Thureophoroi and Epigonoi

Today I wanted to make a post that gives some more detail on the mercenary band in the short stories I write, and to talk a bit about Thureophoroi.

The mercenary band led by Nikanthos is, at its core, a group of Greek aristocrats who perform a variety of ad hoc military duties. Their upbringing included training with various arms, athletics, and some academics. Because of this diverse education, and the spread of Greek culture across the Mediterranean, Nikanthos and his companions have a wide range of employment options. They may be working as guards for a local king one day, or carrying out a small raid for a wealthy magnate against a rival the next. At times they might fill out the ranks of a phalanx, scout as light cavalry if horses are available, or assault a key position on the battlefield or a city wall.

While Nikanthos and his central group of Greeks can serve many different roles, not all of the men in his mercenary company can do that. Because of this, the company’s preferred role is something closer to medium or light infantry. Their numbers can fluctuate greatly, and they enlist men from many different backgrounds and cultures. A specialized fighting unit such as a hoplite phalanx would therefore not suit them particularly well. Since horseback riding-especially horseback riding in combat-required extensive training and the upkeep of horses, they also don't commonly carry out cavalry duties.

One thing that immediately came to my mind to represent this mercenary group is Thureophoroi. But before going into my research on Thureophoroi, it is worth pointing out some basic features of Greek armies leading into the Hellenistic Age. The typical ancient Greek army consisted of hoplites, lighter support units, and cavalry. Hoplites were the spear-and-shield armed foot soldiers who form the focus of most battlefield retellings in our sources. Other troops were certainly present, but they often received less attention in the surviving accounts. This makes it difficult to know all the details of how battles unfolded and how much of an impact these supporting troops may have had. In the Hellenistic Age—roughly the period between the death of Alexander the Great and the Roman conquest of Egypt—cavalry and various types of lighter infantry appear more frequently in the sources and form a clearer part of battlefield descriptions.

“Thureophoroi” is a label that begins to appear in our sources in the early 3rd century BC. While we don’t have a clean and precise definition of Thureophoroi from our ancient sources, we can start to paint a picture from references and descriptions that we do have. Writers such as Polybius refer to troops “armed in the manner of the Thureophoroi,” while later descriptions, such as those preserved by Plutarch, describe soldiers who could “skirmish at a distance” and then fight in close order with spears. From descriptions like these, I have seen Thureophoroi depicted in video games, art, models, and modern history books as infantry wearing little to no armor, wielding a spear and sword for offense, and utilizing a shield for protection. Most commonly, this shield is depicted as the oval Thureos shield. However, this picture is not as clear-cut as it might seem. To better understand what Thureophoroi were—and what they may have been—we can look at their possible origins, typical equipment, and their role on and off the battlefield.

 

Origins and demographics

Many of our sources and references of Thureophoroi are from around the 3rd century BC. It does not mean that this is when Thureophoroi first appeared. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact date and we don’t know the origin of the term Thureophoroi. Light troops had always existed in Greek armies, so it’s possible that Thureophoroi are a natural evolution of light troops to fit the campaign and battlefield demands of the time. There is also a theory that Thureophoroi originate from clashes with the Celts and Italians on the periphery of the Greek world. From this theory, Thureophoroi appear as a result of Greek light troops and other infantry adopting Celtic and Italian arms and tactics. One other theory that I have seen is that Thureophoroi is a generic term understood at the time to refer to medium infantry in Greek armies. It’s also completely possible that the origin of Thureophoroi is some combination of all of the factors and others. Whatever their origin, I think it’s important to keep in mind that light and medium infantry existed in Greek armies prior to the 3rd century and that it’s possible Thureophoroi were around prior to the dates we see them referenced. So it does not make my Thureophoroi like-infantry completely out of place in the 310s BC.

Culturally, Thureophoroi and other light troops could include people from across the Mediterranean and Near East. Fighting in a phalanx required more intense training and communication than serving as light or medium infantry, so the ranks of light troops could be more easily filled by a diverse range of cultures. Fighting in the ranks of Hoplites and Phalangites was more prestigious and exclusionary as well, while serving in the ranks of light troops was more open to different cultures and levels of society. Due to more open eligibility, cheaper armaments, and less training required, Thureophoroi and other light troops did appear more frequently in the near constant state of war the Hellenistic world found itself in. So while many Thureophoroi were Greek, it’s important to keep in mind that their cultural makeup could be very diverse. This will also be true of their equipment and duties discussed below.

