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I wonder what figures people are using to make this army in 28mm?

https://store.warlordgames.com/collections/achaemenid-persians
https://eurekaminuk.com/collections/kushites
https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/collections/25mm-ancient-macedonian-punic-wars?page=3

would be my starter for ten. I like the Eureka minis especially

I think that some of the 28mm Nubian ranges from Foundry/Casting Room  would work well. The Casting Room ones have the correct hair and also have the later loincloth with the decorative cloth strip at the front.
NB: You might want to change some of the shields for the spearmen as I think Caesar talks about very large rectangular shields (if memory serves me).
https://castingroomminiatures.com/collections/nubians
 

Your big challenge will be the cavalry - which is where the Essex Miniatures classical Indian might come in handy, with a bit of conversion.
Likewise, I'd look at some of various 28mm Sudan Colonial ranges (Ansar cavalry) - again with a spot of conversion you can probably produce the right sort of Kushite cavalry (a few head swops etc) - but thankfully you shouldn't need many of these  ;D

I am hoping to do these in 6mm - so head swapping is out ;D
Looking across the ranges available, I had Egyptians, Indians, Numidians, and even Zulus in mind

Quote from: dwkay57 on July 02, 2024, 08:37:01 AMI am hoping to do these in 6mm - so head swapping is out ;D

Coward! Hand back your OBE!

 ;D

Did you ever move forward with this army (that's in terms of getting the figures and organising, rather than advancing on the battlefield)?

It is starting to crop back up on my horizon for 2025 (but at 6mm)

Hi David
I have the army in 15mm, based for Impetus. So the numbers are the numbers of bases/units

1 elite cavalry
4 cavalry
16 bog standard foot
8 archers
4 sword and axe men
2 African elephants
3 Troglodyte skirmishing archers
2 skirmishing archers in canoes on the Nile

DBMM has the standard foot as inferior spear and the sword and axe men as inferior blade.
For Impetus I didn't count them as spearmen, and the sword and axe men I counted as better quality than the standard.

That's useful Jim.

I know the army lists generally describe the Kushite troops as Irregular but a couple of the general purpose history books I have mention them in passing and suggest that, despite comments by a certain Roman, at least some Kushite troops may have been more Regular in line with a government and structure based on that of Egypt.

Phrases that suggest this include: "Judging by other aspects of Meroitic administration the army was probably well organised..." and "the fall of Meroe spelled the real end of Pharaonic civilization" and "Nubia was a centre of culture and military power in Africa".

Now, I could well be reading more into these words than I should but would be interested to find out what others might have turned up beyond various army lists, especially as this may affect the command structure (e.g. less tribal more appointed commanders).

I'm not aware of anything that would suggest "regular" status for any Meroitic troops. On the other hand, I am not sure what evidence one might expect, given the nature of the sources. A lot of the inscriptions, for instance, are funerary, but I don't think that any can be identified as being those of military officers. I don't recall anything in the rather scanty descriptions of Meroitic architectural sites that might be barracks or other military installations.

Hi David
There isn't a lot to go on
We have (Strabo XVII.1.54)

The Ethiopians, emboldened in consequence of a part of the forces in Egypt being drawn off by Ælius Gallus, who was engaged in war with the Arabs, invaded the Thebais, and attacked the garrison, consisting of three cohorts, near Syene; surprised and took Syene, Elephantina, and Philæ, by a sudden inroad; enslaved the inhabitants, and threw down the statues of Cæsar. But Petronius, marching with less than 10,000 infantry and 800 horse against an army of 30,000 men, first compelled them to retreat to Pselchis, an Ethiopian city. He then sent deputies to demand restitution of what they had taken, and the reasons which had induced them to begin the war. On their alleging that they had been ill treated by the nomarchs, he answered, that these were not the sovereigns of the country, but Cæsar. When they desired three days for consideration, and did nothing which they were bound to do, Petronius attacked and compelled them to fight. They soon fled, being badly commanded, and badly armed; for they carried large shields made of raw hides, and hatchets for offensive weapons; some, however, had pikes, and others swords. Part of the insurgents were driven into the city, others fled into the uninhabited country; and such as ventured upon the passage of the river escaped to a neighbouring island, where there were not many crocodiles on account of the current. Among the fugitives, were the generals of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians in our time, a masculine woman, and who had lost an eye. Petronius, pursuing them in rafts and ships, took them all and despatched them immediately to Alexandreia. He then attacked Pselchis and took it. If we add the number of those who fell in battle to the number of prisoners, few only could have escaped.

