300's 'grenadiers'?

[Vermis]

Is there a historical precedent for the persian bomb-flingers in 300? These guys, from the film version.
Seems like there should be, like most stuff in Frank Miller's 'interesting' take on Thermopylae, but I can't easily find anything online. If it's not another case of war-rhinos and Immortal ninja-goblins, does anyone know a decent source of info?

[Belgian]

They remind me of the Total War, naffatun units or fire-throwers. Here's a wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naphtha

[Vern]

I don't know if the the Persians used fire pots, but it's certainly possible (they where being used in the 9th Century BC by the Assyrians), but they certainly used naptha soaked arrows in siege warfare (Xerxes burned Athens using them)

[LawnRanger]

Hi Vern

I have a Early / Late achaemenid Persian army and every set of rules /army list  I have ever used. DONT show any naptha bombers  units . But hay I could be wrong 
 
I have never seen any models with napha bombs and I bet if they did use them some company  would of done them by now.

Mined you  300   is   Hollywood in full GLORY.
hope this helps LR   

[Belgian]

In the game they were part of the turkish faction  Not sure if they were historical correct though but the picture reminded me of them.

[Conquistador]

Is there a historical precedent for the persian bomb-flingers in 300? These guys, from the film version.
Seems like there should be, like most stuff in Frank Miller's 'interesting' take on Thermopylae, but I can't easily find anything online. If it's not another case of war-rhinos and Immortal ninja-goblins, does anyone know a decent source of info?

That picture makes them look like they armored up in the harem!            

Shades of armored veils!      

My knowledge of history (outside of North America) drops off in reliability around 1000 AD rapidly... so don't take this as a Yes/No answer of great merit but I think this is Hollywood extrapolating some factual detail to what they think would be "Kewl" on the screen.

Gracias,

Glenn

Hollywood = History not!

[Elbows]

We all know it's Hollywood...doesn't mean a line of 300 figures wouldn't be pretty cool.  Even if they'd be more prone to use in fantasy games than historical.  They had some great looking stuff.

[Vern]

I have a Early / Late achaemenid Persian army and every set of rules /army list  I have ever used. DONT show any naptha bombers  units .

Fair enough - but the point I was (badly ) trying to make was, the Persians knew of and used naphtha, and the knowledge of the fire pot was hundreds of year old, so it’s not inconceivable that someone, somewhere used them together (although probably not at Thermopylae )

[Paul]

Even though in the film, the pots explode throwing shrapnel around (unlikely with naptha)if the assyrians knew such Technology then Itīs possible the Persians would have employed it as well....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_fire

[former user]

naphtha simply means crude oil in ancient persian and the word is used today for a volatile fraction in petrol destillery.
In spite all the known and unknown "secrets" of the old, it is highly improbable that the latter would have been used in antiquity. The former however is known to have been used by the persians. it may be highly flammable, but hardly explosive in a pot...

Greek fire however was used by the Byzantine Empire, although I have never heard of explosive devices before black powder....
and it would belong in the medieval board.....

In any way - antique grenadiers - fantasy, not history (as well as many other things in the otherwise wonderful and highly entertaining Frank Miller world )

[Conquistador]

We all know it's Hollywood...doesn't mean a line of 300 figures wouldn't be pretty cool.  Even if they'd be more prone to use in fantasy games than historical.  They had some great looking stuff.

I never said they shouldn't be made.  I believe in making the miniatures that float your boat and discover you are not alone...

Although, just because I don't know something (a rather large collection of data like that exists,) doesn't mean it isn't historical.  Just, in this case, I only am fairly certain that fire pot type weapons were probably used at sea rather than at land (though in a siege they might useful if more than slightly risky) and uncertain they were ever used in land battles like today's grenades...



Gracias,

Glenn

[Vermis]

So, war-rhino territory, then. Still, ta everyone. The points about greek fire 'grenades' and far-eastern explosives (just got Osprey - Ninja in the post, too) have given me more than enough info and inspiration to go on.

[aecurtis]

 I don't think it's necessary to get even as far as the Greek fire issue.  I very much doubt that Xerxes, King of Kings, went in for piercing; either this kind:



...or this kind:



But you never know.  Wait and see what wondrous things we may learn when Vesper Lynd becomes a Carian queen with an aquatic bent (One just luuuurves the spiky bits...):



Allen

[Elbows]

Eva Green...not to be spooned with...(man she's a lovely lady).