Biblical Update

MY biblical-battles project is taking a backseat this coming week as I have made another trip to Bavaria, although I had nearly finished painting a second unit of Egyptian chariots before I left home.

Meanwhile I have been reading.

Slingshot 339 and Paul Cartledge's Thebes

The March/April issue of Slingshot has some interesting articles, but is marred by having been spell-checked but not properly proofread (the introduction to the Japanese-archery article being a particularly bad example).

I am also still struggling to like the new-style large print and space-wasting, but perhaps other readers appreciate this (the print size, if nothing else).

The Thebes book is sub-titled The Forgotten City Of Ancient Greece, which is nonsense but perhaps was insisted on by the publisher (Picador).

Then again maybe it was how the author sold the book in the first place.

I found it an enjoyable read, except where Cartledge goes off at a tangent discussing Freudian pyschoanalysis and devoting far too many pages to what appear to be his pet subjects of art and poetry, much of such content in the book having seemingly little connection with the eponymous - a favourite Cartledge word - city.

Taking Stock

AM off on a trip to Bavaria tomorrow, so will not be doing any painting for at least 10 days.

That makes this as good a time as any to recap the state of my Egyptian army for my biblical warfare project.

Left to right are chariots, Sherden, spearmen and marine bowmen

As classified under Neil Thomas's rules, the chariots are light, bow-armed, elite; the Sherden are auxiliary infantry, medium armour, elite; the spearmen are biblical infantry, light armour, average; the marine bowmen are heavy archers, medium armour, elite.

Sherden

THE New Kingdom Egyptian army in Neil Thomas's biblical warfare rules is allowed, but not forced to have, a unit of Sherden Guard.

The guardsmen count as elite, medium-armoured auxiliaries (Thomas's updated term for warband).

I have accordingly painted a unit of 10mm metal figures made by Magister Militum.

Close-up front view

Distant rear view

Book & Bows

I HAVE finished reading the Ancient Egyptian Warfare book I spotted at Foyles in Charing Cross Road and have painted my first unit of ancient Egyptian archers.

A nice double

The book shows all the signs of having been spell-checked but not properly proof-read, has rather too many unexplained technical terms, and also has the occasional eyebrow-raising moment (contrary to what the author states on page 98, the khepesh or khopesh sword was sharpened on the outside of the curve, not the inside).

Those are the disappointing parts; the rest was all good: entertaining and informative, and excellent value, in my opinion, at £9.99.

The archers are marine bowmen, part of my recent order from Magister Militum.