From Pselchis Petronius went to Premnis, a strong city, travelling over the hills of sand, beneath which the army of Cambyses was overwhelmed by the setting in of a whirlwind. He took the fortress at the first onset, and afterwards advanced to Napata. This was the royal seat of Candace ; and her son was there, but she herself was in a neighbouring stronghold. When she sent ambassadors to treat of peace, and to offer the restitution of the prisoners brought from Syene, and the statues, Petronius attacked and took Napata, from which her son had fled, and then razed it. He made prisoners of the inhabitants, and returned back again with the booty, as he judged any farther advance into the country impracticable on account of the roads. He strengthened, however, the fortifications of Premnis, and having placed a garrison there, with two years' provisions for four hundred men, returned to Alexandreia. Some of the prisoners were publicly sold as booty, and a thousand were sent to Cæsar, who had lately returned from the Cantabrians, others died of various diseases.

In the mean time Candace attacked the garrison with an army of many thousand men. Petronius came to its assistance, and entering the fortress before the approach of the enemy, secured the place by many expedients. The enemy sent ambassadors, but he ordered them to repair to Cæsar: on their replying, that they did not know who Cæsar was, nor where they were to find him, Petronius appointed persons to conduct them to his presence. They arrived at Samos, where Cæsar was at that time, and from whence he was on the point of proceeding into Syria, having already despatched Tiberius into Armenia. The ambassadors obtained all that they desired, and Cæsar even remitted the tribute which he had imposed.

Then we have Agatharchides of Cnidus in his 'on the Erythraean Sea'

Book 1 19
In Military actions the Aithiopians employ long bows but short arrows. Instead of an iron arrowhead, one made of stone that is oval in shape is securely attached with cords made of sinue to the tip of the reed shaft. Their arrows are extremely sharp and smeared with lethal poison
For the war against the Aithiopians Ptolemy recruited 500 cavalrymen from Greece. To those who were to fight in the front ranks and to be in the vngard- they were a hundred in number, he assigned the following form of equipment. For he distributed to them and their horses quilted robes, which the natives of that country call Kasai that conceal the whole body except for the eyes.

There is a foot note which says "Meroitic arrows with both iron and stone heads are archaeologically attested as is the possible use of poison to increase their killing power." The source for this bit is Shinnie, P K 'Meroe A civilisation of the Sudan' London 1967
There's also a footnote suggesting Kasai is a word in Persian usage.

At one point (Xerxes Expedition) the border tribes who fell under Persian control, "When they went into battle they painted half their bodies with gypsum and the other half with vermilion."

Southern Meroe had quite wide grasslands and Kushite horses were at one time well regarded.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/sargon/essentials/countries/kush/  (I've read this elsewhere as well)

The Kushites' interest in horses was shared by the Assyrians. Technological innovation had turned their chariotry and cavalry into formidable weapons of war and greatly increased the Assyrians' need for horses, which was met through tribute and booty as well as trade. References to Egyptian and Kushite horses in official and administrative texts from Assyria highlight these regions' importance in the international horse trade. Kushite horses in particular were valued for their strength and size and sought after all over the Middle East, including by the charioteers of Israel and Assyria, as was the corresponding expert knowledge: the Nimrud Wine Lists, records of wine ration distributions at the royal court of Kalhu, attest to the presence of Kushites in Assyrian service as early as 732 BC.