Arms and Armor

The archetypal Thureophoroi would use the Thureos shield and little to no other armor for protection. But, because most ancient armies were not composed of professional soldiers with consistent state supplied equipment, you would most likely see Thureophoroi wearing and using a range of armor and shields. This range of equipment would be narrowed down by availability, personal preference, and anything that did not interfere with their primary role as light troops. So their equipment would probably most often include smaller shields like the pelte, while also featuring larger oval shields such as the thureos. Heavier and more cumbersome shields, such as the hoplite aspis or Roman scutum, were likely less suited to their role.heavier armor would likely have been uncommon. For additional protection, some Thureophoroi may have also worn the linothorax, a bronze helmet, or greaves. Full cuirass, scale armor, and armor in general would have been uncommon. Fighting in organized groups on an open battlefield would be a situation where you could see them wearing heavier equipment.

Just like their armor, the weapons of Thureophoroi would depend on the situation. In both ancient depictions and the books I’ve read, their arsenal could include spears, swords, and javelins. Similar to other light troops, Thureophoroi would use their javelins when at a distance to harass or soften up enemy formations, before engaging with spears or swords. The same javelins used for throwing could also be used in melee, but it’s possible that a separate, longer spear similar to the Doru was used specifically for thrusting at close range. In addition or as an alternative, a Kopis or Xiphos blade could be used as well. 

Military role

The key strength of the Thureophoroi was their flexibility and ability to perform many different duties. On a pitched battlefield, Thureophoroi would most often be positioned on the flanks of the hoplite or pike phalanxes of Greek and Macedonian Successor armies. From this position, Thureophoroi could help protect the flanks of their own phalanx, or drive off opposing light infantry in order to attack the flanks of an opposing phalanx. (When fighting against another Hellenic army). 

Off the battlefield, Thureophoroi would act as scouts or flank guards when on the march, perform raids along with cavalry and other light troops, or be left as garrisons in forts and cities. They were able to handle each of these tasks due to their light equipment and flexible fighting style. Their ability to handle these duties helps explain why such troops appear more prominently in Hellenistic armies. Hoplites were not completely replaced in Greek armies by light troops as they still had a pivotal role in set piece battles. But Hoplites and Phalangites were poorly suited for the off the battlefield tasks Thureophoroi carried out.

How Thureophoroi fit into my tablet top scenario

For this scenario, I have two units trained as “Thureophoroi.” One of these units is the hand picked bodyguard of the Tyrant of Cyrene, leader of the Cyrenaican side. I think Epigonoi, or hand picked men, would be the best way to describe this core unit of Nikanthos' most veteran mercenaries. The other unit is of militia grade and represents the citizens that did not have or could not afford the Hoplite panoply. Rather than having them serve as unorganized skirmishers, the Tyrant has given them some training and organization to match his own mercenary band.     Below are some pictures of my 15mm miniatures used to represent Nikanthos and his Epigonoi. They are not finished yet, so I will get some pictures with better lighting when I finish with the terrain, equipment, and details on them.

 

Pictured from left to right in the front rank are Poulimikros, Nikanthos, and Bardylis.

Poulimikros is a youth from Athens. He abandoned his polis to join the Greeks returning from Alexander's campaign against the Persians. Much like Nikanthos, Poulimikros has a romanticized image of war from stories like the Iliad, the Theban Cycle, and many other poetic writings of the time. Nikanthos has since come to better understand the reality of war and uses Poulimikros as a page, keeping him close and training him to better protect him.

Nikanthos is the current leader of this mercenary band. He is originally from Thessaly and served under Alexander the Great alongside many of his peers. After Alexander dismissed his Greek allies, Nikanthos spent a short time back in Thessaly before he was exiled. Now he travels the Mediterranean as a mercenary.

