Aurelian 26 Dec, 2016

I bought Aurelian wargame book a couple of months ago but only in these days I have had the possibility to play it with a set of full miniatures painted.

I think that Aurelain, the Sam Mustafa's wargame, is a very interesting wargame system with a right equilibrium between the time necessary to play a game and the different army tactics that a player can use.

Nonetheless, even if I don't like a game that use cards, this play system that permits to discard the higher card score during the struggle increases the tactic in the game.

It is possible to find in internet, as open sources, four tutorial videos created by Sir Tobi here to understand better the game. Here the link: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E00VsoItWYc&feature=em-upload_owner

Below some pictures of a "solo battle" between two Roman armies.

The initial deployment. The table is my "training table" and so the scenario is not so rich as the ones of my club

Some images of the two armies waiting for orders

The Emperor and his command group

The strategy of the attacker was to outflank the enemy with the cavalry

In Aurelian shooting is a very expensive phase but sometimes it creates significant casualties 

The attack on the flanks is starting

Two times the outflank is repulsed. The struggle starts in the centre but it is too late for the attacker.

The final positions

Final score 2 vs 0: defeat for the attackers 

La Piccola Armata a new address

Yesterday, after two years of odyssey, we set foot in the new Club house in Via Capelli, 43 (Turin).

In the past we obtained a kind of convention with the local Authorities but, after two years of non-sense papers, in September we decided to change road and to rent a new space.

The Club house is still a work in progress and many people worked very hard to create this new space but for the 35 members is a new hope.

I have to thanks for this to many people and in particular: Paolo M. Franco B. Riccardo M. Marco D. and Riccardo G.

Roman unit: Petulantes seniores

Yesterday night I finished my last roman unit. This is a very particular unit from my point of view because, for the first time, I can give a name to a miniature: the signifer.

The Petulantes seniores were an auxilaia palatina assigned to the Italian command. The pattern of their shields were relatively simple with a yellow ground and a blue twin-headed zoomorphic motiv. This pattern is frequent in Notitia Dignitatum even if with a different colors combination (ie Cornuti: Brachiati).

Below the Notitia Dignitatum in the Oxford version:

Here the free links to Notitia Dignitatum resources:

Oxford version:
http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/view/all/what/MS.+Canon.+Misc.+378?sort=Shelfmark%2cFolio_Page%2cRoll_%23%2cFrame_%23

Paris version:

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6000542r.r=latin+9661.langEN

Munich version:

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00005863/images/index.html?fip=193.174.98.30&seite=179&pdfseitex

The Petulantes were of Germanic origin while the name means "headstrong"

Below a detail of my unit:

It is possible that Petulates fought in the battle of the Milvian Bridge for Constantine the Great. They are reported many times by Ammianus and during the 4th century they are part of Julian army. They are generally associated with the Celtae seniores.

They took part in the Strasbourg Battle and they received the order from Constantius II to reach him in the east. Unfortunately the troops revolted because Julian had promised them to keep near their families. It was the signifer of this unit to put a kind of crown (a torque) to Julian's head when he was named Imperator from his army.

The name of the signifer was "Maurus". Ammianus reported that later he became comes and that he was defeated by the "Succorum". (Ammianus 17-18. XX)

Considering that this unit was involved in Julian's proclamation I decided to paint the detail of their tunics (orbiculi and clavi) in purple even if no historical sources attested it. In the late Empire the purple was a color that only the Imperator could wear. My idea was to use this color for the unit only to indicate that they were a "choosen" unit.

Based on Ammianus's book with the Celate the Petulantes fought against the Alamanni near Sanctium in the Raetia while Julian was in the east.

If someone is interested to the Roman army of the late Empire  it is possible to find more details in these books:

- A companion to the Roman Army - Paul ErdKamp - Blackwell Publishing 
- The grand strategy of the Roman Empire: from the first century AD to the third - Edward Luttwak
- L'esercito romano vol III - Giuseppe Cascarino e Carlo Sansilvestri - Ed Il cerchio
- L'esercito romano vol IV - Giuseppe Cascarino e Carlo Sansilvestri - Ed Il cerchio
- L'esercito romano: da Augusto alla fine del terzo secolo - Yann Le Bohec - Ed Carocci
- 9 agosto 378. Il giorno dei barbari - Alessandro Barbero - Ed Laterza
- Le Storie - Ammiano Marcellino - Ed Utet
- L'arte della guerra - Flavio Vegezio - Ed Bur

Roman unit: Ioviani seniores

The Ioviani seniores were a legiones palatina under the Italian Magister Peditum command.

Their symbol was a red eagle on a blue background. Shield pattern that was similar to their twin unit: the Herculani seniores.

Below a detail of the shield as reported into the Notitia Oxford version:

Here the free links to Notitia Dignitatum resources:

Oxford version:
http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/view/all/what/MS.+Canon.+Misc.+378?sort=Shelfmark%2cFolio_Page%2cRoll_%23%2cFrame_%23
Paris version:
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6000542r.r=latin+9661.langEN
Munich version:
http://daten.digitalesammlungen.de/~db/bsb00005863/images/index.html?fip=193.174.98.30&seite=179&pdfseitex

Ioviani were a very important Roman unit

The eagle was a symbol of Jupiter (Iovius) but this unit was not dedicated to the god. Ioviani were a Tetrarchic creation of the last 3rd century part and they were enlisted by Emperor Diocletian. The original name of Diocletian was Diocle that means "the son of Jupiter".

Below some details of the command group

Many evidences for the Ioviani are reported in different places: Colonia Iulia Concordia (north east Italy), Arles (France) and Milan (Italy). The Ioviani seniores were involved in different struggles in particular during civil wars of the 3rd-4th century.

