Early Sarmatians

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Historical Overview Section

The Sarmatians, Sarmatae or Sauromatae (Old Iranian Sarumatah 'archer') were a people originally of Iranian stock. Mentioned by classical authors, they migrated from Central Asia to the Ural Mountains around 5th century B.C. and eventually settled in most of southern European Russia, Ukraine, and the eastern Balkans.Around the year 100 BC, Sarmatian land ranged from Barents Sea or Baltic Sea ("Oceanus Sarmaticus") to tributary of Vistula River, to the Carpathian Mountains, to the mouth of the Danube, then eastward along the northern coast of the Black Sea, across the Caucasus to the Caspian Sea and north along the Volga up to the polar circle. The Sarmatians flourished from the time of Herodotus and allied partly with the Western Hunnic tribes when they arrived in the 4th century AD. The Sarmatians were closely related to the Skythian or Saka tribes.

Useful Links

User-contributed links about this army:

• Early Rhoxholani Sarmatian DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus
• The Steppe History Discussion Forum You'll always find something useful on here about this army
• History of the Sarmatians, with pictures

Using the Army In FoG

• Armoured Superior Lancers rock. But they are expensive. When it comes to lancers, quantity has a quality all of its own. A mix of armoured and protected can give you the most bang-for-buck.
• Against enemy skirmishers protected lancers (ideally supported by an IC) in one rank are more than capable of doing the business, however armoured remains the best value upgrade as it gives you a +1 against most things in melee.
• As undrilled troops you need a simple plan. Enemy with drilled cavalry will try to exploit your flanks and position themselves for flank intercept charges using the “move full speed then turn 90 degrees” with columns of drilled lancers.
• The big issue is protecting the flanks of your line of charging lancers. Some armies can simply do this with yet more lancers, accepting attrition along the way – and this should not be discounted as your support troop options are limited.
• The LH can do a good job, but may be outnumbered - you don't want to lose BGs of LH as every one that dies means one BG of lancers may not even get into combat before the army breaks.
• MF with Bw may be OK on a flank where they will come up against against enemy mounted of LH. And units of 8 LF can form a good screen in front of lancers to protect them from shooting.
• The ideal combination for lancers is a mix of 4’s and 6’s, using the 6’s as the sledgehammer to take casualties and not suffer the -1 for losing 25%, and also to last longer before autobreaking.
• Lancer Cavalry also ideally need generals to help them in combat, and so having a general with a 6 is better value.
• Your lancers can also help your LH to hunt enemy LH, with combined Lancer/LH charges that enemy LH have to flee from, and where your own LH may be able to catch the flee-er’s.
• The rather oddball Rhoxolani protected Cv with Bw* are not to be discounted - but may struggle against anything half decent.

Allied Contingents

• Skythian - Later Skythian or Saka : Date restrictions None Book: Rise of Rome Page: 60 - These are Skythian allies, so no cataphracts but up to 4 lancer Cv, loads of Bw/Sw LH and some irrelevant foot.

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site

• Essex Miniatures
• Donnington
• Museum Miniatures
• Old Glory 15's,
• Magister Militum
• Lancashire Games
• Peter Pig
• Irregular Miniatures
• AlainTouller Figurines - some Scythian horse could be used
• Tin Soldier
• Minifigs
• East Riding Miniatures - Parthian foot Archers?
• Isarus - sold by 15mm.co.uk
• Outpost Wargame Services
• Khurasan Miniatures - nice newish Sarmatian range
• Viking Forge
• Hall of Ancient Warriors
• Falcon Figures (Skythian ranges, if you can find them)
• Lurkio New range of Huns

Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
800 AP as used by Lance Flint at Warfare 2009

• 6 LF JLS Poor
• 6 LF JLS Poor
• 6 LF JLS Poor
• 6 LF JLS Poor
• 6 Bw JLS Poor
• 4 LH, Bw/Sw, Average
• 4 LH, Bw/Sw, Average
• 4 LF, Sling, Poor
• 6 Bw JLS Poor
• 6 Bw JLS Poor
• 4 LH, Bw/Sw, Average Allied
• 4 LH, Bw/Sw, Average Allied
• 4 Cv, Bw/Sw, Unprotected, Average Allied
• 4 Cv, Bw/Sw, Protected, Superior
• 4 Cv, Lance, Sw, Armoured, Superior
• 4 Cv, Lance, Sw, Armoured, Superior
• 4 Cv, Superior, Protected, Bw-star, JLS
• 4 Cv, Superior, Protected, Bw-star, JLS
• 4 TCs including an ally

(this list may be incorrect - I lost track as they all came out on table - "there were 'fausands of 'em Sir!"

Experimental Rhoxolani army at 800 AP.

• 1 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4 14 56
• 2 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4 14 56
• 3 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4 14 56
• 4 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4 14 56
• 5 Roxolani LH LH Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4 10 40
• 6 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4 16 64
• 7 Scythian LH allied light horse allied LH Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4 10 40
• 8 Scythian LH allied light horse allied LH Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4 10 40
• 9 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4 16 64
• 10 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4 16 64
• 11 Scythian Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4 16 64
• 12 Rox LF LF Unprotected poor Undrilled bow - - - 6 3 18
• 13 Rox LF LF Unprotected poor Undrilled bow - - - 6 3 18
• 14 Rox LF javelins LF Unprotected poor Undrilled javelins Light spear - - 6 2 12
• TC TC - - - - - - - 2 35 70
• saka ally TC - - - - - - Ally general 1 25 25
• FC FC - - - - - - - 1 50 50

Similar but without foot

• 1 Scythian foot LF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - -
• 2 Scythian LH allied light horse allied LH Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4
• 3 Scythian LH allied light horse allied LH Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4
• 4 Scythian Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 5 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 6 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 7 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 8 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 9 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• 10 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• 11 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• 12 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• TC TC - - - - - - - 2
• Scythian Saka ally TC - - - - - - Ally general 1
• FC FC - - - - - - - 1

Again, similar but without (out of book) allies

• 1 Sarmatian LH LH Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4
• 2 Sarmatian foot LF Unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
• 3 Sarmatian foot LF Unprotected Poor Undrilled bow - - - 8
• 4 Sarmatian Foot LF Unprotected Poor Undrilled javelins Light spear - - 6
• 5 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 6 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 7 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 8 Rhoxolani Lancers Cv armoured Superior Undrilled - lancers Swordmen - 4
• 9 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• 10 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• 11 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• 12 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• 13 Rhoxolani Cavalry Cv Protected Superior Undrilled Bw* Light spear Swordmen - 4
• FC FC - - - - - - - 1
• TCs (in CinC) TC - - - - - - - 3

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