[List II/22d] Kingdom of Characene

Army list. My army consists of two Arabo-Aramaic bodies of the Osmani tribe, who ruled the kingdom (list II/22d) and a body of nomadic pre-Islmaic Arabs (List II/23a). I chose to represent the Roman and Parthian period of the kingdom. The generals and heavy infantrymen are of the pure Arabo-Aramaic style as they were found in Hatra or Palmyra. The archers on foot are represented, as well as the light infantry, by veteran troops such as the pre-Islamic Arabs. The camel riders ride on naked dromedaries, less harnessed than the cataphractary dromedaries that could be found in Hatra or in certain armies of the Parthian suzerain.

- 2 Generals 4Kn

- 2 Light cavalry LH

- 2 Light camelmen LCm 

- 2 Heavy infantry 4Bd

- 3 Heavy javelinmen 3Ax

- 13 Archers Ps

Nomadic allies

- 1 General Cv

- 1 Light cavalry LH

- 1 Light camelmen LCm 

- 4 Camelmen Cm

- 3 Heavy infantry 4Bd

- 2 Archers Ps                         

 The Characene (or Kharacene or Caracene or Charakene or Mesen or Meshun in Judeo-Aramaic: חבל ימא, Hevel Yama "the land of the sea") is a former independent (or semi-independent) Hellenistic kingdom, located in the extreme South of the fertile region which lies at the mouth of the Tigris and the Euphrates, on the Arabian-Persian Gulf. In fact we do not really know its borders. They are different according to classical authors or geographers, but are traditionally associated with the southern region of Babylonia, in present-day Iraq, Iran and Kuwait.

    Basically, the kingdom must have as its boundaries to the west, the Arabian desert, to the north, the Chaldean marshes and to the south the Persian Gulf. Several islands in the Persian Gulf, including Bahrain, also belonged to the kingdom of Characena. It was created at the end of the 2nd century BC and was a vassal of the Parthian empire. It is very probable that the official language of the kingdom was the Greek koinè, the language spoken in the Hellenistic or Hellenized countries, but there is no certainty even today on this subject.

Source: Antikforever.com

 The kingdom of Characene is founded about 127 BC. BC by Aspasinè, named Hyspaosines by classical authors, an ancient satrap of Antiochos IV Epiphanes. Surviving the dissolution of the Seleucid Empire, the Characene became a vassal of the Parthian Empire until its fall at the beginning of the third century. The Sassanid kings put an end to the local royal dynasty and replaced it with governors.

Although vassal of the Parthians, the kingdom has always had a pro-Roman policy, and welcomed the Roman invasion of Trajan in 116. The emperor himself stays at Spasinou Charax, and personally attends the departure of the ships for India, regretting being too old to undertake the journey, as Alexander of Macedonia had done. Thereafter, the kingdom seems to have escaped long enough for the Parthians to take over Mesopotamia, it is only in 150 that it returns to the zone of direct influence of the empire of the Arsacides after the defeat of the King Meredate (or Meherdate) before Vologese IV. The latter undoubtedly takes an important spoil from Spasinou Charax, including a statuette of Hercules found in Seleucia of the Tiger and bearing the inscription that revealed this episode.

Source: Wikipedia

Coins of king Meredathes

Meredates seems to have been placed on the throne of Characene may be as governor initially, by a successor of his father Pacorus II after the Romans were driven out of the area of ​​Parthians. However, their invasion was at the origin of a civil war in the Parthian empire and Vologese IV was the son of a major rival of Pacorus II for the throne of "Great King." Vologesius IV attempted to re-establish his authority over several provinces of the Parthian empire which had declared independence during the war against Rome.

Meredates is also known by some coins, and by an inscription discovered in Palmyra. He was a son of Pacorus II as indicated by his coins stamped in the most Parthian style arsacide. The mention on the pieces confirms his filiation "Meredates, son of Phokoros, King of Kings, King of Omani"

Assur-etil-ilâni and Sîn-shar-ishkun by the sea

Historical battle between the Assyrians of Kevin and the Neo-Babylonians of Jerome. The action seems to have taken place near the modern city of Fao, where the Shatt-el-Arab flows into the Persian Gulf.