Bardylis is an Illyrian who joined the mercenary band after they spent some time in Illyria. He was originally a rival of Nikanthos working for the same employer. Nikanthos soon won over Bardylis and a number of other Illyrians. Most of the other Illyrians stay in their own ethnic ranks of light infantry.

Over on the left, Omiros is flanked by two common soldiers in the group. Omiros is also Thessalian and a close friend of Nikanthos. Omiros has known Nikanthos since childhood and many of his family members travel with the mercenary band.

Just behind them, are two more unnamed soldiers. I’ll have the 3rd added when I finish painting him.

In the back right, there is one named character on the left. His name is Bostar and he is a sailor of Punic origin. Bostar recently joined the mercenary band after deserting a Carthaginian fleet passing through Cyrene.

The colors I chose were inspired by the color design of the RX-78 Gundam. I wanted the named characters to stand out a bit more, so only the unnamed members of the group are uniformed. Uniformity in equipment and outfits was almost non-existent in ancient armies. I’m guessing it would be even rarer to see in a mercenary group of various origins with people frequently joining, dying, or leaving. I have reasoned that for Nikanthos’ band, he has opted to provide members with some uniform clothing, most notably the blue capes. Because of the mixed origins of the group’s members, how frequently people leave or join, and how chaotic and loose their formation would get on campaign and during missions, Nikanthos wanted a way to help identify friend from foe.

Later this month or at the beginning of next month, I’ll have my next post focusing on Sparta and some Spartan mercenaries I have fighting for the Allied Greek side.

Community Engagement Question:

Is there a military unit of ancient history that you wish you could learn more about? One that comes to mind for me is the Carthaginian Sacred Band. I have plans for an upcoming article on them way way down the line. Sources: Plutarch. Parallel Lives: Philopoemen Polybius Histories

Duncan Head “ Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars”

Peter Connolly “Greece and Rome at War”

Who were the Thureophoroi by The History Network

Who were the Thureophoroi and how did they fight by The History Network

https://militaryhistorynow.com/2017/03/13/warfare-after-alexander-the-armies-of-the-early-hellenistic-era/ Other sources that I have not finished reading yet: Greek Warfare: Myth and Realities by Hans van Wees Combined Arms Warfare in Ancient Greece by Graham Wrightson

1st Narrative Post

    As mentioned in my previous posts, I will have an ongoing narrative that accompanies the scenarios I play through in order to provide some fun context. This first post will serve as an introduction to events in Cyrene and the mercenary Nikanthos. Many of the scenarios I play will feature his mercenaries and their adventures around the Mediterranean. 

    Blood sprayed across Nikanthos as his xiphos cut through the unprotected neck of his opponent. The blood was hot and stung at the cuts on his arm. He hardly noticed the pain or his own exhaustion because a feeling of nausea dominated his consciousness. This sickness was an unusual sensation. Nikanthos was battle hardened, he had killed before and experienced the gruesome horrors of war. But, this time was different. This whole situation was different from the scenarios Nikanthos was used to. This wasn’t a fight against a foreign foe. These were fellow Greeks and their bright red blood was vividly plastered across the beaming white marble floors of the Prytaneion. Yes, these dead and dying men had been his enemies. But, they were still his people and some had even been his comrades just a few days before.

    A loud clatter brought Nikanthos back to reality. A man scuttling backwards on his arms and ass had knocked over a potted amphora. It was one of the aristocrats allied to Xanthe, the now deceased usurper. The cowering nobleman lifted out both hands in supplication as one of Nikanthos’ men, the Illyrian Bardylis, marched directly at him. Bardylis yanked the cowering man by his hair, jerking his head back to expose the man’s neck to his sword.
“No!” Nikanthos wailed.

Bardylis gave Nikanthos a curt and confused glance before he executed his sobbing victim. More blood painted the floors and spattered on the gleaming bronze armor Bardylis wore. He looked like a demon out of some mythical poem. The whole agora resembled a horror scene from Hades. Bile boiled up in Nikanthos’ chest until he burst out vomit.

    Omiros, second in command and childhood friend of Nikanthos, walked over and rubbed a reassuring hand on Nikanthos’ back.

“This isn’t your first fight.” Omiros murmured.

