Seleucid Argyraspides (Reform Swordsmen)
Class: heavy · Category: infantry · Men per unit: 40
Reforms: Unlocked by The Daphne Reforms
Description
"When this same king (Antiochos IV Epiphanes) heard of the games in Macedonia held by the Roman proconsul Aemilius Paulus (after victory in the Third Roman-Macedonian War), wishing to outdo Paulus by the splendour of his liberality, he sent envoys to the several cities announcing games to be held by him at Daphne; and it became the rage in Greece to attend them. The public ceremonies began with a procession composed as follows: first came some men armed in the Roman fashion, with their coats made of chain armour, five thousand in the prime of life. Next came five thousand Mysians, who were followed by three thousand Cilicians armed like light infantry, and wearing gold crowns. Next to them came three thousand Thracians and five thousand Gauls." (Polybios, Histories, Book XXX, 25, 1-4)
Polybios' report on the Parade of Daphne, a suburb of Antiocheia on the Orontes, in the year 166 BC is full of interesting details. We have here only focused on the beginning of the parade, where the Achaian historian speaks about 5,000 men "armed in the Roman fashion", i.e. bearing the equipment of Roman infantry. Since he later only mentions 5,000 men of the Argyraspides ("Silver Shields"), too, the eminent Seleucid historian Bezalel Bar-Kochva concluded (Seleucid Army 1976, 60/61) that half of the Argyraspides, who normally numbered 10,000 men, had been re-equipped in the way of 'legionaries'. Hence these soldiers were an absolute elite, the bravest and fittest among the foot soldiers of the empire, easily adapting to a new way of fighting.
Heavily armoured, experienced and yet young and vigorous, these Argyraspides are among the best warriors of the oikumene.
Stats
| Rank in roster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men per unit | 40 | ███······· 30% |
| Attack | 17 | █████████· 87% |
| Charge bonus | 12 | ████······ 42% |
| Defence | 50 | █████████· 94% |
| · armour | 14 | ████████·· 78% |
| · defence skill | 29 | █████████· 91% |
| · shield | 7 | █████████· 91% |
| Morale | 15 | █████████· 91% |
| Discipline | Normal | |
| Training | Highly trained | |
| Recruitment cost | 2,671 dn | ████████·· 75% |
| Upkeep per turn | 978 dn | █████████· 87% |
| Turns to recruit | 4 |
Weapons
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attack | 17 | 13 | Charge bonus | 12 | 13 | Type | thrown · blade | melee · blade | Damage | piercing | piercing |
| Projectile | javelin | — | Range | 50 | — | Ammunition | 2 | — | Properties | Used just before charging into combat | — |
Defence
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 50 | — | Armour | 14 | — | Defence skill | 29 | — | Shield | 7 | — |
Condition and terrain
| Hit points | 1 | Ground: scrub / sand / forest / snow | 0 / -2 / 0 / -2 | 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) | 1.37 | Spacing between men: close / loose | 1 × 1.2 m / 2 × 2.4 m |
| Default ranks | 5 |
In battle: Can sap · Very good stamina
Who can recruit it
A core roster unit for 3 factions, each able to raise it anywhere they hold the right building:
Seleucid Empire · Seleucid Rebels · Seleucid Rebels
Exactly what a settlement must have, route by route (2)
| Building | Also requires | Building | Also requires | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct Rule | Tier 3 Military Industrial Complex · The Daphne Reforms · Tier 2 Colony | Homeland | Tier 2 Military Industrial Complex · The Daphne Reforms |