Cimmerian or Early Skythian
Historical Overview Section
The first historical record of the Cimmerians appears in Assyrian annals in the year 714 BC. These describe how a people termed the Gimirri helped the forces of Sargon II to defeat the Urartian kingdom. Their original homeland, called Gamir or Uishdish, seems to have been located within the buffer state of Mannae. The later geographer Ptolemy placed the Cimmerian city of Gomara in this region. After their conquests of Colchis and Iberia in the First Millennium BC, the Cimmerians also came to be known as Gimirri in Georgian. According to Georgian historians the Cimmerians played an influential role in the development of both the Colchian and Iberian cultures. The modern-day Georgian word for hero which is gmiri, is derived from the word Gimirri, a direct reference to the Cimmerians which settled in the area after the initial conquests.
The migrations of the Cimmerians were recorded by the Neo Assyrian Empire whose king Sargon II died in battle against them in 705 BC. They are subsequently recorded as having conquered Phrygia in 696-695 BC, prompting the Phrygian king Midas to take poison rather than face capture. In 679 BC, during the reign of Esarhaddon of Assyria, they attacked Cilicia and Tabal under their new ruler Teushpa. Esarhaddon defeated them near Hubushna (tentatively identified with modern Cappadocia). In 654 BC or 652 BC – the exact date is unclear – the Cimmerians attacked the Lydian kingdom killing the Lydian king Gyges and causing great destruction to the Lydian capital, Sardis. They returned ten years later during the reign of Gyges' son Ardys II and this time captured the city, with the exception of the citadel. The fall of Sardis was a major shock to the powers of the region; the Greek poets Callinus and Archilochus recorded the fear that it inspired in the Greek colonies of Ionia, some of which were attacked by Cimmerian and Treres raiders.
The Cimmerian occupation of Lydia was brief, however—possibly due to an outbreak of plague. Between 637 and 626 BC, they were beaten back by Alyattes II of Lydia. This defeat marked the effective end of Cimmerian power. The term "Gimirri" was used about a century later in the Behistun inscription (ca. 515 BC) as a Neo-Babylonian Empire equivalent of Persian Saka as in the Skythian or Saka, but otherwise Cimmerians are not heard of again in Asia, and their ultimate fate is uncertain. It has been speculated that they settled in Cappadocia, known in Armenian as Gamir-kʿ (the same name as the original Cimmerian homeland in Mannae). However, certain Frankish traditions would locate them at the mouth of the Danube (see Sicambri).
This list also covers Skythian or Saka armies prior to 550BC.
Using the army in FoG
- Looks like a typical Light Horse outfit. Shoot, scoot and then charge once the enemy is disrupted/fragmented
UK Tournament Results with this army
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army:
- Skythians From Fanaticus
- Skythians (6mm) From Fanaticus
- The Steppe History Discussion Forum You'll always find something useful on here about this army
- Skythians DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus
- Skythians (6mm) DBA Figure Gallery for this army - from Fanaticus
- Don't forget the other Skythian or Saka page on this site.
- put the link text readers will see in here write some more detail about the link here
Allies
- Cimmerians - Later Mycenean or Trojan
- Cimmerians - Thracian
- Cimmerians - Urartian
- Skythians - Cimmerian allies
Painting and Collecting the Army
15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army
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You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site
- Essex Miniatures - 7 figure codes for Skythians, oddly located in their Macedonian range
- Donnington - 20-odd Scythians and subject races
- Museum Miniatures - 7 skythians, unusually a fairly distinct set of figures for this range
- Old Glory 15's, Asiatic Horse Archer range and 4 Skythians in a separate range
- Magister Militum - Scythians in their Late Persian range
- Lancashire Games - parthians are probably close enough
- Peter Pig - Parthian range may have suitable light horse
- Irregular Miniatures 3 Scythian codes in their Macedonian Wars ranges
- AlainTouller Figurines Dedicated Scythes range
- Tin Soldier again found in the Hellenistic range, and possibly in the Eastern and Slavic ranges too
- Minifigs - Saka range
- East Riding Miniatures Parthian range for horse archers
- Isarus - sold by 15mm.co.uk some in the Seleucid ranges
- Outpost Wargame Services Central Asian Turk range, and Parthians may do
- Khurasan Miniatures Lots of Central Asians on horses with bows and lances
- Viking Forge Skythian range
- Hall of Ancient Warriors Parthian range
- Falcon Figures Skythian range
- LKM A cythian horse archer in their Hellenistic Greek range
Army Lists
Massimilano's winning list from Modena 2009
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Light horse LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Bow Swordsmen - 4
- Foot archers LF Unprotected Poor Undrilled Bow - - 6
- Foot archers LF Unprotected Poor Undrilled Bow - - 6
- Foot archers LF Unprotected Poor Undrilled Bow - - 6
- Foot archers LF Unprotected Poor Undrilled Bow - - 6
- Foot spearmen MF Protected Poor Undrilled - Light Spear - 6
- Foot spearmen MF Protected Poor Undrilled - Light Spear - 6
- Foot spearmen MF Protected Average Undrilled - Light Spear - 6
- Thracians MF Protected Average Undrilled - Heavy Weapon - 8
- Thracians MF Protected Average Undrilled - Offensive Spearmen - 6
- Thracians MF Protected Average Undrilled - Offensive Spearmen - 6
- Thracians MF Protected Average Undrilled - Offensive Spearmen - 6
- Thracians LH Unprotected Average Undrilled Javelins Light Spear - 4
- 3 TC + Ally TC
eBay Listings
UK Bookstore