“This is different.” Nikanthos replied.

“How is it different?” Omiros asked in a genuine tone.

“These people were Greek citizens, Omiros, not soldiers. And this isn’t a battlefield, it’s the agora. I can’t explain why, but it feels wrong.” Nikanthos clarified.

Omiros rubbed his hand across his chin as Bardylis walked over to them.

“You Greeks and your fucking philosophy. You think too hard. We must be killing this man. I no kill this man, he goes home and he get his friends and his slaves then come back and kill me. And he kill you and he kill your woman. He kill us all and then Alexander come here and Macedonians fuck this whole city.” Bardylis said mockingly.

Omiros stopped rubbing his stubble and nodded at Nikanthos. It could be because he had a blunt and barbaric way of thinking, or his struggle with translating his thoughts into Greek. But, Bardylis always seemed to have a clear and simple answer to morally ambiguous things.

“He is right, you know. These men knew this was a possible outcome for their scheming.” Omiros added.

“You are seeing the point? They are enemies so we must be killing them.” Bardylis gesticulated at Nikanthos, sword in hand.
Deep in his heart, Nikanthos knew that Bardylis was right. The realization was painful and nearly made him sick again.

Bardylis wiped the blood from his sword off on the chiton of a dead guard. Then he trailed off to scavenge with the rest of the surviving attackers.

    After a few moments of rest, Nikanthos prepared himself for the mental stress of planning out their next move.

“We need to check on the men, see if anyone got injured, or worse. Then I want to send the pages out. Send a runner to Isidoris’ house first. Inform him and the surviving archons that Xanthe and his party are dead. They should urgently form a new government and elect a new Tyrant.” Nikanthos commanded Omiros.

Omiros raised his eyebrows at Nikanthos.

“No. I don't want to be Tyrant!” Nikanthos snapped at his companion.

“They pushed for you before. And now, you’ve killed the reigning Tyrant. You’re already Strategos of the city, and you have powerful friends under your cloak…. And in your bed” Omiros contented.

Nikanthos glared back at Omiros for the remark. He didn’t want to admit it, but Omiros raised good arguments. And now that blood had been spilt there were few alternatives. 

“By the gods, how have things come to this?” Nikanthos thought. Mere months ago he had arrived in Cyrene as an officer in his mercenary band. And now he was to be Tyrant of the most prominent Greek city in Africa? Fate had seen fit to bring the struggles of politics from Thessaly with Nikanthos. His father would be gloating at the idea of Nikanthos obtaining a far higher position than the man could have ever dreamed. Nikanthos pushed aside thoughts of home and honed in on the fight at hand.

“Alright.” Nikanthos sighed back at Omiros. “If I’m to be Tyrant, then we need to plan this out so I keep my head.”

“Keep it long enough for Alexander to come and lop it off.” Omiros mused.

“If we don’t win over the other cities of Cyrenaica he won’t have to. They’ll serve my head to him on a platter.” Nikanthos pointed out.

“How do we win over the rest of Cyrenaica?” Omiros asked.

“We don’t give them a choice. I have a plan.” Nikanthos answered back with a smirk. Next Time Hopefully I'll finally have a post with some painted miniatures for you all. I'll also be providing some historical information on the units in the post. It might be Thureophoroi or Spartans. Engagement Questions Are there any historical fiction books that you enjoy? I really like The Warrior of Rome series by Harry Sidebottom, and really all of his books are good. I also enjoyed the Tyrant series by Christian Cameron. Both of those have been big influences for me. While not historical fiction, I also enjoy classic Sword and Sorcery adventures and plan on trying to work those into my narratives and scenarios.

1st Official Post

    Hello everyone, I’m back today with a mini article to give you an outline on what you can expect from my upcoming blog posts. So yes, this is a post about posts. But, it will also contain some background on the city of Cyrene and the two scenarios for the campaign taking place in this region.