Below some pictures of the Ioviani against their twin unit: the Herculiani

If someone is interested to the Roman army of the late Empire  it is possible to find more details in these books:

- A companion to the Roman Army - Paul ErdKamp - Blackwell Publishing - The grand strategy of the Roman Empire: from the first century AD to the third - Edward Luttwak- L'esercito romano vol III - Giuseppe Cascarino e Carlo Sansilvestri - Ed Il cerchio- L'esercito romano vol IV - Giuseppe Cascarino e Carlo Sansilvestri - Ed Il cerchio- L'esercito romano: da Augusto alla fine del terzo secolo - Yann Le Bohec - Ed Carocci- 9 agosto 378. Il giorno dei barbari - Alessandro Barbero - Ed Laterza- Le Storie - Ammiano Marcellino - Ed Utet- L'arte della guerra - Flavio Vegezio - Ed Bur

Roman unit: Ballistarii

In the late Roman Empire the Ballistarii were indipendent units of artillery generally not associated to the legions as in the past. 

The Notitia Dignitatum reported at least seven units of ballistarii (from ballista= catapult) but they are considered pseudocomitatenses unit. It is possible that they are deployed as border forces.

Below some of my Ballistarii. A mix of Gripping Beast (plastic and not), A&A and Warlord miniatures

The purpose of an independent artillery unit was to permit heavy concentration of firepower in particular during the sieges.

The ballistae described by Ammianus seems similar to the cheiroballistra sculpted in the Trajan's column. 

(Wikipedia source)

Below some pictures of my war machines 

The manuballista is a Gripping beast miniature. It is no possible to find this kind of war machine intact but it was re-created based on some parts found in Romania (the Orosova fortress)

(Photo Baatz 1978)

(copyright Legio XV Apollinaris)

Roman unit: Equites cataphractarii

To prepare the Late Imperial Roman I painted many infantrymen but also cavalry units.

Cavalry units were generally divided in: light and heavy. Furthermore a great part of these units were enlisted between the Allies.

Equites cataphracactarii I painted were Armour & Aquila miniatures  and they are Palmyrian cavalrymen. 

These miniatures wear typical armours and hoods of the Eastern part of the Empire. Based on Notitia Dignitatum during the second half of the IV century there is a significant increase of these units.

(A funeral painting in which the two central figures show the armour and hood of the late Roman period)

The Cataphractarii were an heavily armored cavalry unit usually armed with a long lance called contus that the Romans copied from Parthians and Sarmatian armies.

They were specialized for shock action and they attacked usually in a wedge formation. Below two examples

Heavy cavalry against another Roman unit

Heavy cavalry against a group of Huns

The weak points of this kind of units were the difficulty to change direction during a charge and the lack of the stirrups. Ammianum and Vegetio reported different battles in which cataphractarii were involved: Maranga (Aurelian vs Palmyrian), Turin (Massenzio vs Costantin I), Strasbourg (Alamans vs Julia) and so on.

Below other details of my miniatures

Roman unit: Herculiani seniores

One of the most important (and well known) legiones palatinae listed in the late roman documents is the Herculiani seniores. This unit was assigned to the Italian command.

The pattern of their shield is reported into Notitia. Below the Oxford version:

(second shield on the top part of the page)

Here the free links to Notitia Dignitatum resources:
Oxford version:
http://bodley30.bodley.ox.ac.uk:8180/luna/servlet/view/all/what/MS.+Canon.+Misc.+378?sort=Shelfmark%2cFolio_Page%2cRoll_%23%2cFrame_%23

Paris version:

http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b6000542r.r=latin+9661.langEN

Munich version:

http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00005863/images/index.html?fip=193.174.98.30&seite=179&pdfseitex

The symbol in their shield was an "eagle" so it is possible that they maintain the eagle  to indicate their unit. 

The eagle (or aquila) was for centuries the symbol of the Roman legions. No original eagles arrived to us, but we have many immages on the monuments (ie Arch of Constantine, Trajan column) or on the coins.   

In the 3rd/4th century the Roman vexillifers carried different type of symbols: draco, labari but Ammianum (XX 5.1) and Vegetio (II.13) reported that the eagles were used also during that period.

The Herculiani  (and the Ioviani) were a Tetrarchic creation. The Arch of Galerius (one of the Tetrarchs - 3rd century), shows two shield patterns that apparently belong to the original Ioviani and Herculiani units.

Below some details of my minitures

The Herculiani  were a senior palatine guard under Diocletian reign (284-305 Ad). It is sure that they continued to be a military unit also in the further periods and the choice of the name was not random. The co-imperators (Diocletian and Maximian) linked their name to two gods: Jupiter and Hercules. The original Herculiani seniores were  so the personal protectores of the Tetrarch and co imperator: Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius 

Below another detail of my miniatures that are defending a breach against a Vikings shield-wall

If someone is interested to the Roman army of the late Empire  it is possible to find more details in these books:
- A companion to the Roman Army - Paul ErdKamp - Blackwell Publishing 
- The grand strategy of the Roman Empire: from the first century AD to the third - Edward Luttwak
- L'esercito romano vol III - Giuseppe Cascarino e Carlo Sansilvestri - Ed Il cerchio
- L'esercito romano vol IV - Giuseppe Cascarino e Carlo Sansilvestri - Ed Il cerchio
- L'esercito romano: da Augusto alla fine del terzo secolo - Yann Le Bohec - Ed Carocci
- 9 agosto 378. Il giorno dei barbari - Alessandro Barbero - Ed Laterza
- Le Storie - Ammiano Marcellino - Ed Utet
- L'arte della guerra - Flavio Vegezio - Ed Bur