Historical Overview Section
List 38
Before his son Philip invented proper ancient warfare with Pikemen and stuff, there was a king called Amyntas who was worried about the Illyrians and who established an alliance with the Chalkidian League led by Olynthus. In exchange for this support, Amyntas granted them rights to Macedonian timber, which was sent back to Athens to help fortify their fleet. With money flowing into Olynthus from these exports, their power grew. In response, Amyntas sought additional allies. He established connections with Kotys, chief of the Odrysians. Kotys had already married his daughter to the Athenian general Iphicrates. Prevented from marrying into Kotys' family, Amyntas soon adopted Iphicrates as his son.
After the King's Peace 387 BC, Sparta was anxious to re-establish its presence in the north of Greece. In 385 BC, Bardylis and his Illyrians attacked Epirus instigated and aided by Dionysius I of Syracuse in an attempt to restore the Molossian king Alcetas I of Epirus to the throne. When Amyntas sought Spartan aid against the growing threat of Olynthus, the Spartans eagerly responded. That Olynthus was backed by Athens and Thebes, rivals to Sparta for the control of Greece, provided them with an additional incentive to break up this growing power in the north. Amyntas thus concluded a treaty with the Spartans, who assisted him to reduce Olynthus (379). He also entered into a league with Jason of Pherae, and assiduously cultivated the friendship of Athens. In 371 BC at a Panhellenic congress of the Lacedaemonian allies, he voted in support of the Athenians' claim and joined other Greeks in voting to help Athens to recover possession of Amphipolis
Using the army in ADLG
- Javelinmen are probably a bit better than swordsmen, as they can evade and shoot. But both are Mediocre, so neither really want to be fighting.
- The lancers are as good as anyone else's army.
- The army strongly prefers the Mountain terrain, but even so you are rather drawn to a fairly negative 'I have loads of troops up a hill you can't kill' way of playing, which might net you a few non-defeats but isn't helping you win.
- Maximum +3 command and control + 2 LH to give you the best chance of winning initiative, plus 4 HC (2 Elite), all 6 spearmen as heavies (for gaps in terrain), the 6 compulsory MF and max LI is probably your 155-point starting position for this army.
Useful Links
User-contributed links about this army. Add links in this format:
- name of link description of link
as an example
- King Amyntas on Wikipedia
- Building a viable list for this army : A Madaxeman.com Podcast
Army Lists
"12 Hoplites" Podcast List
Ordinary Included
1 Companions heavy cavalry impact elite
2 companions heavy cavalry impact ------
2 scouts light cavalry javelin ------
==
Competent
5 Macedonian hoplites heavy spearmen ------
2 mercenary hoplites heavy spearmen mediocre
3 macedonian peasants javelinmen Mediocre
3 light infantry light infantry javelin ----
3 macedonian peasants javelinmen ------
==
Included Ordinary Spartan Ally
3 Spartan hoplites heavy spearmen elite 10
1 peltasts javelinmen ------ 7
2 hoplites heavy spearmen ------ 8
1 skirmishers light infantry bow ------ 4
1 cretan light infantry bow elite 5