Warhammer Ancient Battles

Alexander the Great Materials FAQ v.1.2 06/05/03

By Jeff Jonas

 

This section is part of a growing listing of miniatures, and other items dealing with gaming the era of Alexander the Great and his Successors… please feel free to comment if you feel that something is incomplete or you have information to share!

 

Miniatures

 

In general:                             http://theminiaturespage.com/

28mm Miniatures:

Renegade:                               http://www.wargamesdirectory.com/html/traders/view.asp?ID=1202

                                                http://www.maralex.co.uk/renegade_test/

1st Corps:                               http://www.1stcorps.net

Old Glory:                              http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com

Foundry:                                 http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/

Newline Designs:                   http://www.newlinedesigns.co.uk/  

Navigator:                               http://www.navigatorminiatures.com/alexander1.htm  

Essex:                                     http://www.essexminiatures.co.uk   

Vendel:                                   http://homepage.ntlworld.com/heinz.p/

Blacktree Design:                   http://www.black-tree-design.com/

 

             

25mm Miniatures:
Naismith Design: (25)            http://www.navwar.freeserve.co.uk/

RAFM: (25)                            http://www.rafm.com/

Ral Partha: (25)                      http://www.ironwindmetals.com

Miniature Figurines: (25)      http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk

Garrison (Amazon): (25)       http://www.amazonminiatures.com/

Skyraider (Corvus Belli)        http://skyraider1992.tripod.com/

 

20mm and 1/76^th scale:

Newline Designs                    http://www.newlinedesigns.co.uk/

Thunderbolt Mountain           http://www.thunderboltmountain.com/

Hat                                          http://www.hat.com

Italeri                                      http://www.italeri.com/

Zvezda                                    http://www.zvezda.org.ru/

 

15mm Miniatures

Corvus Belli:                          http://www3.sympatico.ca/lostwolf/

Xyston                                    http://www.i-kore.com/site1/html/xyston.htm   http://users.bigpond.net.au/gamelords/xyston.html

Tumbling Dice                       http://brookhursthobbies.com/

X Legion (Gladiator)              http://www.gladiatorgames.co.uk/

Metal Magic (Gladiator),

Miniature Figurines               http://www.miniaturefigurines.co.uk

Lancashire Games                  http://www.lancashiregames.com

Donnington                             http://www.donnington-mins.co.uk/

Chariot                                    http://www.kbnet.co.uk/chariot/page39.html

AB figures                              http://www.ab-figures.demon.co.uk/

Essex                                       http://www.essexminiatures.co.uk

Old Glory                                http://www.1stcorps.net

Frei Korps 15s:                       http://www.gtns.net/freikorp/

Falcon Figures

(UK,  carried by Chariot):      http://www.kbnet.co.uk/chariot/page40.html

Museum Miniatures:              http://www.museumminiatures.co.uk/

 

 

Smaller Miniatures

Bacchus 6mm                         http://www.baccus6mm.com/

Heroics and Ros

Irregular (6mm and 2mm)     http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/

 

Larger Miniatures

Pegaso                                     http://www.pegasomodels.com/details_en.asp?code=90-903

 

 

Transfers:
Dark Age Design                    http://www.darkagedesign.com

Veni Vedi Vici                       http://www.3vwargames.co.uk/

 

Dealers:

Brookhurst Hobbies:            http://www.brookhursthobbies.com/

Webster Enterprises:           http://www.geocities.com/webenterprises.geo
Tin Soldier, Roundway, Naismith, H&R, Old Glory, Battle Honors, and more. 10% discount for HMGS members. Larger discounts given on large orders. Based in Southern California, USA.

 

Websites:

Historical

Macedonia (WOW! Book mark this!)                       http://www.macedonian-heritage.gr/HellenicMacedonia/en/index.html
Perseus project:                                                          http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/

Alexander
Alexander Project by John J. Popovic                       http://www.1stmuse.com/frames/

Images of Alexander:                                                 http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/ImagesofAlexander/Antiquity_All.html

Vergina Tomb:
Alexander’s Generals
Coenus                                                                        http://www.livius.org/cn-cs/coenus/coenus.htm

 

Persia
Alexander:                                                                  http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/alexander/21.html

Iran Saga                                                                     http://www.art-arena.com/iran.htm

Persian Wars                                                              http://ancienthistory.about.com/

 

 

India
Sanchi:                                                                                    http://www.arthistory.upenn.edu/sanchi/images/

Chariots:                                                                                 http://www.hindunet.org/saraswati/ratha4.htm

Indika:                                                                                    http://www.kamat.com/indica/alamkara/7.htm

History of India:                                                                     http://www.historyofindia.com/home.html

Weapons:                                                                                http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/weaponswarfare/

Greece
Peloponnesian Wars:                                                                                      http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/greekbattles/

 

Maccabees

http://ancienthistory.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.us-israel.org%2Fjsource%2FHistory%2FMaccabees.html

 

 

Naval:

Ships of the Ancient Greeks                                                                            http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/grkship.html

 

Media:

In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great                                                               http://www.mpt.org/programsinterests/mpt/alexander/

 

Bibliography:

Basic Wargames Sources:  These books are readily available at hobby shops, or bookstores.
Charles Grant, The Ancient War Game (St. Martin’s Press 1974)  this book is what started it all for me in 1974 and it is still a favorite read.

Duncan Head, Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars, 359 BC to 146 BC (Wargames Research Group 1982) The  perfect resource for the Hellenistic era wargamer.  The Black and white illustrations are very useful and the text is a compendium of most all of the knowledge on this subject, and it includes an excellent bibliography.

