Mercenary Bosporan Machairophoroi
Mercenary. Hired from a regional pool, not recruited from a building.
Class: heavy · Category: infantry · Men per unit: 40
Description
Archaeological finds show that the Bosporan kingdom, like many other Hellenic states, adopted the thureos shield in the middle of the 3rd century BC (Mielczarek 1999, p. 39-41). Thureophoroi became the standard Greek infantry of the time and were especially useful against the mobile enemies the Bosporan Greeks would face on the outskirts of the Eurasian steppes. Within the Thureophoroi, an elite corps fought with machaira swords instead of spears. The machaira was already known in Greece during the Geometric Period, but only found widespread use in two waves, first in the 6th and then in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC (Mödlinger, Barbarische Einflüsse 2015, p. 260). Five different types are attested, with the single-edged blades sometimes being straight, but often curved, with a length between 40 and 70 cm (Schmitt, Angriffswaffen 2007). Various machaira swords were found in Bosporan graves dating to the 3rd century BC, attesting the use of these weapons.
Stats
| Rank in roster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men per unit | 40 | ███······· 30% |
| Attack | 12 | █████····· 48% |
| Charge bonus | 14 | ██████···· 60% |
| Defence | 42 | ████████·· 80% |
| · armour | 12 | ███████··· 69% |
| · defence skill | 25 | ███████··· 74% |
| · shield | 5 | ██████···· 57% |
| Morale | 12 | ██████···· 57% |
| Discipline | Normal | |
| Training | Highly trained | |
| Recruitment cost | 2,982 dn | ████████·· 83% |
| Upkeep per turn | 728 dn | ███████··· 70% |
| Turns to recruit | 3 |
Weapons
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 12 | — | Charge bonus | 14 | — | Type | melee · blade | — | Damage | slashing | — |
Defence
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 42 | — | Armour | 12 | — | Defence skill | 25 | — | Shield | 5 | — |
Condition and terrain
| Hit points | 1 | Ground: scrub / sand / forest / snow | 0 / -1 / 0 / -1 | Charge distance | 30 | Formations | Square |
Technical stats
| Time between blows (primary / secondary) | 2.5 s / — | Extra fatigue in hot climates | 3 | Collision mass per man (1.0 is normal) | 1.28 | Spacing between men: close / loose | 1 × 1.2 m / 2 × 2.4 m |
| Default ranks | 5 |
In battle: Can hide in long grass · Can sap · Very good stamina
Where to hire it
No mercenary pool on the campaign map offers this unit, so it cannot be hired.