Ancients
Our Ancients section covers the vast period of history from 3000BC up until the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The vast majority of the pages listed here contain background historical information and/or painting guides as well as guides to wargaming armies or periods by either Nigel Stillman or Adrian Garbett.
NEW KINGDOM EGYPTIANS
Egypt fought the Hyksos, Canaanites, Syrians, Mitannians, Hittites, Hebrews, Philistines, Sea Peoples, Nubians, Libyans, Bedouin, as well as civil wars within Egypt.
They were typically allied with the Nubians, Libyans, Syrians and Sea Peoples.
Our Egyptians range is made up of 38 different packs of models, including 8 chariots and Ramesses the Great himself, all sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry.
MITANNI (HURRIANS), SYRIANS, CANAANITES AND HYSKOS
The Hyksos fought Egypt, as did the Canaanites, Syrians and Hurrians. They also fought against and later allied with the Hittites. Hurrians fought against Assyria. There was constant fighting among the kingdoms as well as against the Habiru and desert nomads and against Sea Peoples raiders.
Their typical allies were Habiru, Amorites and Sea Peoples.
Our range contains 15 packs, including 5 chariots, sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry.
NUBIANS - FROM INVADERS TO RULERS
From 3000 BC onwards the wild tribes of Upper and Lower Nubia continually attacked the southern borders of Egypt. They were numerous and brave if not well organised, and posed a serious threat to the areas they raided. While the Old, Middle, and New Kingdom Egyptians seem to have had little trouble defeating Nubian incursions in open battle it is interesting to note that they also took them into their armies as auxiliaries in large numbers. During the post New Kingdom period (around 750 BC) the Nubians finally overwhelmed parts of Egypt and set up their own Kushite kingdom based on a fanatical devotion to Egyptian Gods.
Our range contains 6 packs of both Medjay and Kushite Nubians sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry.
HITTITES - TURKEY AND SYRIA 1400BC - 850BC
The Hittites fought other Anatolian kingdoms, notably Arzawa, the Hurrian empire of Mitanni, Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, the Kaska tribes, the Lukka pirates, Achaians, Cypriots, Syrians and had civil wars.
They were typically allied with Syrians, Hurrians, Anatolians and Sea Peoples.
Our Hittite range contains 10 packs, including 5 chariots and a very useful pack of civilians, and was sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry.
SEA PEOPLES - BRONZE AGE MEDITERRANEAN RAIDERS
The Sea Peoples were a confederation of tribes from around the Mediterranean islands, the Aegean, Anatolia, Balkans and Levant. These tribes included the Sherden, Lukka, Peleset, Tjekker, Sheklesh, Dardani, Weshwesh, Teresh and Ekwesh. These tribes were a constant menace as pirate sea raiders who attacked Greece, Cyprus, Hittite coasts, Phoenicia, Canaan and Egypt. They were often hired as mercenaries. A huge confederation attacked Egypt at the end of the New Kingdom by land and sea.
The Sea Peoples fought Egypt, the Hittites, the Phoenicians and Canaanites, the Mycenaeans and Trojans and as Philistines against the Hebrews. They were typically allied with Libyans.
Our Sea Peoples range was sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry and contains 8 packs of these brazen Sea Wolves. More suitable models can be found in the Hittite and Egyptian ranges.
LIBYANS - 3000 YEARS OF NAKED AGGRESSION
This is the army for people who like painting flesh! The Libyans launched raids into Egypt for over 2,000 years, until they eventually founded their own dynasty early in the first millennium BC after successive migratory waves had flowed west out of the Libyan Desert.
A Libyan army would consist of masses of skirmishing archers and javelinmen for most of the period covered, with only the few chosen warriors who accompanied chieftains being willing to get into hand-to-hand combat. This changed somewhat with the appearance of the Sea Peoples, with whom the Libyans allied.
Our Libyans range contains 6 packs and was sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry. Up to a third of a Libyan army can be made up of Sea Peoples and suitable chariots can be found in the Egyptian range.
ASSYRIAN AND BABYLONIAN EMPIRES
Assyria was an ancient Kingdom of Northern Mesopotamia centered on the cities of Ashur and Nineveh. Babylon was an ancient city which ruled over southern Mesopotamia.