The Osprey “Men at Arms” line of books are great painting references.  The following Ospreys are recommended:  Alexander the Great, Nick Sekunda and John Warry (Osprey Military 1998), The Ancient Greeks, Nick Sekunda (Osprey Elite1986), The Persian Army 560-330BC, Nick Sekunda (Osprey Elite1992), The Scythians 700-300BC, E. V. Chernenko (Osprey 1983), and the excellent:  The Thracians 700BC-AD46, Christopher Webber (Osprey 2001).

Phil Barker and Richard Bodley Scott, D.B.M. Army Lists, For use with the De Bellis Multitudinis Wargames Rules, Book 1: 3000 BC to 500 BC; and Book 2: 500 BC to 476 AD (Wargames Research Group, 1993).  These lists are thoroughly researched and create the framework to build many Warhammer Ancient armies.

Additional Sources:  These books are great introductions to the period and some have that ‘Coffee table’ appeal:
Peter Connolly, Greece and Rome at War (London: Greenhill, 1998).  Along with his children’s books; The Greek armies, The Roman Army, and Hannibal and the enemies of Rome are full of great illustrations.  Connelly prefers to reconstruct things from art and archeological evidence.
John Warry, Warfare in the Classical World, (Salamander books Ltd 1980) Combines great graphics and illustrations with a comprehensive text.

John Keegan, The Mask of Command, (Viking Press 1987) Dr. Keegan presents a most balanced account of Alexander’s military career.
Victor Davis Hanson, The Wars of the Ancient Greeks, (Cassell & Co 2000) Beware!  Dr. Hanson is not kind to Alexander!  His new work Carnage and Culture, is recommended but is not glorifying of Alexander in the least.  His Western Way of War is an amazing reading experience if you are a student of Hoplite warfare.

John Drogo Montagu, Battles of the Greek & Roman World, (Greenhill Books 2000) This is a fantastic resource for wargamers.  Almost every battle of this period is covered with some maps and OOB info.  A necessary reference source for quickly designing your own historical scenarios.
Paolo Moreno, Apelles: The Alexander Mosaic, (Skira  2002) Details the famous Alexander Battle Mosaic at Pompeii in glorious close-ups and compares it to the lost works of Alexander’s famous court painter Apelles.

Peter Green, Alexander of Macedon 356-323 BC A Historical Biography, (University of California Press 1991)  The original picture book that came out in 1978 is a great source for photos of the areas conquered by Alexander.  This expanded text volume is thoroughly readable and is my favorite single Alexander book.

J.F.C Fuller, The Generalship of Alexander the Great, (Minerva press 1960) A great start to understand Alexander’s battlefield genius.

Christopher Webber’s The Thracians article from the August 2000, Wargames Illustrated, very inspirational, along with his website information.

Articles in Slingshot the Journal of the Society of Ancients, including those written by Duncan Head, Luke Ueda Sarson, David Karunanithy, and Adrian Goldsworthy, being most helpful.

Source Materials:  These works are much more academic and more detailed.  Usually they do not have very many pretty pictures either!  You can tell they are more serious as many authors have initials rather than first names J

J. K. Anderson, Military Theory and Practice in the age of Xenophon, (Berkeley 1970) My first ‘serious’ read on the subject, a book that shaped many of my views.
A. B. Bosworth, Conquest and Empire, (Cambridge University Press) A thoroughly sober history, excellent detail.
Donald W. Engels, Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army, (University of California Press 1978) A most fascinating angle on Alexander’s conquests, examines how Alexander moved and fed his armies.  Detailed troops breakdown make this a must for wargamers.
N. G. L. Hammond, The Genius of Alexander the Great, (University of North Carolina Press 1997) Dr. Hammond is the “anti-Hanson” a much more heroic view of Alexander, good discussion of battles and units.
Radha Kumud Mookerji, Chandragupta Maurya and His Times, (Motilal Banarsidass Publishers 1999) Compares the Greek and Indian surviving texts of this period.

Sarva Daman Singh Ancient Indian Warfare, (Motilal Banarsidass Publishers 1997) Mostly covers “Vedic” or earlier material than our period, and a bit hard to read.  But full of juicy details on weapons and armour.

A.M. Snodgrass, Arms and Armor of the Greeks, (Johns Hopkins University Press 1967) An introductory description of the development of armor in Greece, highly recommended and accessible for anyone beginning an interest in this era.

Quoted Sources and Histories:  These represent the ancient historians words, including those quoted in this volume.  A number of these works are quite decent reads in their own right.  Arrian, and Xenophon and Plutarch, and Kautilya are very entertaining! 

Demosthenes.  Demosthenes with an English translation by J. H. Vince, Harvard University Press 1930.

Demades.  Minor Attic Orators in two volumes, 2, with an English translation by J. O. Burtt, Harvard University Press 1962.

Diodorus Siculus. Diodorus of Sicily in Twelve Volumes with an English Translation by C. H. Oldfather. Vol. 4-8. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press 1989.
Kautilya.  Kautilya’s Arthasastra, DR. R. Shamasastry (Mysore Printing and Publishing House, 1961

Pausanias.  Pausanias Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.

Plutarch. The Age of Alexander, Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert, Penguin edition, 1980

Arrian.  The Campaigns of Alexander, Translated by Aubrey De Selincourt, Penguin edition, 1971

Herodotus.  The Histories, Translated by Aubrey De Selincourt, Penguin edition, 1974

Quintus Curtius Rufus.  The History of Alexander, Translated by John Yardley, Penguin edition, 1988

Xenophon.  The Persian Expedition, Translated by Rex Warner, Penguin edition, 1965

 

Harder to find are the works of Asclepiodotus, and Aeneas Tacticus, these most often will be found only in University libraries. Look for the Loeb editions.

Macedonian Army interest article in historical journals:

 Other great soruces are at:

http://members.tripod.com/~S_van_Dorst/Alexander.html