Then for elephants there was a discussion (I think on this forum) and somebody sent this in

With regard the regular/irregular debate, remember that Greek city states, who were 'civilised' after a fashion, had hoplite forces who are regarded as Irregular Spear (ordinary) in DBMM speak

In the DBMM army lists, in the Kushite Egyptian army, the actual Kushite troops are

Kushite cavalry - Irr Cv (O) @ 7AP   7-21
Kushite archers - Irr Ps (O) @ 2AP or Irr Bw (O) @ 4AP   12-42
Kushite javelinmen - Irr Ax (O) @ 3AP   8-18
Kushite slingers - Irr Ps (O) @ 2AP   4-18

The changes between the two lists is that the archers are closer order and more dangerous. The javelinmen have become spearmen (perhaps because they were packed in more densely rather than having spears)

The problem we have is that we have very little about the Meriotic Kushites. Some archaeology is going on, but so far we have very little to go on.

Oh and don't confuse me with somebody who knows stuff, a lot of this is a result of following up comments Duncan made  :)

Quote from: dwkay57 on July 02, 2024, 08:37:01 AMLooking across the ranges available, I had Egyptians, Indians, Numidians, and even Zulus in mind

In 6mm, I think the biggest challenge is spearmen.  For archers one has the Baccus Nubians in the Egyptian range, if one is happy with loincloths, or the archers in the classical Greek range if one wants tunics.  Cavalry, I would mix up some of the Baccus Spanish light cavalry and Moorish cavalry - I find both very good as generic light cav who can be repurposed with a paint job.  For example, I use the Spanish lights for Gupta heavy cavalry.  I think the best bets for the spearmen are perhaps the Moorish light infantry or Rapier's skirmish javelins - both offer simple tunic, generic round shield, spear/javelin.  Again, both sets are very versatile given their simplicity.

Given that the Meroitic spearmen seem to have used long sub-oval shields - the Nicolle figure (https://dick-k.narod.ru/Historical_Arts/Romes_Desert_Frontier_Enemies/Romes_Desert_Frontier_Enemies_02.jpg) is based on Meroitic graffiti, Ptolemaic figures (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1995-0120-1) show smaller ovals, and Strabo says large thyreoi - I wonder if, in 6mm, there are thureophoroi figures one could use.

Baccus and Irregular Miniatures do plenty in 6mm. I've just done several bases of thureophoroi types for Numidians.

Attached photograph is taken from The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilisations. Whether it is really Kushite or just an imported product, I'm not sure but it feels about right.

In terms of figures I was looking at a mix of the Baccus Egyptian, Indian and probably Zulu (they seem to have big ovalish shields and spears) plus potentially some from the Mahdist groups. The Rapier Trojan range also throws up a few options. Most of the pictures / reconstructions I've seen suggest mostly kilt wearers.

My thinking behind whether any of the troops were regular or barbarian as opposed to truly irregular is that with such a long lived and organised society, there ought to be some form of recognised military function. Perhaps that is where the distinction between "tribal" and "Meoritic" comes in.

David

Interesting "cavalry" .... charge jumbo.....

CarlL being a bit silly

I am not knowledgeable about the Kushites but you may find that Newline Biblicals 28mm range has lots to offer with little conversion, both from their Nubian and Libyan ranges
sadly the crash on website led to loss of photos re Nubians but I have bought a few from Newline and included them in other armies
see
https://newlinedesigns.co.uk/product-category/newline-designs-28mm-ranges/biblical/libyans-biblical/
https://newlinedesigns.co.uk/product-category/newline-designs-28mm-ranges/biblical/nubians/

Newline do units bags eg 24 foot for £24 see
https://newlinedesigns.co.uk/product-category/newline-designs-28mm-ranges/unit-packs-newline-designs-28mm-ranges/biblical-unit-packs-newline-designs-28mm-ranges/

for cavalry you might try colonial figures like the Baggara or Galla and maybe the Irregular Miniatures range of Blemye under 28mm then personality range (there are two cavalry - P48, P49 - possibly with some variations ask Ian Kay, who may also be willing to swop the horses if you want unarmoured horses unlike his Blemye.

