DBA Army Sets

Renowned and feared as the finest fighting men in the Greek world, the Spartan citizens were trained as soldiers from early childhood. The Spartans dominated land warfare in Greece, and their mere presence on the battlefield was often enough to demoralise their opponents. Sparta famously had no walls, as her warriors could provide invincible defence.

Athens at one time headed one of the largest and most powerful leagues in the Greek world, an empire in all but name. Ten elected generals, the strategoi, headed her army. Athenian armies were often composed largely of mercenaries, citizen-soldiers forming only a small proportion of the force. Athens had the most powerful navy in the Greek world, and many of her citizens crewed ships rather than fighting on land.

Thebes dominated her neighbours and headed the 'Boiotian League', a league of cities in the surrounding area. The Sacred Band, a 300 strong elite corps of hoplites, formed the corps of their army. Theban cavalry was considered some of the best in Greece, and her infantry were experienced, well drilled and confident.

Thessaly was famous in the Greek world for her excellent cavalry. The Thessalian plains were less urbanised than most other Greek states, and nobles, under an elected ruler, the Tagos, headed her society. Thessaly dominated the surrounding hill peoples, and her armies, with their high proportion of cavalry, were much more mobile than those of her rivals.
 

Aitolians were known as being more warlike than Greeks in general. Unlike most Greek armies Aitolian armies contained a high proportion of light infantry fighting with javelins, making them very effective in hilly or broken country. The country was poor and people lived in villages, not cities like in neighbouring states, and Aitolia was well known as a provider of mercenaries.
 

Most often ruled by rival kings, the Thracian tribes occupied lands stretching from the shores of the Aegean to the banks of the Danube and beyond. Thracian armies were mainly made up of large numbers of loose fighting tribal infatry, many armed with the dreaded rhomphaia, a weapon capable of severing limbs in a single blow. Skirmishers and cavalry supported these. The Tribes of the plains were excellent horsemen the most famous being the Getai and the Odrysai.
 

TThis represents the army of Philip II (355BC-336BC), Alexander the Great (336BC-329BC) and the regent Antipater (334BC-320BC). The bulk of the infantry was formed into the phalanx, armed with the deadly sarissa, which was used to pin the enemy to the front whilst the Companion cavalry delivered the decisive blow from the flanks. The army was highly mobile employing well-trained light infantry.
 

Persian noble Ariarathes took control of Kappadokia after the fall of the Achaemenids, however, he was later defeated and killed by Perdikkas in 322BC. His son regained the kingdom in 300BC until, under a later successor, it became a Roman Province in 17AD. Kappadokians wore a distinctive tiara, which was stitched on top to form three ridges with the cheek pieces tied behind the head.
 

The Phokian army became a powerful force in Greece during the Sacred War of the 350s. They were able to hire large quantities of mercenaries paid for by the plundered sacred treasures of Apollos sanctuary at Delphi.  Famously the army, under Onomarchos, defeated Philip II in 353BC by concealing a large battery of stone-throwers behind a hill that “surprised” the phalanx and, in combination with a well-timed counter attack, drove the Macedonians from the field.

The later Persian armies had shifted away for the traditional sparabara infantry in favour of mercenary hoplites or similarly re-armed Guard units until its final defeat under Darius III by Alexander the Great. The numerous cavalry were the mainstay of army using their mobility and numbers to outflank the enemy. Scythed chariots were also employed but were largely ineffective.