Kyrenaian Ephebic Archers
Class: missile · Category: infantry · Men per unit: 40
Description
These Ephebic Archers from the city of Kyrene are youngsters who are being drilled and educated in the local gymnasium. There, they will be groomed into proper citizens. Given their social status, these boys from the higher middle classes and the elite are not dressed in a simple tunic, like the average archer. Their status affords them lavishly coloured linothorakes with pteryges, capes, as well as a fancy combination of various types of hats. Young, relatively well-protected and eager to prove themselves, these Kyrenaian Ephebic Archers are potentially mortal missile infantry!
Historical background
Throughout the Hellenistic world, cities knew an institution called ‘ephebeia’, which entailed the general education of elite and upper middle-class youngsters in gymnasia. While during the Roman era, the original military aspect dwindled or transformed into para-military ceremonies, the academic consensus is that in the third century BC the focus of ephebes’ training was clearly athletic and military. Intellectual pursuits seem to have been present, but of comparatively minor importance (Pleket, Ephebes and Horses (2012), pp. 324-325).
The city of Kyrene possessed such a gymnasium in the timeframe of RIS, both physically and administratively situated in the centre of the polis. The boys would have been trained by ‘those who teach in archery, horse riding, and training with weapons’ (SEG 9.1 Il. 43-5). As Pleket (2012, p. 325) argues, it is clear that they had a military function. It may come as a surprise that the Ephebes did not train any formation warfare when most of them were destined to serve either in the royal phalanx or the regiment of the Hypaspists. It seems as if the tradition, the ritual and religious meaning of the Ephebeia was stronger than any practical concerns (Chankowski, Violence (2017), p. 44). In our mod, Kyrenaian Ephebes fighting on horseback are represented by the ‘Triakatioi’, whereas this unit represents those excelling at archery, instead.
Stats
| Rank in roster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men per unit | 40 | ███······· 30% |
| Attack | 8 | █········· 9% |
| Charge bonus | 1 | █········· 4% |
| Defence | 24 | ███······· 27% |
| · armour | 8 | █████····· 47% |
| · defence skill | 16 | ███······· 28% |
| · shield | 0 | █········· 0% |
| Morale | 6 | █········· 6% |
| Discipline | Low | |
| Training | Untrained | |
| Recruitment cost | 1,313 dn | █········· 10% |
| Upkeep per turn | 481 dn | ██········ 19% |
| Turns to recruit | 2 |
Weapons
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 8 | 4 | Charge bonus | 1 | 1 | Type | missile · archery | melee · blade | Damage | piercing | piercing |
| Projectile | arrow | — | Range | 120 | — | Ammunition | 25 | — |
Defence
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 24 | — | Armour | 8 | — | Defence skill | 16 | — | Shield | 0 | — |
Condition and terrain
| Hit points | 1 | Modifier against mounts | horse +1 · chariot +1 · camel +1 | Ground: scrub / sand / forest / snow | 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 | Charge distance | 30 |
| Formations | Square |
Technical stats
| Time between blows (primary / secondary) | 2.5 s / 2.5 s | Extra fatigue in hot climates | -2 | Collision mass per man (1.0 is normal) | 0.96 | Spacing between men: close / loose | 1.2 × 2.8 m / 2.16 × 5.04 m |
| Default ranks | 5 |
In battle: Very good stamina
Who can recruit it
A core roster unit for one faction, which can raise it anywhere it holds the right building:
Exactly what a settlement must have, route by route (3)
| Building | Also requires | Building | Also requires | Building | Also requires | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indirect Rule | Garrison Building or Tier 1 Military Industrial Complex · Tier 1 Colony | Direct Rule | Garrison Building or Tier 1 Military Industrial Complex · Tier 1 Colony | Homeland | Garrison Building or Tier 1 Military Industrial Complex |