Under their 28mm / colonial tabs you will find Col18 and Col19, Abyssinian Galla horseman and armoured horseman, forget the 'Abyssinian' tag, they are the 'Sudanese' heirs to the Kushites and should mix well.
Not sure if clo20 the Dervish infantry is useful or not.
see http://irregularminiatures.co.uk/
A search for Galla or Baggara horsemen may wider your net. They do exist in 28mm colonials but as I play 20mm colonials I am bit ignorant.

CarlL

PS
I forgot to add that Irregular Miniatures do 'unit packs' too 24 infantry or 8 cavalry, so if the colonial cavalry are any use then in UK you can get them 8 riders plus horses  for £17.60p including P&P in UK.

CarlL

PPS

Under the Indians / 28mm tab again, there is a range of classical indians, the elephants may be overdressed but the elephant riders mixed with the Irregular plain elephant might be interest, again if interested email Ian Kay at Irregular Miniatures. He does an Indian elephant [AN10 at £6.16 inc P&P] and an African elephant [AN23 at £6.60p inc p&P in uk)  in his animals range another tab under 28mm.
His Indian elephants with crew are T34 at £11.99p and T33 with general etc., for same price (inc P&P)

Carl

Had the opportunity to delve around a bit today, starting with Wikipedia which has a reasonable amount on the Kingdom of Kush including some photos of wall carvings depicting warfare.

In the bibliography, there were three books / articles that stood out to me as potential further reading:
Derek Welsby - The Kingdom of Kush
Jean LeClant - The Empire of Kush
George Hatke - Aksh and Nubia : Warfare etc.
Be useful to know if anyone has read any of these before I commit to acquisition?

Did also look at the africanhistory.com site which had some interesting short bits on rulers (i.e. monarchs not measuring sticks) including an interesting drawing of Queen Amanitore shooting at an elephant in 5CE, but not much that I could find otherwise.

I've got the Welsby, among others.

Online, if by any chance you haven't seen them:

Estigarribia on elephants (https://www.academia.edu/10268181/Some_notes_on_elephants_and_Meroe)
Haaland on Indian Ocean trade (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269278631_The_Meroitic_Empire_Trade_and_Cultural_Influences_in_an_Indian_Ocean_Context)
Rilly on Meroe and the Noba (https://www.academia.edu/36487671/Claude_Rilly_ENEMY_BROTHERS_KINSHIP_AND_RELATIONSHIP_BETWEEN_MEROITES_AND_NUBIANS_NOBA)

Having followed your suggestion of looking at wikipedia (or rather wikimedia commons), there are some nice multi-angled views of the elephant in the Meroitic Art category (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Meroitic_art)  You can see clearly the decoration on the elephant housing, and that the riders tunic is covered in round dots.  An impression of mail or just a pattern?

Add : I forgot. The elephant has a calf tethered to it by a chain.

Quote from: Duncan Head on January 08, 2025, 05:34:31 PMI've got the Welsby, among others.

Online, if by any chance you haven't seen them:

Estigarribia on elephants (https://www.academia.edu/10268181/Some_notes_on_elephants_and_Meroe)
Haaland on Indian Ocean trade (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269278631_The_Meroitic_Empire_Trade_and_Cultural_Influences_in_an_Indian_Ocean_Context)
Rilly on Meroe and the Noba (https://www.academia.edu/36487671/Claude_Rilly_ENEMY_BROTHERS_KINSHIP_AND_RELATIONSHIP_BETWEEN_MEROITES_AND_NUBIANS_NOBA)

Thanks for that, I've bagged them as well  8)

Sorry got diverted on to watching some youtube videos on Kush. At least I now know where Marvel got some ideas for Wakanda from....

On the basis that better brains than I are reading or have read them, I'd welcome some recommendations on which may help in terms of army organisation and structure? Or are just useful /interesting for getting more background information.

It does raise some interesting questions. Given there appear to be no records, do we know anything about the Kushite (25th dynasty and before) organisation?

