Early Achaemenid Persian

Navigation - HomePage - The Rise of Rome - Storm of Arrows - Immortal Fire - Legions Triumphant - Swords and Scimitars - Eternal Empire - Decline and Fall - Wolves from The Sea - Swifter Than Eagles

Historical Overview Section

The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of Greater Iran, and followed the Median Empire as the second great empire of the Iranian Peoples. At the height of its power, the Achaemenid Empire encompassed approximately 6.5 million square kilometers and territorially exceeded Rome as the largest empire of classical antiquity. The empire was forged by Cyrus the Great, and spanned three continents, including territories of Afghanistan and Pakistan, parts of Central Asia, Asia Minor, Thrace, much of the Black Sea coastal regions, Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and all significant population centers of ancient Egypt as far west as Libya.

Xerxes I , son of Darius I, organised a massive expedition aiming to conquer the Classical Greeks. His army entered Greece from the north, meeting little or no resistance through Macedonia and Thessaly, but was held by a small Spartan Classical Greek force for three days at Thermopylae. A simultaneous naval battle at Artemisium was tactically indecisive as large storms destroyed ships from both sides. The battle was stopped prematurely when the Greeks received news of the defeat at Thermopylae and retreated. The battle was a strategic victory for the Persians, giving them uncontested control of Artemisium and Aegean Sea.

Following his victory at the Battle of Thermopylae, Xerxes sacked the evacuated city of Athens and prepared to meet the Greeks at the strategic Isthmus of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. In 480 BCE the Greeks won a decisive victory at the Battle of Salamis and forced Xerxes to retire to Sardis. The army which he left in Greece under Mardonius was destroyed in 479 BCE at the Battle of Plataea. The final defeat of the Persians at Mycale encouraged the Greek cities of Asia to revolt, and marked the end of the Greco-Persian Wars, along with Persian expansion to Europe.

Useful Links

User-contributed links about this army:

Early Achaemenid Persians DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus
Early Achaemenid Persians DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus
Early Achaemenid Persians DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus
Early Achaemenid Persians (6mm) DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus
put the link text readers will see in here write some more detail about the link here

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

Those supplying Late Persian figures are likley to include some suitable figures in their ranges.

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

Khurasan now make a smallish range of Immortals and Sparabara, with cavalry too
Essex Miniatures Combined listing for Early & Late Persians of 28 figure codes, including several early Immortals with Pavise
Gladiator Miniatures by Fighting 15's (Previously Black Hat) - 26 Persians including some classed as "Early"
Old Glory 15's - 10 Late Persian figure codes
Magister Militum - 13 Late Persians
Minifigs - Early & Late Persians
Irregular Miniatures - "Achaemenid" and "Persians" figures listed, so presumably some arly and some late?
Lancashire Games - Late Persian range
Tin Soldier - a few Persians in their Hellenistic range
Battle Line Miniatures (NZ) - a couple of Persian foot in the Hellenistic range.
Xyston - Late Persian range
Viking Forge - 14 Late Persians
MY Miniatures small "Persian" range
Isarus - same figures as Battleline, look for them in their Hellenistic ranges
QRF Models Some skirmishers & other Greek Auxiliaries in the Hellenistic Greek range. Watch out for some new Persian figures during 2010.

Using The Army in FoG

Do not fall int the trap of assuming that MF Immortals will be dogmeat! Big blocks of superior troops, usually with rear rank shooting dice at impact ALWAYS armoured and nearly always led by generals (if you can manage it) can be remarkably resilient, and a battle plan that makes sure they fight (as well as the armoured mercenary spearmen) may prove the best way forward.
The cheaper sparabara are quite effective if they don't have serious close combat opposition, and can also block the advance of enemy mounted troops, but you don't want them to have to fight anything half-decent.
Without Immortals you can create a near all-cavalry force, in which the Saka ally starts to look very clever. The Elite cavalry are tempting, but it is better to choose them as superior and bulk up with some more cheap units as the advantage of being elite is marginal at best.
Against armies with lots of HF, you may opt to take as much terrain as possible - take maximum sized pieces of each compulsory, maximum sized normal pieces of the other terrain types.
Cavalry in 1 rank can skirmish effectively against enemy HF whilst your very good MF work their flanks
One option is to take the EAP army as Hoplite based, in which case you're well advised to take the Medizing Hoplites as 2x8. If you can afford it, you can also take the 6 Lydian or Asiatic Greek hoplites from the main part of the list. The Egyptian Marines can also be useful in this variant, for 28 points you get a BG that can provide rear support to both your Medizing BGs. The Immortals and cavalry can operate on the ends of the line, the Persian archers need to be used with care as they are very hard to extract from any trouble they find themselves in.
The alternative is to be based around Missile & Manoeuvre. For this you can use the post 465 options, using the Persian archers as Light Foot which makes them much less vulnerable generally. Use your manoeuvrability to maximise the firepower on the softer parts of the enemy, while avoiding their nasty combat troops.

