SoA Forums

https://greekreporter.com/2024/08/17/longest-surviving-ancient-greek-state/

One of my favourite wargaming armies

I have been to Balaklava, which was founded by the Greeks. It is beautiful with a wonderful natural harbour. Would love to go back and see more of the Bosphoran area but for some reason this is currently proving difficult.

A useful quick summary - albeit with a surprising and unexplained jump from asking for help from Mithridates to becoming a client state of Rome.

What do we know about the make up and evolution of the Bosporan armies?

Yes, that was a bit of a leap!

Interesting article 👍🏼.

As an aside, isn't this area usually called the Bosporan Kingdom rather than the Bosphorus Kingdom used in the article* (which tends to lead readers to assume it's related to the straits near Constantinople)?

Bosporan armies are regulars on the DBA circuit, as they have multiple variants (inc Sarmatian-influenced 'knights', hoplites and artillery), AND are nautically active (ie 'littoral' under DBA, with all the fun that amphibious operations offer).

*someone's autocorrect a bit overzealous, perhaps?

Quote from: Keraunos on August 19, 2024, 08:46:17 AMWhat do we know about the make up and evolution of the Bosporan armies?

A fair bit, not least due to good finds of stelae from the cities.  Biggest question mark is probably proportions of troops.  We have reason to assume standard hoplite forces for the early colonies, with a large Skythian element or allies attested on several occasions.  During the Roman period there is evidence of city militia or similar, and certainly Sarmatianesque cavalry on stelae (esp Tryphon's tombstone).  As I say, question to my mind is now many, in what proportions.  There are Skythian kurgans right on the doorstep of the cities, and clear evidence of cultural assimilation between the Hellenes and the Skythian types.  What we do not know is whether in the latter days of the kingdom there was any similar assimilation with Goths or similar.

Quote from: Martin Smith on August 19, 2024, 10:40:24 AMAs an aside, isn't this area usually called the Bosporan Kingdom rather than the Bosphorus Kingdom used in the article* (which tends to lead readers to assume it's related to the straits near Constantinople)?

*someone's autocorrect a bit overzealous, perhaps?

Yes I puzzled at that.
I have always assumed that the kingdom are so named because most Greeks had to go through the straights to get there.

Quote from: Keraunos on August 19, 2024, 08:46:17 AMWhat do we know about the make up and evolution of the Bosporan armies?

Mielczarek's book - it was £18 when I bought it in 2001, and look at it now!

http://lukeuedasarson.com/Bosporan.html

https://www.rcin.org.pl/dlibra/publication/34531/edition/22166/content

Simply that two straits attracted the same name ("ox ford"). The better known one is sometimes called the Thracian Bosphorus, the Kerch one was sometimes called the Cimmerian Bosphorus. Just one of those Classical duplications like Iberia and Albania...

And strictly speaking, Tryphon's stele to which I made reference earlier is I think from Tanais in the north east of the Azov; one can debate whether represents a Hellenised Sarmatian or a Sarmationised Greek...