I just had a look through the books I've got on the area and frankly there is virtually nothing with regard organisation

Have started re-reading Welsby.  (Note that he regards the Napatan and Meroitic kingdoms as a continuum, and does not like the modern practice of dividing them.)  Anyway, he openly admits that we know nothing about the army's organisation or whether professional or rural militias, though he suspects there may have been a royal contingent that was standing to some degree or other; whether that would translate into "regular" or "drilled" in wargames terms is of course a further judgement.  From the inscriptions, fairly clear that there were military offices - given the Kushite love of Egyptian legacies, seem somewhat reminiscent of the old nome nobility, with military office sometimes combined with priestly office and so on.

There are also apparent references to some of these offices being command of fortresses (he is not always clear on during which periods, which given he is arguing for a millennium long kingdom is unfortunate).  I suppose this is another minor argument to some troops being "formed/standing" to provide garrisons, though of course that does not mean that anyone would be rushing to strip out such garrisons for a field army, always a potentially counter-intuitive move.

Given there were still nomes, perhaps that is a possible basis for organisation, regardless of troop classification?

Thanks for the feedback chaps, useful and interesting.

I always wonder where some of the army list compilers get their information from, Jim, seeing that the rest of us struggle to find "stuff".

There does seem to be a change in the Kushite culture and approach following the rule of Ergamenes (probably different spellings in different articles) when he reduced the power of the priesthood. After that it seems that queens became more common in terms of rulers.

Low quality border garrisons (half-soldiers / half-farmers) seems to match what other empires did, but as David suggests probably didn't form a large part of a field army.

Quote from: dwkay57 on January 11, 2025, 08:44:13 AMI always wonder where some of the army list compilers get their information from, Jim, seeing that the rest of us struggle to find "stuff".

1) I suspect a tendency to take Romano-Greek authors at face value - given we have few alternative sources, then perfectly understandable, but perhaps ought to be qualified in some way, if only for intellectual honesty;

2) A tendency to assume similarities with other cultures extends to military similarities;

3) Dare I say it, a tendency in some cases to go with hypotheses, however shaky, to have something different and distinctive...

Personally, I suspect the Kushite forces were reasonably well organised, and even if most were not necessarily regular in an administrative sense, at least had a warrior ethos for some troops, given the prevalence of weapons and archery thumb rings in male graves. (Yes, the latter might be for hunting, but burying a chap with a ring actually on his thumb suggests to me something more, a token of status or profession.)  Their single biggest problem was probably that their armament and tactics were likely optimised for dealing with desert raiders and policing, not taking on Assyrians in the early period, or Romans in the latter.  A bit like Britons versus Romans - the latter might not be better soldiers individually, but they are accustomed to campaigns and pitched battles, and armed/trained accordingly, whilst the former are accustomed to cattle rustling, duffing up the neighbours for slaves, and drunken duelling after an over exuberant feast.

Quote from: dwkay57 on January 11, 2025, 08:44:13 AMI always wonder where some of the army list compilers get their information from, Jim, seeing that the rest of us struggle to find "stuff".

In the case of the DBM/MM list:
Strabo, Heliodorus' Aethiopica, Welsby's Kingdom of Kush, Adams' Nubia: Corridor to Africa, Shinnie's Meroe: A Civilization Of The Sudan. Some useful artwork in Nicolle's Osprey Desert Frontier, but I'm not actually sure if there was anything new in there that affected the list that I hadn't seen elsewhere.

Quote from: dwkay57 on January 11, 2025, 08:44:13 AMThanks for the feedback chaps, useful and interesting.

I always wonder where some of the army list compilers get their information from, Jim, seeing that the rest of us struggle to find "stuff".

There does seem to be a change in the Kushite culture and approach following the rule of Ergamenes (probably different spellings in different articles) when he reduced the power of the priesthood. After that it seems that queens became more common in terms of rulers.

Low quality border garrisons (half-soldiers / half-farmers) seems to match what other empires did, but as David suggests probably didn't form a large part of a field army.

