28mm Ancients

Ancient Romans

Celts

While textbooks stress the descent of Europe from classical culture, the face of Europe throughout most of the historical period was dominated by a single cultural group, a powerful, culturally diverse group of peoples, the Celts. By the start of the Middle Ages, the Celts had been struck on two fronts by two very powerful cultures, Rome in the south, and the Germans, who were derived from Celtic culture, from the north.

Through the period of classical Greece (corresponding to the La Têne culture in central Europe) to first centuries AD, most of Europe was under the shadow of this culture which, in its diverse forms, still represented a fairly unified culture...

Ancient Britons

The Britons (sometimes Brythons or British) were the Celtic people living in Great Britain from the Iron Age through the Early Middle Ages.They mostly lived throughout south of Britain.

In AD 43 when the Roman Empire invaded Britain, the Britons initially opposed the Roman legions. By AD 84 the Romans had conquered as far north as the Clyde-Forth isthmus, where they built the Antonine Wall and after just twenty years they retreated south to Hadrian's Wall. Although the native Britons mostly kept their land, they were subject to the Roman governors...

Dacians

The Dacians, a branch of the Thracian Getai populated areas toward the Transylvania. With the Getai they were claimed to have have been able to muster a combined army of 200,000 men during the time of Roman emperor Augustus (sole rule 30 BC - 14 AD).

The Roman Emperor Trajan (ruled 97 - 117 AD) decided to conquer the Dacian kingdom, partly in order to seize its vast gold mines. But it took him two major wars (the Dacian Wars), one in 101-102 AD and the other one in 105-106 AD...wars so bloody and hard fought that they were portrayed forever in stone on Trajan's column...

Ancient Germans

Julis Caesar's legions first met these fierce Tribes in around 50BC through the Gallic War (where he also met the Celts). Direct Roman attacks on German tribes began again under Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, who pushed across the Rhine in 12-9 BC, while other Roman forces assaulted Germanic tribes through the middle Danube.

Fierce fighting in both areas, and the famous victory of the German Arminius in the Teutoburger Forest in AD 9 (when three Roman legions were massacred), showed the Romans that conquering these tribes would require too much effort...

Ancient Numidians

The Numidians were semi-nomadic Berber tribes who lived in Numidia, in Algeria east of Constantine and in part of Tunisia and Morocco. The Numidians were one of the earliest natives to trade with the settlers of Carthage. As Carthage grew the relationship with the Numidians blossomed. Carthage's military used the Numidian cavalry as mercenaries.

Numidia provided some of the highest quality cavalry of the Second Punic War, and the Numidian cavalry played a key role in a number of battles, both early on in support of Hannibal and later in the war after switching allegiance to the Roman Republic.

Numidians are also very useful in representing more auxiliaries in a Roman Army - or with a small amount of conversion work they would make fantastic Greek Light Infantry..

Ancient Carthaginians

The Punic Wars took place during 264BC- 146BC. Under the Punics also referred to as Carthaginians, the city of Carthage, situated along the coast of Tunis, became a rich and powerful city in the Mediterranean. Not surprisingly, it became a source of rivalry between Syracuse and Rome resulting in several wars and respective invasions of eachothers land (and many elephants) .

Whilst Hannibal's successful invasion of Italy in the Second Punic War led to Carthaginian victory at Cannae and a serious threat to the continued Roman rule over Italy - it seriously weakened Carthage.

After the third Punic War War, Carthage was destroyed by the Romans in 46BC. The city was refounded by the Romans and became one of the three most important cities of Rome until its destruction by the Muslims in 698AD.

Ancient Oscans

The Samnites were one of early Rome's most formidable rivals. Whilst previously not politically united, the Samnites simply co existed as separate Oscan-speaking tribes of the central and southern Apennines-they became united militarily most likely due to the Roman threat. Both the rugged terrain and the tough Samnite soldiers proved to be formidable challenges causing the Romans to adopt innovative methods in war.

The First, Second, and Third Samnite wars, between the early Roman Republic and the tribes of Samnium, extended over half a century, involving almost all the states of Italy, and ended in Roman domination of the Samnites.

Ancient Gladiators

For those who havent seen the movie - the Gladiators were professional fighters in Ancient Rome whom engaged in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Gladiators were often volunteers but mostly they were slaves schooled under harsh conditions, socially marginalization, and segregation even in death. Despite this, they were seen as an example of Rome's martial ethics and, in fighting or dying well, they inspired admiration and fame.

Interestingly, it is said that that gladiatorial events may be derived from the Punic Wars of the 3rd Century- in funeral rites. Gladiators became an essential feature of politics and social life throughout the Roman period.

Gladiatorial events continued even after Christianity became the official religion in the 4th century where they were sponsored by Christian Emperors for entertainment, until at least the late 5th century, when the last known gladiatorial games took place.

Ancient Spanish

Ancient Thracians

Ancient Macedonians

The Three Macedonian Wars were fought by Philip V of Macedonia and his successor, Perseus, against Rome (215-205 BC, 200-197, 171-167). The first war, fought by Rome in the context of the Second Punic War, ended favourably for the Macedonians. Rome was victorious in the next two wars. The Macedonian forces were assisted by Carthage and the Seleucids, Rome by the Aetolian League and Pergamum.

After Rome's victory at the Battle of Pydna (168), Macedonian territory was divided into four republics.

Another conflict, fought in 149-148, may be considered a fourth Macedonian War; it resulted in a decisive Roman victory, and in its aftermath Macedonia became the empire's first province.

Ancient Greeks

Ancient Persians