The Assyrians fought the Armenian Kingdoms, Hittite Kingdoms, Urartians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Arabians, Israelites and Judeans, Egyptians, Kushites, Elamites, Medians, Scythians, Phrygians and each other in civil wars. The Babylonian Empire warred against Egypt, Judea, Lydia and Persia.
Typical allies were Hittites, Chaldeans, Arabs, Cimerians, Scythians, Aramaeans, Urartians, Mannaians and Medians.
Our Assyrian and Babylonian range contains 30 different packs, including 4 huge chariots and a group of infantry riding on a cart, and was sculpted by Alan Perry.
MYCENEANS, MINOANS AND THE TROJAN WAR
Our Mycenean and Minoan range is suitable for the three main historical periods: the Palace Culture of Minoa between 1600 and 1250BC; the period of change between 1300 to 1200BC, when the Minoans were declining and the early Myceneans gaining a foothold in Asia; and the later Mycenean period, encompassing the Trojan War.
The range contains 17 packs, including 5 chariots and models of Diomedes, Paris, Odysseus, Hector, Aeneas, Achilles, Ajax, and Nestor, and was sculpted by Alan Perry.
EURPOEAN BRONZE AGE - SCANDANAVIA AND NORTH WEST EUROPE 1600BC - 600BC
Early Celts and Teutons inhabiting Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Low countries, Britain, Ireland, France and Iberia, with similar cultures in Italy and Balkans.
The Bronze Age Europeans fought against each other in tribal and clan wars. Balkan tribes may have encountered Mycenaeans, while British and Iberian tribes may even have encountered Phoenicians. Iberian, Italic and Balkan tribes may have been raided by Sea Peoples. Western and Northern tribes probably encountered Scythian invaders from the East and Greek merchants from 700 BC onwards.
Typical allies would be more primitive Neolithic style tribes from remote areas, horsemen from Eurasian steppes and Phoenician traders.
Our European Bronze Age range contains 9 packs, including 2 chariots, civilians and some ancient pigs, all sculpted by Michael Perry.
SCYTHIANS AND CIMMERIANS
The Cimmerians came from the steppes stretching north beyond the Black Sea. The horse had been domesticated by them some time around 3000 BC, and by 1500 BC they dominated what would become known as the southern Russian steppe.
Their nomadic lifestyle only rarely brought them into contact with the more settled peoples encircling their territory and it was not until the early 7th century BC that the outside world became aware of their existence.
The Scythians fought the Egyptians, Assyrians, Medians, Balylonians, Elamites and Persians.
Our range contains 8 packs of mounted Scthians or Cimmerians sculpted by Alan Perry.
SUMERIANS AND AKKADIANS 3000BC - 1793BC
Sumerian and Akkadian city states fought each other. Akkadians fought Sumerians, both fought Elamites, Amorite Nomads, Syrians, Hattic states, outlying regions of the Harrapan (Indian) civilisation.
Their typical allies were Amorites, Gutians and Elamite and they often invaded forested Iranian and Anatolian highlands, the Syrian desert and the Persian Gulf.
Hypothetical encounters: Akkadians vs Early Egyptians in Phoenicia. Akkadians vs Minoans in Cyprus, Akkadians vs Harrapan (Indian) army in Gulf.
Our range contains 5 packs sculpted by Michael and Alan Perry.
THE WORLD OF THE GREEKS
Between the 7th and 3rd Centuries BC the Greeks gave the known world artistic, philosophical and scientific advances but also developed a form of warfare that would rule the roost until the time of Alexander. This was the Hoplite, a citizen-soldier defending his city and it's trade, settling in the far flung regions of Asia and Africa and finally becoming the most sought after mercenary in the world.
Our World of the Greeks range was sculpted by Steve Saleh and Nick Collier with Mark Copplestone, and contains 86 different packs of Spartans, Athenians, Light Infantry, Cavalry, Thracians, Mercenaries, Argonauts and Mythical Heroes.
MACEDONIANS - PHILIP, ALEXANDER AND BEYOND
Our 50 packs of Macedonians were also sculpted by Steve Saleh and Nick Collier with Mark Copplestone.
When Philip II took the Macedonian throne in 359BC he inherited an army that was tribal and divided, the only troops of note were the excellent noble cavalry called hetairoi (Companions). Former Macedonian kings had attempted to reorganise the peasantry into a stable infantry contingent with varying levels of success and from this core Philip reformed the soldiers of upper and lower Macedonia into a formidable force.