Duncan has given you some more sources

Quoting the wiki which quotes Dio Sic

"He went with his army to the place difficult to get to, or fortress, when was formally the temple of gold of the Ethiopians, and caused all the priests to be massacred, and instituted himself a new religion"

It mentions Fontes Historiae Nubiorum. Textual sources for the history of the Middle Nile Region between the Eighth Century BC and the Sixth Century AD .


https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216645410_Fontes_Historiae_Nubiorum_Textual_sources_for_the_history_of_the_Middle_Nile_Region_between_the_Eighth_Century_BC_and_the_Sixth_Century_AD_Vol_I_From_the_Eighth_to_the_Mid-Fifth_Century_BC/link/589addc892851c8bb6823772/download?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19

I'm trying to download it but it's nearly 200mbps and my connection keeps breaking down as I try
Might be worth somebody else having a go

Jim

Thanks to Jim - there are actually four volumes, each linked below:

Eighth to Mid Fifth Century BC

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216645410_Fontes_Historiae_Nubiorum_Textual_sources_for_the_history_of_the_Middle_Nile_Region_between_the_Eighth_Century_BC_and_the_Sixth_Century_AD_Vol_I_From_the_Eighth_to_the_Mid-Fifth_Century_BC?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7InBhZ2UiOiJzY2llbnRpZmljQ29udHJpYnV0aW9ucyIsInByZXZpb3VzUGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19

Mid Fifth to First Century BC
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216645445_Fontes_Historiae_Nubiorum_Textual_sources_for_the_history_of_the_Middle_Nile_Region_between_the_Eighth_Century_BC_and_the_Sixth_Century_AD_Vol_II_From_the_Mid-Fifth_to_the_First_Century_BC?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7InBhZ2UiOiJzY2llbnRpZmljQ29udHJpYnV0aW9ucyIsInByZXZpb3VzUGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19

First to Sixth Century AD
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216645470_Fontes_Historiae_Nubiorum_Textual_sources_for_the_history_of_the_Middle_Nile_Region_between_the_Eighth_Century_BC_and_the_Sixth_Century_AD_Vol_III_From_the_First_to_the_Sixth_Century_AD?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7InBhZ2UiOiJzY2llbnRpZmljQ29udHJpYnV0aW9ucyIsInByZXZpb3VzUGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19

Corrigenda and Indices
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/216645477_Fontes_Historiae_Nubiorum_Textual_sources_for_the_history_of_the_Middle_Nile_Region_between_the_Eighth_Century_BC_and_the_Sixth_Century_AD_Vol_IV_Corrigenda_and_Indices?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7InBhZ2UiOiJzY2llbnRpZmljQ29udHJpYnV0aW9ucyIsInByZXZpb3VzUGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19

Yes I've now got them, all I have to do is read them.  :-[

I have to say I'm really impressed by the amount of reading you guys are carrying out. I've barely had time to turn the first few pages of a book about a dead man riding east which arrived at Christmas (the book not the rider you understand).

Quote from: dwkay57 on January 12, 2025, 09:23:19 AMI have to say I'm really impressed by the amount of reading you guys are carrying out. I've barely had time to turn the first few pages of a book about a dead man riding east which arrived at Christmas (the book not the rider you understand).

But you paint an amazing number of figures and produce fine wargames accounts so that may explain some of where the time goes  :)

An inspiring book, albeit not going to answer the initial question raised, is "Sudan Ancient Treasures, an exhibition of recent discoveries from the Sudan National Museum" ed. by Derek A. Welsby & Julie R. Anderson, published by the British Museum Press, 2004.

It ranges from the palaeolithic & mesolithic to  medieval Kingdoms of Nubia. I wonder what has survived of this, the Sudan National museum, and its collection through the current and recent civil wars.

CarlL

I don't think my wife sees it in quite the same positive way young Jim.

 ::)  ;D

Quote from: dwkay57 on January 13, 2025, 08:33:08 AMI don't think my wife sees it in quite the same positive way young Jim.

Apparently wargamers make good second husbands  8)

 ::)

As an aside, having been rereading Welsby after many years, I was struck by a passing comment he made on the Kushite royal tombs. Most of these were topped by pyramids. Some of the pyramids had lime plaster rendering over their surfaces. So far, so good. But there is apparently evidence that at least some of these rendered pyramids were then painted red and yellow and given a band of stars around their lower levels.

