Lydia grew after Phrygians,
Mesopotamians and dwellers of the Purple Coast freed
themselves from Hittite rule. After Phrygian tribes
scattered at the advance of ferocious Cimmerians, Lydia
came into its own as the dominant power of Anatolia. Its
power was drawn from trade not war, and its final rulers
were legendary for their wealth. Croesus, their last
king, made the strategic error of annexing Ionia and was
then stuck with a rampantly aggressive Persia on his
eastern border, and went down fighting. Significantly,
though the Persians generally allowed subjects a lot of
autonomy, the royal records of Lydian appear to have
been wiped off the earth.
Lydia's armies I depict as reflecting a mix of peoples
including later Phoenicians and Anatolians. The majority
of figures are 1:72 plastics from Atlantic but a number
of others find their way in as well. My source for the
overall look was DBAOL. As their field of operations is
Anatolia, their bases are standard green with medium
flock.
The King and His Companions (3KnGen)
These are Ral Partha Carthaginians,
the only lead figures amongst my DBA armies. The
chunkier look of metal makes their horses look more like
knights' chargers.
Lydian Cavalry (3Kn)
These are Atlantic Greeks supplied
with shields (sourced from Esci Barbarians!).
"Proto-Hoplite" Spearmen (4Sp)
Trusty Atlantic Trojans. Only three
elements are on display as I normally only want two or
three, the rest being Ax. They also stand in my
Carthaginian phalanx.
Lydian and Bithynian Spearmen (3Ax)
The swordsmen are Atlantic Trojans,
while the long-cloaked chaps were Esci Barbarian shamen,
cloaks and javelins added. (They also stand in my Dark
Age Greeks b option).
Lydian Javeliners (2Ps)
Ubiquitous Atlantic Egyptians, equally
useful for several other armies.
Moorish Mercenaries (2Lh)
Juggling pips for LH is the trickiest
part of success with the army, but when these Hat Moors
are lucky they can completely change the balance of
action. And of course they can equally well serve in
other armies.
The Kn/Sp/Ax combination, with Psiloi
able to roam or support, and LH on the wings, is a
really effective one. I suspect they have the best
win/loss record of all my armies.
