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Short description

The Bessian Swordsmen are a unique infantry unit of the Bessoi tribe, whose skill and wild war cry ability will scare most weak-disciplined enemy units into a flight.

Description

The Bessian Swordsmen are a very strong assault infantry unit, exclusive to the Bessoi in place of the swordsmen of other Thracian factions. Most of the romphaia findings in Bulgaria were discovered in the region that ancient sources identify as inhabited by the Bessoi (Webber, The Gods of Battle (2011), ch. ‘The Romphaia’). Visually, they mainly take inspiration from the warriors depicted on the royal tomb located in the Kazanlak valley in modern Bulgaria. They are only lightly equipped with chitons and exomides, kausia hats, Phrygian, Attic, or Chalkidian helmets, and armed with sicas, short romphaias, and thureos shields. Their war cry ability, combined with an aggressive charge, will have a devastating effect on any enemy infantry units. However, these men are vulnerable to missile attacks and heavy cavalry charges.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In Herodotos’ Histories, the Bessoi first appear as a sub-tribe of the Satraians and act as the prophets of the oracle of Dionysos in the Haemus Mountains (Hdt. 7.111.2). By the time of Strabo and Pliny the Elder, they lived on the left bank of the Strymon, inhabiting the greater part of the Rhodope Mountain with several subtribes of their own: the Elethoi, the Diobessoi, and the Karbilesoi (Strab. 7.5.12; Plin. Nat. 4.18.1). Though the tribe of the Dioi (‘Diobessi’ in Pliny) cannot be assigned to the Bessoi in the 5th century BC with certainty, the inclination to fight with swords in those mountainous areas can already be seen in the recruitment of Dioi ‘machairophoroi’ (swordsmen) by the Athenians during the Peloponnesian War (Thuc. 7.27.1). Besides those, the Odrysian King Sitalkes also summons ‘many of the Hill Thracian independent swordsmen’ from the Rhodope Mountain (Thuc. 2.96.2), indicating a preference of the Thracians living in the later Bessoi territory for fighting with swords. Fourteen romphaia blades have been found in Bulgaria south of Plovdiv (ancient Philippopolis), with only one coming from outside Bessoi territory, found in Kabyle (Webber (2011) ch. ‘Romphaia’).

In the early Hellenistic period, the Bessoi rarely appear in the sources. Polyainos mentions the rebellion of the Tetrachoritai that was suppressed by Antipatros (Polyaen. Strat. 4.4.1). The Tetrachoritai are later identified as Bessoi by Stephanos of Byzantion (T618.8). They re-appear as one of Philip V’s targets, who invaded them, as well as the Odrysoi and Dentheletai, and took the city of Philippopolis (Liv. 39.53.12; Polyb. 23.8.3). After the Roman conquest of Macedon, the Bessoi appear more regularly as invaders and plunderers of Macedon in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Strabo says that the Bessoi were even ‘called brigands by the brigands’, residing in small huts on the Haemus Mountain, and living a wretched life. Between 72 BC and 29 BC, several more or less successful campaigns were conducted against them, and in 29 BC, Marcus Licinius Crassus took away their Dionysos sanctuary in Rhodope (Dio Cass. 54.20.1; 54.34). This led to a religious rebellion in 14 BC under Vologaises, a Bessian priest of Dionysos. It was repressed three years into the war (Cass. Dio 54.34.5; Tac. ann. 6.10). The Bessoi were still known for their barbarism in Roman imperial times and were continually recruited to redirect their manpower and ferocity against Rome’s enemies. In the 1st century AD, a rebellion rose out of resentment against the military service that was imposed by Rome against neighbouring tribes, probably lead by the Bessoi, described as ‘Thracian tribes, dwellers in the mountains’ (Tac. Ann. 3,38; 4,46ff.). The term ‘Bessi’ eventually became a synonym for Thracians in general (Iris Bredow, ‘Bessi, Bessoi’, in: DNP, Iord. Get. 75; Symeon Metaphrastes, PG 114, 505c).

The Bessian Swordsmen are equipped like the warriors on the Kazanlak tomb corridor painting, which is part of a large royal Thracian necropolis near the ancient polis of Seuthopolis. It is usually dated to the later Classical or early Hellenistic period (Meyboom, The Tomb of Kazanlak reconsidered (2010), p. 391). The warriors that are depicted carry thureoi and thureoi-like shields with the distinctive rib (which predate the Celtic invasion of 280 BC), curved swords (sicas) and two javelins, crested Chalcidian, Attic and Phrygian helmets, or kausia hats. Armour was not common at the time in Thrace, and none of the combatants wear it. The light equipment allows them to move fast and to quickly assault enemy lines.