Bactrian Army

[ahowl11]

At RTR we are having a hard time solidifying our unit roster for Bactria as we can get find a whole lot of good sources for them. We've used Duncan's Book and it's helped but we feel like we are still missing something. This is what we have so far:

Native Slingers -
Native Skirmishers - No armour, javelins
Greek Peltasts- Classic style
Pisidian Javelinmen- Like hillmen in vanilla with a more civiised look since they were also colonists
Greek Archers - Including some Cretans

Phalangites
Kleruchoi - Made up of Greeks and Carians
Agema Phalangites -

Infantry
Thureophoroi -
Thorakitai - Ivory decorate Siphos and Machaira swords
Bactrian Hoplites - Ivory decorate Siphos and Machaira swords
Bactrian Noble Hoplites- Royal Guard, Ivory decorate Siphos and Machaira swords

Cavalry
Hippakontistai - Bactrian and Arachosian light cavalry
Prodromoi -
Xystophoroi - Early guard unit
Bactrian Noble Cavalry - Spears, javelins, some armour, possibly quivers and bows
Bactrian Cataphracts - Late Reform and guard unit
Bactrian Cataphract Horse Archers -

Other
Indian Elephants - Mahouts and towers

If anyone has anything to add or delete let me know

[Patrick Waterson]

Duncan, this looks like something for your accumulated expertise.

[Jim Webster]

I'd wonder whether there was much real difference between classic Greek Peltasts and Pisidian military colonists after a few years?

Also how long would Hoplites remain? If other successor regimes are anything to go by they'd become military settlers and be included in the phalanx

Similarly I'm not sure about cataphract horse archers to be honest.

Jim

[Duncan Head]

There is, unfortunately, very little information to add to this. Have you got Nikonorov's Montvert book on Bactrian armies? There are a few used copies available very cheap. And his paper on Bactrian armour is online. And here is a paper on elephants in Bactrian armies.

Native Slingers -
Native Skirmishers - No armour, javelins

Neither of these are impossible, but in the Bactrian region, infantry archers seem more likely.

Greek Peltasts- Classic style

Probably not. There's no direct evidence that I know of, but I would expect thureophorooi to be replacing peltasts by the time Bactria became independent.

Agema Phalangites -

Speculation, of course - we don't know if Bactria had any sort of infantry guards units at all. But possible.

Bactrian Cataphract Horse Archers -

Probably not? Bactrian cataphracts may have carried a bow, or may not, but are not likely to have it as a primary weapon.

Probably plenty of Skythian allied and/or mercenary horse-archers. Again, no hard evidence except that Euthydemos threatened to call in the nomads against Antiochos III.

[Imperial Dave]

thanks for the recommendation Duncan, one ridiculously cheap copy of Nikonorov's Monvert book on the subject duly bought 

[Yin Shao Loong]

Thanks for timely tip on the Nikonorov book, Duncan. I was just hunting for it last month.