A sobering reminder that our concepts of ancient appearance, based on what survives now, can be quite askew...

Hello all,

Have you seen this thread?  Not exactly a peer reviewed journal obviously, but there are lots of links, pictures and pages of discussion.  I haven't read it all but the main author seems to have a decent amateur level of knowledge.  It also seems to be the source of the reconstructions you find if you search for Meroitic troop types.

https://wildfiregames.com/forum/topic/21602-the-kingdom-of-kush-a-proper-introduction-illustrated/

Thanks Trev, had a quick skim - will have another more detailed read later (when the rain comes!)

Now had the chance to read the whole document in more detail. Very interesting but of course I couldn't validate or invalidate anything. On the basis that the chap seems to have carried out a lot of research and seemed to make a reasonable case, I'm inclined to go with it (unless advised otherwise).

The very last bit talks about the military aspect, troops and weapons. There are a number of drawings and paintings, some ex-Osprey ones but quite a few from other sources including some concept ones by the author.

Initial takeaway thoughts:
- Probably ought to more cavalry than originally anticipated given the frequent references to the demand for Kushite horses, including some with horse armour.
- Given the number of fortresses and general central administration, plus the use of Kushites as mercenaries in other armies, there probably were some regular troops, but probably not as regular as the Romans. But most troops were probably irregular levies or barbarian mercenaries.
- Armour, generally light or light medium, might be worn and the mix of weapons could be influenced by interactions with other empires an cultures, but the bow seems to be commonly the main weapon.

I agree, I thought it was very interesting.  I'm sure there is the usual 'filling in the blanks' process but the evidence doesn't seem especially sparse.

Some sort of 'regular' core force, drawn from, or paid for, by the Nile cities, and supplemented with levies and mercenaries from the surrounding area sounds about right.

On the cavalry, I thought this was interesting.

QuoteIn the book "On the Erythraean Sea", the Greek historian Agatharchides, relating the history of Ptolemy II's Nubian campaign, refers to a native (Nubian) type of felt armour for horse and rider that covers the whole body except for the eyes:

"For the war against the Aithiopians Ptolemy recruited 500 cavalrymen from Greece. To those who were to fight in the front ranks and to be the vanguard - they were a hundred in number - he assigned the following form of equipment. For he distributed to them and their horses garments of felt (stolas piletas), which those of that country (hoi kata ten choran; "the natives of the country" in Burstein) call kasas, that conceal the whole body except for the eyes."

The author's linking of this description to the much later examples of quilted armour, that we have from the region, seems entirely believable.  The description above sounds very much like this image below. 

(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/62/1e/8d/621e8dca5e6ccc95e912f3a12745a3e5.jpg)

I imagine such armour was suited to the local weather and preponderance of archery rather than reflecting a lack of materials or skills.  On the contrary, Meroe seems to have produced a lot of iron and their metalwork skills seem sophisticated from the archeology.  I'm sure we're still talking about an elite here but quilted armour would surely be easier and cheaper to produce than metal horse armour. A few 'regiments' of such cavalry doesn't seem ridiculous. The Kingdoms of the region conquered Eygpt and held off the Assyrians, Persians, Ptolemaics, Romans and Arabs.  That doesn't seem like a bad military record, so they must have had some fighting tradition and organisational skill.

I've discussed the felt-armoured cavalry at http://tabulaenovaeexercituum.pbworks.com/w/page/14246762/Ptolemaic (and it was in Slingshot around 2006) - it seems to me that "the country" in question is probably Egypt.

Thanks Duncan.  You're probably right. There's seems no reason why it couldn't be done but if the natives are Egyptian then we're without evidence it was done in Kush.

This grafitti from the link might be horse armour but isn't really all covering like the description and doesn't even show a rider.

Quote2) Horse graffiti from Musawwarat. The horse wearing a halter is covered in some kind of padded cloth (body and neck).

(https://wildfiregames.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2018_04/5ac4aaf4a210c_KingdomofKushKushitequiltedcottonarmor.thumb.jpg.5409513c99ef5d643e0c72c91075ea4d.jpg)

These others images don't seem to show armoured horses either. 