The terrain includes a waterway (the Chatt-el-arab or the shores of the Persian Gulf), two woods and a small city (BUA). The road visible on a photo serves just to delimit the playing surface.

The action takes place in the seventh century before our era Assurbanipal died around 627, and his son Assur-etil-ilani succeeded him on the throne of Assyria. Sîn-shar-ishkun is apparently designated to be king of Babylon, while remaining in the lower position. Sîn-shar-ishkun quickly enters into rivalry with his brother, while another character seeks to dominate Babylonia: the Chaldean Nabopolassar. A war breaks out in Babylonia, which is joined by the eunuch Sin-shum-lishir, who supported Assur-e-ilani at the beginning.

The contingent sent by Assur-etil-ilani

The interception force of Sin-shar-ishkun is based on the city of Fao

The Assyrian tanks. The tent represents the Assyrian camp.

The Assyrian riders. We still wonder (and he too!) Why Kévin put them in 6x6cm.

The Assyrian infantry: four units of Kisir Sharutti and two levies.

The Neo-Babylonian infantry relies on the Chaldean archers guarding the Greek mercenaries.

The Babylonian sharpshooters opened hostilities by rushing forward to the cover of the wood on their right wing.

View from the Babylonian lines.

The shin-shar-ishkun maneuver is very readable. The general sent by Assur-etil-ilani reacts by redirecting a unit of auxiliaries, a tank and the cavalry to its right wing.

The Babylonian sharpshooters came out of the woods to take the Assyrian infantry from the flank.

Assyrian troops sent as reinforcements on the right wing are unfortunate.

The same situation seen from the Assyrian side.

The sidewall fails and the Babylonian skirmishers are pushed back at first; Repeated assaults will however bear fruit and the Assyrian flank will collapse two turns later.

Fights on the assyrian flank

Fighting drags on.

The Assyrian cavalry took over from Babylon and destroyed one. A tank will be sent to fill the gap.

The god Assur will hit a big shot by suddenly unloading the battery of my camera. This view is the last of a battle that will culminate in a 4/1 victory of the Neo Babylonians.

Sîn-shar-ishkun congratulates his troops on the evening of the battle.

[DBA] Assyrians vs Midianites looters

This part opposed the Assyrians of Kevin to my Midianite Arabs. It is therefore a part with historical context, the troops of Assurbanipal seeking to dislodge the Bedouin plunderers out of their territory in order to secure the Assyrian lands.

The wise eyes notice that the right of the ground is "photoshopée". Indeed, as two games were held at the same time, our game space "bite" on the waterway of my table (I have not yet realized its cache). We treated it as ordinary ground. That would have a little shocked on the pictures. The midianite camp (not visible in the photo) is placed on the left wing behind the camel drivers.

The terrain consisted of two dunes, a palm grove / oasis and two rocky / rocky terrain.

The Assyrian is the attacker. Aside from a palm grove, the land contains only elements favorable to dromedaries (dunes, rockeries ...)

The Assyrian army seen from the Midianites

The Assyrian army (the figurines in the background are those of another part unfolding at the same time.)

The psiloi midianites, taking advantage of the cover of the palm grove, threaten the Assyrian hordes and, on the other side, watch the main advance of Assurbanipal.

Supported by the psiloi, a unit of camels managed to envelop the Hordes, attacked on all sides. It will be the first two losses of the Assyrian army but their status as a sacrificial troop allowed their companions to ignore their disappearance superbly.

The nearby camp, however, will now be offered to the appetites of midianite looters and will be the first real loss. Similarly, the hole made on the Assyrian left wing quickly brought about the disappearance of two infantrymen, caught in flank by the Midianite right wing exploiting its breakthrough. The surprise will rely mainly on the speed with which this carnage will unfold (DBA remains a game subject to the god D6)

A column of midianite warriors enters the palm grove. Following him (but outside the palm grove), the general positions himself in order to have a chain of command towards all his troops.

The meharists of the left island take refuge in the cutlery so as not to be caught between the Assyrian horsemen and infantry. They adopt a funny training to avoid the unpleasant surprise that would have been the burden of the riders in the cutlery (taking flank, impossible retreat, all that sort of things...)