Conquest of Cyrenaica 

    In my first campaign, we have Alexander the Great invading the region of Cyrenaica with the goal of subduing the Greek cities along the coast. For both games, I will be using Tactica II for the rule set with some alterations for each scenario. Rather than slugging it out until one army reaches its breakpoint, the main game will be decided by the highest point total from controlling objective points on the map. Control of the objective will grant the player its full point value while both a contested objective and an uncontrolled objective will not grant any points to either player. The other, smaller game will feature a much smaller scale version of these rules to test them out and introduce Tactica II to the players. The exact measurements of the deployment zones, along with rough illustrations and photos of the battlefields will be in future articles that will proceed each game. For now, some brief context for these special rules will be provided below. 

    The first scenario is a 5 turn limit small scale skirmish. It is a surprise by the Greeks of Cyrene at a diplomatic meeting between a representative of Alexander the Great and Greek nobles from the major cities of Cyrenaica. The ambush is being led by a fictional Archon of Cyrene, Nikanthos. Their objective is to capture the meeting grounds and capture or kill the Macedonian leader. The other side is led by the Macedonian commander and Satrap of Egypt, Cleomenes of Naucratis. Their objective is to hold the meeting grounds and get their commander to a marked escape zone on the map. Each player will get 1 point for completing an objective. This scenario is meant more as a learning game to familiarize us with the rules of Tactica II before the major scenario.

    The major scenario is an engagement between the vanguard of the invading Macedonians and a portion of the garrison of Cyrene. Alexander himself is leading the Macedonians and attempting to set up a fortified camp in a strategic location outside the city of Cyrene. Nikanthos is leading the Greek allies sallying from the city. The Greek allies are trying to set up a fortified position at the same location. This scenario will feature the capture points I mentioned earlier. Each capture point represents a strategic place, such as woodlands for siege equipment and a nearby river for a source of water close to the city. I will be going into much more detail on the objectives in the article proceeding the scenario. For now, here is some information on Cyrene and why it is significant enough to be the setting for a campaign.

The city of Cyrene and the region of Cyrenaica

    Ancient Cyrenaica was a coastal region in northern Libya made up of Greek Colonies established in the 7th and 6th centuries b.c. Cyrenaica got its name from the most prominent city of the region, Cyrene, which was founded around the year 630 b.c. For more detail on the settlement of Cyrene I can recommend taking a look at the writings of Diodorus Siculus, in his Bibliotheca Historica, or the writings of Herodotus for primary sources. These two YouTube videos made by History with Cy and Generic History are alternatives that go over the mythical founding of Cyrene in a brief and entertaining way. 

    My scenario takes place in the year 320 b.c., meaning the region of Cyrenaica has been colonized by the Greeks for over 300 years. By this point in time, Cyrene and the other colonies in the area are flourishing trade centers. The region exported goods like silver, grain, cattle, and a plant called silphium. Silphium is a now extinct plant that was used for many purposes in the ancient world. Some of its applications included being used as a laxative, contraceptive, food seasoning, and a long list of other purposes. I have not come across references of the plant growing outside North Africa, but Silphium may have been cultivated in other areas due to how often I have seen it referenced being used across the Mediterranean. Either way, having Silphium as a major export must have been very lucrative for the cities of Cyrenaica due to how much of a staple the plant was in antiquity. Many other grains and livestock like horses were also exported from the region in ancient times.

    With their rich economy and close proximity to Greece, the colonies of Cyrenaica were able to remain a major participant in Greek politics. Several ancient sources such as Diodorus Siculus and Herodotus have quoted the cities of Cyrenaica participating in various Greek wars and politics, but have not given details that I could find. It seems like the cities of Cyrenaica most often contributed ships or material to various allies and participants in these conflicts. One example I found of direct involvement in an outside conflict was around the year 310 bc during the Greco-Punic wars between Carthage and the Greek cities in Sicily. The Ptolemaic ruler of Cyrene, Ophellas, reportedly brought between 10-15,000 troops to aid the Greek leader Agathocles in his invasion of Carthage. From what I could find, the majority of these troops were Greek mercenaries, showing that the region had the wealth to support large armies.

