Silver Shield Swordsmen

Recruitment Cost 1,280
Upkeep Cost 200
Melee Attack 43
Weapon Damage 40
Bonus vs Infantry 2
Charge Bonus 27
Melee Defence 67
Armour 80
Health 65
Base Morale 70
Strengths & Weaknesses
  • Very good attack
  • Average defence
  • Average damage but low armour penetration
  • Good morale
Description

During his final years on campaign, Alexander the Great renamed his elite hypaspist infantrymen argyraspides or 'Silver Shields'. Following Alexander’s untimely death, his generals fought each other for territory and the enormous power that came with it. When the smoke cleared, the former 'commander-in-chief of the camp', Seleucus, controlled Babylon and several other eastern satrapies, proclaiming himself king in 306BC. His territory became known as the Seleucid Empire, and the Silver Shields formed the elite of its armies from the very beginning. Throughout most of their tenure they were equipped in the Macedonian fashion and trained for phalanx combat like their illustrious forebears. However, following their catastrophic defeat at Magnesia in 190BC by the Romans, the Seleucids began to re-model the Silver Shields on the impressive Roman legionaries who defeated them, certainly in equipment if not in tactics. It is thought that the 5000 men at the head of the Daphne Parade in 166BC were Silver Shields equipped in this way.

Requires
Buildings
Faction Availability