Allies

Medes - hard to comment until the list is published
Saka - The EAP army is hardly light on cavalry, but an extra 2-3 units of LH Bw/Sw never goes amis, and if you are choosing Immortals you may welcome the opportunity to have your skirmishing cavalry wing commanded by a 10-point cheaper general although you do get 3 units without taking an ally anyway. Alternatively select them a a 2-3 unit cavalry formation for added surprise grunt at the end of a deployment sequence

UK Tourney Results

1 / 12 Early Achaemenid Persian Attack 2008 doubles (RoR, IF)
3 / 25 Early Achaemenid Persian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
5 / 25 Early Achaemenid Persian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
8 / 20 Early Achaemenid Persian Warfare 2008 15mm (RoR, IF, LT)
9 / 20 Early Achaemenid Persian Warfare 2008 15mm (RoR, IF, LT)
11 / 25 Early Achaemenid Persian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
13 / 25 Early Achaemenid Persian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
13 / 14 Early Achaemenid Persian Roll Call 2008 25mm (open)
15 / 25 Early Achaemenid Persian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
21 / 62 Early Achemenid Persian Britcon 2008 15mm (open)
1 / 22 Early Archaemenid Persian Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
5 / 22 Early Archaemenid Persian Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)

Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
800 AP used at Warfare 2010

8 Sparabara Foot Protected, MF, Av, Undrilled, Bow, half JLS
8 Sparabara Foot
6 Immortals - Armoured Superior Drilled as above
6 Immortals
6 Hoplites, armoured, undrilled
6 Hoplites, armoured, undrilled
4 Cv, Arm, Sup, Undr, Bw/Sw
4 Cv as above
4 LH, Bw/Sw, Average
6 Thracians, JLS only, MF, average
4 LH, Bw/Sw, Superior
4 Armoured Superior Bw/Sw cavalry
FC + 2xTC

800 AP used at Warfare

4 LH, Bw
4 LH, JLS, Bw
6 Poor LF, Bw
6 Poor LF, JLS
6 LF, Bw, Average
6 LF as above
4 Cv, Undrilled Armoured Superior Bw/Sw
4 Cv, Undrilled, Sup Bw/Sw
4 Cv as above
2 Cv, Elite, DRilled Bw/Sw
4 Cv Undrilled, Unprotected Bw/Sw, Average
8 Immortals
8 Immortals
IC + 2 x TC

800 AP list used at Faenza 2010

6 LF, bw
6 LF, Bw
6 Poor LF, J/LS
4 LH, Bw
4 MF, Bw, Sw, Unprotected Indians
4 LH, Bw/L/S
4 LH, Bw, Sw
4 Cv, Armoured, Sup, Undrilled, Bw/Sw
4 Cv, Armoured, Sup, Undrilled, Bw/Sw
2 HCh, Bw, Average
4 Elite Cv, Bw/Sw, Arm, Drilled
8 Immortals
8 Immortals

800 AP list from 465-461

1 Archers LF unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
2 Javelins LF unprotected Average Undrilled Javelins Light spear - - 6
3 Archers LF unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
4 Archers LF unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 6
5 Saka Cv LH unprotected Average Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4
6 Bactrians MF unprotected Average Undrilled bow Light spear - - 4
7 Other LH Bowmen MF unprotected Average Undrilled bow - - - 4
8 Mede cavalry Cv Armoured Superior Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4
9 Mede cavalry Cv Armoured Superior Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4
10 Immortals MF Armoured Superior Drilled bow Light spear - - 4
10a Immortals MF Armoured Superior Drilled bow - - - 4
11 Immortals MF Armoured Superior Drilled bow Light spear - - 4
11a Immortals MF Armoured Superior Drilled bow - - - 4
12 Lydians HF Armoured Average Undrilled - Offensive spearmen - - 6
13 Mede cavalry Cv Armoured Superior Undrilled bow - Swordmen - 4
. CinC TC - - - - - - - 1
. TC TC - - - - - - - 1
. TC TC - - - - - - - 2

900 AP list as used at Burton 2009 (based on the movie "300")

8 LF, JLS, Average
2 LCh, Javelins (fielded as armoured rhino's!)
4 Cv, Superior, Bw, Sw, Armoured
6 Mixed Average Sparabara foot
8 Immortals, Armoured, Sup, JLS, Bw MF
6 Mixed Average Sparabara foot
6 Mixed Average Sparabara foot
6 Average Undrilled Armoured Hoplites
8 Immortals, Armoured, Sup, JLS, Bw MF
6 Mixed Average Sparabara foot
4 MF, Defensive Spear, Protected, Average Marines
8 Average Bw LF
4 Cv Superior Armoured Bw, Sword
4 Cv, Elite, Armoured, Bw, Sword

800 AP list

4 LF, Jav L/Spear, Poor
4 LH, Jav, L/Spear, Average
6 MF, Protected, Undrilled, 1/2 Bw, 1/2 JLS
6 MF, Protected, Undrilled, 1/2 Bw, 1/2 JLS
4 CV, Armoured, Bw, Swordsmen, Superior, Undrilled
4 CV, Armoured, Bw, Swordsmen, Superior, Undrilled
4 LH, Bw, Average
8 HF Armoured Offensive Spearmen, Undrilled
8 HF Armoured Offensive Spearmen, Undrilled
8 MF, Bw/JLS, Superior, Armoured, Drilled
8 MF, Bw/JLS, Superior, Armoured, Drilled
FC, TC, TC, TC

Used by Graham Briggs at Britcon 2008

Using asterisks inthe edit mode creates a bulleted list in the actual site
This is a lot easier to do than easier than setting up tables
For FoG I suggest listing your army in order or march
with troop desctiptions on each line, for example
4 HF Armoured Average Drilled Impact Foot Swordsmen
8 LG Undrilled Unarmoured Poor Bowen
Dont forget to include your Generals !!!

Include any notes you want here, including comments on how to use - or play against - the army.

Remember to leave a line before you copy the above section as a template for your own list