The Early Achaemenid Persians: An Old Fart Reminisces

Ah.... Achaemenid Persians, the historical and wargaming love of my life. There is no other army, well there are lots, but you know what I mean. There has to be an army you keep returning to and for me, these are they. 

!!! WARNING !!! 

- OLD FART REMINISCING ALERT -

 - SKIP TO THE PRETTY PICTURES AT THE BOTTOM -

NOW!

The love fest began around 1973 when a couple of friends and I dipped our toes in ancients wargaming. Now, keep in mind in Australia at that time the only figures available were the venerable Airfix miniatures and their Romans and Ancient Brits. There were three of us and by the time I got there both were gone. 

Peter Mac, our driving force and newly minted leader of the Ancient British Chariot Panzer Division, suggested the Achaemenid Persians. “Who the @#$& are they,” I articulately replied. “They’re really famous army (not to me they weren’t) and they invented the chariot (no they didn’t),” he enticingly replied.

All the forces my DBA Persian army

So, reluctantly agreeing to at least take a look, research began. I looked up my back issues of Look & Learn (I still regret chucking them a few years back) and raided the school library. Donald Featherstone was pretty scathing in his rating of the Persians (see Feathertone Factor below). 

I listened even more closely in Ancient History lessons (from which the main lesson I learned was that it’s all about Greece, the Persians were just a speed bump on the road to Greek cultural domination). “What have the Persians ever given us......Nothing!”

DBA 1/60a The Persian army prior to the Greek wars

However, my interest had definitely been piqued. Undaunted, I’d show those Graecophiles (and those Airfix Brits and Romans). But how? Where might I get an army? The Airfix Magazine to the rescue! A step by step guide to converting French currassiers into Persian cavalry. Well, that’s a start but I needed more. Back in 1970s Queensland selling lead based figures was illegal, health concerns and all. 

DBA 1/60c The Persian army of the Greek wars

Enter one Paul Taylor, early stalwart of Brisbane gaming, who ran a hobby shop in the MLC building in Brisbane’s CBD. He imported metal figures from the UK for his 100 Years War army and if you were lucky you could score a little hit of under the counter, nudge nudge figures from him. They were Hinchcliffe, expensive (especially for a high schooler) and slooow to arrive. Oh, and they were Sassanids.

Persian baggage train on the move

Needs must, and so bit by bit, a Persian inspired army was cobbled together. Good, if not too historical, fun was had. To cut an already too long story short-ish, by the 1980s I was in Teacher’s College and had a bit of money, so I imported a proper 25mm Achaemenid Persian army from Minifigs. These were based on the illustrations from the WRG book Armies of the Greek & Persian Wars by Richard Nelson. I was as happy as a pig in mud.

Mikes Models guards with a mini Figs donkey handler

The army was duly painted and they turned out well, even winning a few Best Painted Army awards (my generalship certainly didn’t win the actual wargames comps). By today’s standards they are pretty basic but hey, onward flies the bird.

Irregular Miniatures donkey

Eventually 15mm figures became de rigueur and surprise! surprise! I bought and painted another Persian army. Indeed, the pictures on this post are from just that army. I’ve touched them up a bit (mainly emphasising highlights), fixed any broken spears and given them a rebasing. I’m still very happy with them after all these years.

The armies in this post are DBA I/60a and I/60c, representing both the Achaemenid Persian armies before and during the Graeco-Persian wars. There are enough elements for fielding both armies though doesn’t quite have every available element from the list. 

I'll do a separate post for the semi-mythical army of Cyrus the Great - DBA I/60b

Enjoy!

I'll do a separate post for the semi-mythical army of Cyrus the Great.

Here are the Persian and Medes cavalry. 

They are a mix of Mini Figs, Mikes Models (I think) & Essex figures.

Mardonius watching over proceedings.

The Medes and Persians up close.

Bactrian light horse - Mikes Models

The mighty Immortals. These were the heart of the Persian army. 

The front rank are Essex with added spara style shield made from plasticard.

The rear rankers are Essex with a Museum archer.

These are the sparabara. Basically foot in a 10 deep formation. The front rank being shield bearers armed with a spear, the following ranks being mainly archers but there were also spear & shield armed warriors in the mix. 

They were Iranians levied in times of war.

Again, the front rankers are Essex with added plasticard shields.

The rear rankers are a wild mix of Essex (mainy) with Minifigs, Museum, Mikes Models and Irregular Miniatures.

Levied archers - 3Bw in DBA speak.

Arabs - Essex Miniatures.

Caspians and Pactyans.

Armenian auxiliaries (3Ax) - Essex miniatures.

The funnest part of the army, the levy hordes (7Hd).

These are Indians and East Ethiopians from Xerxes XIII Corps (according to Herodotus).

Front rankers are Minifigs with a Tin Soldier banner bearer.

The rear rank are Museum & Essex

The Paphlagonians and Milyae from Xerxes XX Corps.

These are all Minifigs with a converted whip-swinger driving them into battle.

These are Exile troops from Xerxes XXX Corps. Presumably Iranian soldier-settlers.

All Mikes Models.

Light infantry (Ps).

Sakae (Scythian) archers - Minifigs.

Arab archers. Apparently striped cloaks were common - Essex.

Milyae javelinmen - Irregular Miniatures.

Medizing Greek hoplites - Irregular miniatures.

I'm unsure why these guys are compulsory in the DBA I/60c 539-440 BC army list. Yes, the list covers Xerxes' invasion and later on so hoplites were increasingly present in Western Persian armies. However they wouldn't have been present in armies of the Eastern empire, or indeed at the Battle of Marathon which this list covers.

The baggage camp with removable camp followers.

So, there we have it in full colour.

THE GREATEST ARMY OF ALL TIME!

Let me know if you agree 😁

Featherstone Factor 31 - The Persians? Best look elsewhere…

Donald says the the Achaemenid Persians had to whip their levies into battle, were tactically inept panic-merchants, and importantly, weren’t Greek hoplites. At least they were great bowman.

What’s this Featherstone Factor all about?

Find out 

The Featherstone Factor