(https://wildfiregames.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2018_03/5aa934a4cb60d_KingdomofKushKushitehorsemencavalry.thumb.jpg.e350152b7190bf9da06fbac5d838606b.jpg)
(https://wildfiregames.com/forum/uploads/monthly_2018_03/5aa931959880a_kingdomofkushkushitereliefsmeroitictempleM250meroesuntemplelowerpodiumhorseshorsemenkingkiosk1stcenturyBC.thumb.jpg.dec505b642a50df2d15a9f2d2ce73ea8.jpg)

Agreed that that is by no means complete horse-armour! It looks to me like a saddle-blanket and a separate collar. Certainly some later Nubian art shows large decorative collars - https://warfare.6te.net/11/Nubia-Faras-St_Merkuriuos.htm

Horse no. 2 looks very donkey like.

Quote from: Erpingham on February 12, 2025, 12:26:46 PMHorse no. 2 looks very donkey like.

I hate to imagine what anything that I tried to draw on stone would look like!  I'd happily settle for a donkey, even if it was meant to be a horse  ::)

In Slingshot 347, Ilan Mitchell-Smith's article on his Western Sudanese army includes some very colourful, cloth-armoured close order lancers. The author comments that he associates the cloth-armoured horses with various parts of Africa just south of the Sahara. Accepting the Western Sudanese is much later than the Kushites, is it possible that such distinctive (and unusual) horse-armour had evolved in the area earlier and we just don't have any records of it?

Also the DBMM list for Nobades suggest they gained horse armour from 500AD, so it is possible there was some knocking about before then.

I accept most of the cavalry would like the light horse pictured in Ilan's article but if I could find suitable figures at 6mm (although I couldn't paint the patterns) a small unit might be interesting to include.

I think is entirely possible.  The Ptolemaic evidence from Agatharchides shows that some sort of textile cavalry armour was used in the region and in the period.  There is also other evidence suggesting the use of quilted armour by Meroitic warriors. However, if, as Duncan has argued, the 'natives' are Egyptians not Kushites, we probably need to look at other evidence to gauge if the practice was widespread.  On reflection, the iconography doesn't' seem to support that.  See the cavalry images above.

These are later Christian images that also don't seem to include textile horse armour.

These horsemen from Faras aren't on armoured horses

(https://pcma.uw.edu.pl/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Faras_0_gal.jpg)

https://www.reddit.com/r/arabs/comments/j1i7ku/a_gallery_of_paintings_from_the_nubian_faras/ (https://www.reddit.com/r/arabs/comments/j1i7ku/a_gallery_of_paintings_from_the_nubian_faras/)

(https://api.culture.pl/sites/default/files/styles/500_auto/public/images/culture.pl/149672_0.jpg?itok=W8iIbzRP)

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fniok3vrgs24z.png%3Fwidth%3D1080%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D18fb82ad31983d7b3d63cfc461f4685ebd2d0fda (https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fniok3vrgs24z.png%3Fwidth%3D1080%26crop%3Dsmart%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D18fb82ad31983d7b3d63cfc461f4685ebd2d0fda)

The saints could be in textile armour themselves but their horses still don't seem armoured.

(https://preview.redd.it/niok3vrgs24z.png?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=18fb82ad31983d7b3d63cfc461f4685ebd2d0fda)

https://culture.pl/en/gallery/the-professor-kazimierz-michalowski-faras-gallery-image-gallery (https://culture.pl/en/gallery/the-professor-kazimierz-michalowski-faras-gallery-image-gallery)

Though we might consider the influence of the Roman/Byzantine models  for this equestrian saints on how the horse is pictured.

Interesting discussion chaps and stuff to mull over before figures get ordered and paint slapped on, which is not likely until 2026 given other in progress projects.

In the Western Sudan (not modern Sudan but West African sub Sahara) the felt army used by the cavalry was to counter not just the archery (the foot archers pre-dating use of cavalry) but the use of poison on arrows.

CarlL