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Thank you for an enjoyable report.

In what is probably the nearest you will get to a historical match up by me  ...

...my Greeks from Thebes took on a mid-western Persian satrapy. Perhaps it wasn't that historically accurate after all, but a fun and close battle.

Short report below and longer report for those wanting the full excitement on my website.

Quote from: DBS on Today at 06:21:31 AMNot entirely clear why poke with a long sword, rather than a cheaper spear, other than prestige and perhaps less likely to break or get too embedded in an enemy?

Well, in terms of the Renaissance estocs and Polish equivalents, you are looking at something very sharp and stiff. So I think you have the answer - something robust that will punch through armour without breaking or bending. I suspect mail and scale armour would be more vulnerable than the plate armours an estoc was for. Do we know more about the properties of these long Partian/Sassanian swords?

A little late replying. However, there are a few photos of my Malay on my Ancients DBA site. They are from the Grumpy range, with the exception of the artillery models which are from Essex, though with Grumpy crews. Hopefully it is of some use.

https://ancientwargaming.wordpress.com/2019/12/29/adventures-in-sumatra/

https://amp-miamiherald-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article288692095.html?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQGsAEggAID#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17173695150497&csi=0&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.miamiherald.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Fworld%2Farticle288692095.html

Of all the places to find this...

Notitia Dignitatum?

There have been finds of very long Parthian/Sasanian swords; I remember seeing a photo of an Iraqi or Iranian teenaged boy holding a very long, rather rapier like, specimen at a dig. I always thought it looked a tad unsuited for a cataphract, let alone a horse archer.  Perhaps a long pokey weapon for a cameleer, as noted above.

Not entirely clear why poke with a long sword, rather than a cheaper spear, other than prestige and perhaps less likely to break or get too embedded in an enemy?

Had a quick flick through my copy of Potts last night. Relevant chapter is no7.

Not a lot in there in terms of your question. Middle Elamite is arguably when the region was at its strongest, beating up Babylon and Assyria, marrying a lot of Kassite princesses, and rulers calling themselves "king of Susa and Anshan", though Susa itself seems to have waned with the seat of power 10km away at Haft Tepe.

No obvious signs of large palace organisation usually associated with the period and chariot squadrons. There are temple records, which mention expenditure on chariots and armour, but these seem to be sacred silver and gold gods' chariots in the temples. Also, are they true chariots or just processional vehicles.

My suspicion, no more than that, is that royalty probably had chariots, technology having been obtained via Babylon, but possibly not in large, tactically significant, numbers. Elam had controlled a little earlier the flow of tin to Mari, so no reason to assume a lack of bronze armour for those who merited it.

Perhaps just not a culture of palace chariot squadrons, rather than well led, effective hillmen, good at archery?

Of course, absence of evidence does not necessarily equal evidence of absence!

Coincidentally, I've been reading about Polish winged hussars recently and about rapier development, so a long stabbing sword was in my mind.  It does depend on what we think the sword was for - stabbing individuals,especially cavalry, or swatting infantry?

I am back seeking help and advice after lurching into another 'lead mountain' project that stalled many (many) years ago. This time seeking help with Byzantine 'flags' and shield patterns for broad period 5th century AD to 1067AD. Why such a broad time frame? Read on!

I had bought some of the first 28mm Byzantines to create a DBA army for the Manzikert campaign. Two friends later added their unfinished projects: one an early Byzantine army (big 25mm Hinchliffe figures) that had been bought painted secondhand with idea of restoration. [I have only just started this restoration, a lot of years later, having just re-painted the first 9 HC lancers.] The other was a collection of unpainted Garrison 25mm figures and more big 25mm Hinchliffe, some suitable for early period some more 10th century AD from my perusal of Ian Heath's "Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066'.
I have been consulting books galore from my little library (see list at end) and article by Georgios C. Koufogiorgos, "Byzantine Flag" which I collected many years back. This tantalizing article points to historic representations (not necessarily accurate colour or detail wise it is said) and to the work of late George T. Dennis article 'Byzantine Battle Flags'; the historic documents being the Joshua Roll (or Codex Pal.gr.431) as well as the Ioannis Skilitzis manuscript.
I also found a small collection of Late Roman shield transfer that I bought from Veni Vidi Vici and another small bunch of shield and banners from 'little big men studios'. (Though I doubt either will still be working transfers all these years later! The clear sections having clouded on the shield designs.)
So all this got me wondering if there are more accessible or recent sources for banners and shield designs as my little library is a bit dated (see below).
All constructive ideas welcomed!
CarlL

Other books / articles other than the two above:
John Haldon, The Byzantine Wars.
L.H. Fauber, Narses Hammer of the Goths.
Jonathan Harris, Byzantium and the Crusades.
Roy Boss, Justinian's Wars.
Robert Graves, Count Belisarius.
N.H. Baynes & H.St.L.B.Moss (ed), Byzantium
National Geographic vol164, no6, (Dec1983), Byzantine Empire.