Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of Myths, Gods and Empires => Topic started by: summsi on 13 April 2024, 07:50:06 PM
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I want to give my new victrix plastic hoplites roman/italian/etruscan heads, so I can use them as etruscans.
Can I use them in etruria only, or were there etruscan mercenaries in greek or carthaginian service?
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There’s no reason why there wouldn’t be Etruscan mercenaries serving in Greece, so I don’t see why anyone would complain in a general game. If you were to be recreating a specific battle though I’m not so sure.
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The Hail Caesar army book lists Etruscan Mercenaries as an option for the Syracuse list. I don't have a source to substanciat this option.
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The Etruscans in the Syracuse list may be in there due to Thucydides mentioning Etruscans fighting in support of Athens during the siege of Syracuse (Thucydides 7.53 and 7.57). It’s not clear whether they were mercenaries, or were fighting as allies against a common enemy. I don’t think you can rule out Etruscans serving abroad as mercenaries, but they don’t seem to be mentioned often in that context (compared to Cretan archers or similar where there’s a well established reputation for mercenary service). I have my doubts about whether Etruscans mercenaries would have been in large enough numbers to constitute units of their own. More likely would be individuals or small groups serving in mercenary phalanxes alongside expatriates from other places. That said, the historical record is patchy at best and mercenary units of Etruscans could have existed.
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Since they were pirates I find it hard to believe that they were not also Mercs.
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The lines between pirates and mercenaries definitely blurred at the edges in the ancient Mediterranean!
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I had the same thought as I also bought the new Victrix hoplites to do as Etruscans. My idea was to either assemble them all as Etruscans with pila/spears to make a complete division of Etruscans or else assembled them only with spears and can include them as regular hoplites in armies that have hoplites as option thus being "Italian" hoplites.
Etruscans from Spina had close contacts with Greece and those from the Etruscan southern cities contact with Magna Grecia cities. Mercenaries were always on demand so it's fair to assume a number of Etruscans fought in conflicts away from their land of origin.