The Assyrian cavalrymen, too confident, bypass the canopy. The meharists then arise in a storm and easily destroy a unit of horsemen caught flank and unable to retreat.

Taken from the flank at the edge of the palm grove, Midianite warriors resist this ultimate Assyrian charge. This battle will remain there, the Assyrian army demoralized, leaving the battlefield.

On the evening of the battle, the Midianites give rest to their dromedaries. (Even if the Assyrian bas-reliefs show, originally, an Arab captivity and take of war).

[List I/1b] Kévin's Sumerians

This is the Sumerians (brand Eureka miniatures with some Newline design) from Kevin, a member of my game group.

These Sumerians constitute a single DBA army, not intended for the big battle DBA.

The king on his chariot

Char trailed by capricious onagres

A notable, at the head of light troops, tries to motivate the mercenaries Guti.

(More photos to come)

Sumer and Akkad

The Jebel Hamriim separates Mesopotamia into two distinct regions. The name Sumer (Sinéar in the Bible, Shumeru in Akkadian) designating the southern part is often opposite to that of Akkad, or Agade indicating the central part. The Sumerians did not constitute an indigenous population: probably from the East (Iran), they imposed themselves on a local Semitic population in which, they gradually melt. Around 3000, a Semitic wave from the north pushed the Sumerians towards the south: Sumerians to the south, Akkadian Semites to the north. After the conquest of Sumer by Sargon the old, the very name of Sumer will be preserved only in the protocols; That of Akkad will extend to the whole region. At that time, the inscriptions recapture Sumerian cuneiform signs, but the Akkadian as well as the Sumerian are still distinctly spoken until the last quarter of the third millennium.

(...) Mesopotamia owes to Sumer] the invention of writing, administration, teaching, laws and justice. In addition, the people of Sumer were already concerned with philosophical questions about morality, the creation of man and the universe, suffering and death. In the artistic field, what characterizes the Sumerians is their extraordinary ability to attain a level of technical perfection without any real learning.

 Text extracted from the page Clio la muse (More info on this page, in french)

Archaic period (3500 - 2800 BC)

Sumerian War Helmet - Ur - Third Millennium.

About 3500 BC. J.-C., human populations settled on the banks of the Tigris and the Euphrates. They founded their first cities. They develop irrigation, cereal crops and raise sheep. Cereals also serve as monetary units. Gradually, Sumer brings together small, independent urban states, each of which is built around a capital city under the rule of a sovereign who bears the title of king (lugal) or prince (ensi). (...)

Kish controls the trade routes between Sumer and Akkad, and is the only one of them. Nippur is an important religious city (...) The first territorial conflicts appear. Around 2875, the Akkadians seized momentarily the country of Sumer. Around 2850, Uruk dominated Kish. At the end of this period, the whole country is grouped around its religious center, Uruk.

Period of the ancient dynasties (2800 - 2450 BC)

(...) It is the time when the Sumerian civilization inaugurated a few centuries ago is really flourishing. This period is fairly well known from the Royal Sumerian List, a narrative written in the eighteenth century BC. On eighteen tablets found near Nippur. This list traces the royal line from the beginning of time. (...)

From 2500, there are inscriptions attesting to the royal dynasties of Ur. During this period, several kings distinguished themselves in their respective cities ... This dynastic period ends with the conquests of Lugal-Zaggisi which conquers Girsu, Lagash and Ur, thus creating the first Sumerian empire. During the archaic period and that of the first dynasties, the state of war was quasi-permanent.

Text extracted from the page Clio la muse (More info on this page, in french)

[List I/44] Little neo-babylonian palace

This "BUA" was made in order to be usable with three of our armies DBA 28mm mainly: my Babylonian Kassites, my Neo-Babylonians and the neo-Assyrians of the friend Sargon II.

It does not correspond to any historical building. The choice was made to bring a Babylonian "chrome" by combining the Hollywood clichés on this civilization, especially the blue bricks found on Ishtar 's door, the hanging gardens and the arboricultural decorations of the Assyro - Babylonian palaces .

From these photos, this small palace has been sold.

     

I do not resist posting here a picture that is not from me but from Olivier (forum of figurines New-wab forum), the new owner of this decor on his superb table game: