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Thank you, gents.
I realise it would be fudging things a bit but from your comments, it wouldn't ofend my sensibilities.
I can, of course, add to the "army" with units specific to one or the other, depending upon how I'm going to use them.
....any ideas who produces figures for Avar, Bulgar, Ostrogothic horse archers?
donald
Admittedly none of these are a strength of the hobby, but in terms of pure 1/72 scale sets I would say a mix of the following with a few paint strokes are the best available assets for Avars/Early Bulgars:
HAT8298 Huns- Particularly the lamellar armoured riders, whom I think are quite excellent Avars. The guys with the 'Mongolian' looking hoods make me more uncomfortable, but they are certainly all arguably valid.
ORI72028 Slavic Warriors (6-9th cc)- Good as light infantry auxiliaries for everyone, even the Byzantines.
ORI72030 Khazar Army (7-10th cc)
ORI72034 Cumans (Polovets) and Pechenegs
ORI72043 Byzantine Infantry (7-9 centuries)- Could be used to show the preference of some Avar/Early Bulgar chieftains for at least some Byzantine equipment.
STRM027 Russian Peasant Levy in winter dress- The ones with one handed weapons are also good as light 'Slavic' infantry auxiliaries. This is one of my highest rated sets, super versatile.
Some of the Cuman, Russian Peasant, and (to a lesser extent) Khazar poses are pushing the Avar/Early Bulgar envelope a little, but nothing that should upset anyone other than the most pure of purists. It is also worth remembering that cultural identity during this period was very flexible and depended far more on personal power rather than the state, so no 'Avar' warlord was going to turn down service from a loyal trusted veteran even if he preferred to wear what was technically a more 'Khazar' style coat.
Horse archers are one of the biggest weaknesses of the scale in general, so a mix of the HAT8188 Late Roman Light Cavalry and MIN72014 Roman Cavalry (IV-V Century) are the main realistic starting points for Ostrogothic horse archers. With some painting they should become serviceable. Persian influences were quite common in Byzantine cavalry especially in the 4th-7th Centuries, so I think some of the Parthian/Sassanian armoured cataphract horse archers can be pressed into Early Byzantine service, especially if they are painted and based with Imperial insignia.
Again, thanks gents. Your knowledge is much appreciated (& I had a lot of fun looking at the suggested sets, planning & thinking).
donald
From what George Dennis says it is believed the Strategikon is more of a compilation of thought more than anything else. Avars play a decent part, but there are sections which deal with other cultures and the suggested reforming of the Byzantine armed forces in general. I would agree and suggest it is particularly valid starting in the 7th Century AD, while its 6th Century application is a little more hypothetical but probable on at least some level (after all, they did not 100% reinvent the wheel during Maurice's reign).
I think perhaps a bigger hurdle in translating the Late Romans to the Byzantines is most 4th-5th Century Late Roman sets (especially their foreign auxiliaries) tend to be at least a little Western Empire (i.e. culturally Latin based) biased, while of course the Byzantines were primarily concentrated on the Eastern (i.e. culturally Greek based) side. It is not an insurmountable difference by any means, but does change the insignia and the dress to some extent.
Happy to help! I learned many years ago that in today's world individual intelligence is highly overrated, while group intelligence is underrated. So if I can provide any information that helps out I am more than willing to do so, although I am better at pure ancients then Classics or Medievals (that said I am looking into Frederick Barbarossa right now, interesting army he has... a very Strelets themed one as well). :sunglasses: