Seleucid Armies 312–63 BC

 This is the new Osprey MAA by William Horsted, covering a popular wargame army: the Seleucids.

Seleucus I Nicator was the founder of the Seleucid dynasty. He was an officer in Alexander the Great's army, commanding the hypaspistai, an elite infantry unit. Seleucus wasn't one of the original successors, but he became one when he took control of Babylon in 312 BC. At its height, the empire stretched from Asia Minor (modern Turkey) through Syria and Mesopotamia to Persia and parts of India. 

The author begins with an overview of the Seleucid Empire at war, marked by continuous warfare, beginning with the Wars of the Diadochi, in which Seleucus I fought rival successors of Alexander to secure his realm. Throughout the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE, the Seleucids engaged in repeated Syrian Wars against the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt over control of Coele-Syria. In the east, they lost territories to the rising Parthian Empire and faced the secession of Bactria. In Asia Minor and Greece, they clashed with local powers and were ultimately defeated by Rome at the Battle of Magnesia (190 BCE), a defeat that severely weakened them. Internal dynastic struggles further destabilised the state, while the harsh policies of Antiochus IV sparked the Maccabean Revolt in Judea. These external defeats and internal conflicts gradually reduced Seleucid power until Rome annexed Syria in 63 BCE.

The core of this book is the armies. One reason this army is popular on the tabletop is the variety of troop types. The core of the army was the Macedonian phalanx, probably recruited from Greek settlers in return for land. They were dressed and equipped like Macedonians, which is helpful for wargamers. The argyraspides were the original infantry guard unit of the Seleucid army. The name was first used by Alexander the Great for his hypaspistai, which Seleucus commanded in India. When Seleucus I established his own army, he likely retained the name for his foot guard, which was equipped as phalangites. These were supported by peltasts. There may have been a unit of 5,000 men wearing ring-mail cuirasses and armed in a Roman manner. This appears to be the first step in the reformation of the Seleucid army from a Hellenistic force built around the phalanx to one modelled on the Roman legions. Other infantry contingents were provided by Galatians, Thracians and Greek mercenaries, with light infantry from Crete (slingers) and other regions.

The Seleucid kingdom encompassed areas renowned for producing both excellent horses and horsemen of all types, from the heaviest kataphraktoi to the lightest horse archers. Between these types, the bulk of the cavalry consisted of medium cavalry, such as from Nisa or regular units called the politikoi. He also created his own elite cavalry, similar to Alexander's companions, called the agema and hetairoi. Irregulars from Galatians, Thracians and Tarentum or other Greek colonies. Horse archers mainly came from the Dahae, a Scythian people.

Finally, we have the exotic units, including elephants from India and scythed chariots. The latter were a disaster at Magnesia and were never used again. I can sympathise as mine have never worked either. Elephants can be pretty hit and miss as well.

This book has everything you need to collect and paint a Seleucid army. Plenty of illustrations and colour plates of every troop type. 

The phalanx.