, east to the Euphrates and west to the Aegean. Opponents: 23 NeoAssyrian, 25 Slythian (Cimmerian), 12 Early Assyrian. Phyrgian: 2 LCh,l 3Cv,1 2LH,6 4Sp,2 2Ps EGYPTIAN REVOLT The Egyptians never tolerated foreign rule well-various occupying powers had to quell frequent revolts. Some of these revolts were unsuccessful, but others like the revolt against the Persians in 400 BC resulted in periods of independent rule. The native Egyptian 28th, 29th and 30th dynasties were founded by the Mendes family from the Delta who tried to eject the Persians from Egypt at least twice, the last attempt involving Athenian allies. Eventually, they succeeded and Amyrtaeus founded the 28th dynasty. The Persians made an unsuccessful attempt to regain Egypt during the time of first Pharoah of the 30th dynasty, Nekhtnebet. Teos, the next Pharoah counterattacked the Persians in Phoenicia but was defeated. His successor, Nekhtharehbe was defeated by the Persians and the entire country reverted to Persian control. However, their control was short lived, as Alexander the Great conquered the Persian empire thirty years later. Opponents: 33 Later Achaemenid Persian Egyptian Revolt: 2 3Cv or 2LH,5 4Sp,1 4Sp(Hoplite), 1 4Bw, 1 3Ax(Marines),2 2Ps CYPRIOT The following list covers the period of Cypriot history contemporaneous with the NeoAssyrian Empire which greatly influenced the Cyprian Army at this time. After this period, the army closely resembled the mainland Greek hoplite armies. Conflicts with the Assyrians are hypothetical; they at least extracted tribute from the Cypriots. Most of the Cyprian conflicts occurred between the various rival city states. During the hoplite period (375 BQ the Persians besieged and conquered several Cypriot coastal cities. Opponents: 23 NeoAssyrian, 29 Sait.ic Egyptian Cypriot Cypriot: 3LCh or Hch, 1 3 Cv,3 4Spj 3Ax,4 2Ps ARAMEAN SYRIAN The Aramean Syrians take their name from the then current term for the North Syrian plain-Aram Naharoin, roughly translated as "field of the rivers". They represented another wave of nomadic migration overrunning the fertile crescent as the Amorites had done centuries before. From 1200-732 BC they gradually formed several city states but no coalescent kingdom. The new petty kingdoms of the Aramean Syrians were a serious threat to the divided kingdom of Israel and Judah in the 8th to 9th centuries BC. The biblical Hebrew King David defeated the Aramean king Hadadezan in one of these conflicts. The Aramean migrations wiped out the middle Assyrian Empire (the early Assyrian DBA list in the rules booklet) confining the Assyrians to their core territory. The Assyrians eventually struck back and Tiglath-Pilesar 1 records he defeated six Aramean tribes at Tebel Bishri, crossing the Euphrates 28 times and eventually reaching the shores of the Mediterranean Sea where he symbolically washed his weapons in the sea. The NeoAssyrian Empire fought the Aramean Syrian King Ben Hadad of Damascus who had formed a coalition of Phoenician and Aramean city states as well as Israel at the battle of Qaqar in 833 BC. Although the Assyrians appear to have won this battle, revolts in the east caused them to withdraw before completing the conquest of Syria. Tiglath-Pilesar III eventually completed this task in 732 BC. Opponents: 23 NeoAssyrian, 19 Later Hebrew NeoHittite, 28 Early Achaemenid Persian, 12 Early Assyrian. Aramean Syrian: 4 LCh, 1 3Cv,2 3Ax, 1 2LH,1 4Bw, 1 2Ps, 1 4Sp, 1 2Cm or 2Ps(Arab) URARTIAN The Urartian Kingdom (or Kingdom of Van in some sources) was formed from several smaller states during 835-825 BC by Sardur I apparently in response to continual attacks by the Assyrians. The earlier states and cities were established in Eastern Anatolia around the 13th century BC. Urartia was bounded by the Euphrates, Lake Urmia, Aleppo and Lake Eriran. The Urartians were excellent metal workers and supplied weapons and armor to the Assyrians. The capital was established at Van (Tushpa) fancifully attributed to the Assyrian queen Semiramis by Armenian legend. The Urartian kingdom from its inception continually warred with the Assyrians, and Tiglath-Pilesar III defeated Sardur II preventing expansion of the Urartians across the Tigris and Euphrates. Expansion in other directions was more successful, and the Manneans became a vassal kingdom. However, the Assyrian king Sargon II finally broke the power of the Urartians at a decisive battle in a mountain pass. The battle, fought with Urartia's Mannean allies, was a desparate one and the issue was only decided by the charge of Sargon II into the center of the enemy line. While Urartia was now in decline, it survived and even instigated a revolt against the Assyrians in 670 BC with the Syrians and Anatolians, which was unsuccessful. The Urartians were destroyed by the Scythians in 620 BC. The region was incorporated into the Median empire in 610 BC. Opponents: 23 NeoAssyrian, 25 Scythian, NeoHittite, Mannean. Urartian: 3 LCh,3 3Cv,3 4Ax,1 2LH(Scythian),2 2Ps MANNEAN The Manneans were first mentioned in the Assyrian annals who fought campaigns against them. The Manneans appear to have originated from the same racial stock as the Medes who appear to have absorbed them. Another similar group were the Parsua (Persians). All of these related peoples formed alliances between themselves and with the Skythians. The Medes eventually expanded into Assyria, Lydia, Urartu and even the borders of India. Opponents: Urartian, 23 NeoAssyrian Mannean: 2 LChj 2LH,3 4Bw,2 4Sp,2 3Cv,2 2Ps NEOHITTITE The Neohittite kingdoms were small city states formed after the breakup of the Hittite Empire around 1200 BC. The subsequent Aramean Syrian invasion largely bypassed larger cities such as Carchemish which retained Hittite culture. The old Hittite homeland was now included in the Phyrgian kingdom, and so the Hittites survived only in the small city states in Palestine and Northern Syria. The NeoHittite city states and the Aramean Syrians, the Phoenicians and Cypriots fought each other. Coalitions between various factions as well as the Hebrews were common. The NeoHittite city states finally fell to the NeoAssyrian kings as had their Aramean neighbors. Opponents: Aramean Syrian, 23 NeoAssyrian, 19 Later Hebrew. Neohittite: 5HCh oir LCh,1 3Cv,2 4Sp,1 4Sp or 2Ps,2 2Ps,1 3Cm or 2Ps(Arab) Back to Table of Contents -- Courier #62 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com