    A later example was a planned invasion of Ptolemaic Egypt by the Ptolemaic ruler of Cyrenaica, Magas. This invasion did not end up materializing as Magas had to turn around to defend an incursion from Libyan tribes while en route to Egypt. While it is definitely possible that there are more instances where men were sent from Cyrenaica to participate in foreign wars, I think it would be in small numbers and only for short periods of time. Like other Greek colonies on foreign lands, the colonists of Cyrenaica had to contend with the other local cultures of the region. Excluding mercenaries, the armies of these Greek colonies would typically be a seasonal force made up of the citizens and could only be raised for a limited window of time.

    The reason Cyrenaica features as the first region in my campaign is because Alexander is turning his attention westward and I found myself very interested in the history of the area. The region of Cyrenaica also falls along the African coast on the way to Carthage and Sicily. While the region was nominally subject to Alexander already historically, in my fictionalized setting Alexander is finally getting around to solidifying his sovereignty of the area. He initially sent a diplomatic party to re-organize and fully incorporate the Greek cities there into his empire. After Nikanthos and the city of Cyrene killed his diplomatic party and refused to recognize Alexander’s authority, Alexander was obliged to retaliate and given a pre-text for invasion, depending on how you look at it. Nikanthos is also the leader of the fictionalized mercenary band that features in my other campaign. So this setting serves as a way to kick start both storylines.

Next Time

    In my next article, I will be going over the Greek allied forces and talking about the mercenary proto-thureophoroi unit led by Nikanthos in more detail. The article will serve as an introduction to his band and include the first short narrative in his story.

Community Questions

    For some community engagement, is there any stand out figure or event from the Hellenistic Era you enjoyed learning about or wish you could learn more about?

Sources

1.) Diodorus Siculus “Bibliotheca Historica” Book 4: The Relationship Between Cyrene and the Greek World

2.) Herodotus

3.) Pindar

4.) Duncan Head “ Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars”

5.) Introduction to ancient Greek colonies by History with Cy 

6.) Greek colonization sounds stressful by Generic History

Introduction to the Blog

Hello everyone,

I wanted to do a short intro to let you all know what my blog will feature.

    I'm a big fan of ancient history and the Hellenistic Age is one of my favorite time periods. I also really enjoy games and historical tabletop is a great combination of my passion for history and love of gaming. So this blog will be a sort of digital journal of my journey through historical tabletop. The posts will include battle reports, painting and creating army lists, tie in narrative elements, and the research I put into the game. The historical research may also lead to posts that just cover some historical topic that I find interesting. I'd also like to get some community engagement going, otherwise I would just post all this to my private Google docs. So each blog post will try to feature some engagement questions, a comment section for community thoughts, and any topics you all might be interested in.

    To kick things off, I'll jump right into a preview of the two campaigns I'm building up to. The first campaign is a series of scenarios in a fictional setting where Alexander the Great did not die in 323 B.C. The other campaign takes place in the same universe, but follows a Greek mercenary band around the Mediterranean. I will primarily be using Tactica II as a rule set, with some of my own slight tweaks for the scenarios. But, I also hope to try out some other rule systems and a variety of scenario types.

    In my first scenario, we have Alexander the Great invading the region of Cyrenaica. For the game I will be using Tactica II with some alterations. Rather than slugging it out until one army reaches its breakpoint, the game will be decided by the highest point total from controlling objective points on the map. Control of the objective will grant the player its full point value while both a contested objective and an uncontrolled objective will not grant any points to either player. I'll be providing more details, along with a rough illustration and photos of the battlefield in future articles. For now, some brief context for the special rules will be provided below.

    The two forces facing off will be the vanguard of a Macedonian army led by Alexander himself, and an army from Cyrene made up of Greek colonists, Greek mercenaries, and native Libyan allies. This battle represents a smaller portion of each side's larger force clashing as Alexander looks to get his army into a favorable position to lay siege to the city of Cyrene. Some of the notable units that will be featured in this game, and discussed in more detail in my future articles, will be the proto-thureophoroi units on the Greek colony’s side and the experimental mixed “pike & shot” units of Alexander the Great. I’ll also be providing some information on the area of Cyrenaica and the city of Cyrene.

Community Questions    

    For some community engagement, is there any stand out figure or event from the Hellenistic Era you enjoyed learning about or wish you could learn more about? Also, what area do you think Alexander would have moved to conquer next or what region would you be interested in seeing Alexander send an expedition to?