Unit Browser for RTR: Imperium Surrectum

Short description

Heavy infantry of the Dacians.

Description

Burebista, the first who united the Dacian tribes, had an army of 200,000 men. He drove the Celtic Taurisci, Scordisci and Boii westwards, away from Dacian lands and conquered the Greek ports of Pontus Euxinus (from Apollonia to Olbia). All Dacian men had bows with poisoned arrows and war knives. Even priests joined battles armed with a spear and a bow. Many of Burebista's men were the inexperienced comati but he also had well trained troops comprised of professional soldiers that could be trusted to stand their ground and win the battle. Akantion Heavy Infantry consists of experienced soldiers and even nobles and wealthy people. In ancient Dacia it seems soldiers had a higher status than the common comati people. Many afforded iron or bronze helmets and had leather armour and even chainmail or scalemail armour. They wielded the well-known akantion spear which measured between 2.5 and 3 m and had an up to 50 cm blade.

This unit is to be avoided by cavalry, unless it's an attack from the rear, or mopping up routing units. These warriors had iron sleeves attached to the bottom of their spears to aid in bracing them against the ground, should foolhardy horsemen attempt a frontal assault. An extremely versatile, heavy spear infantry that most likely formed part of the Dacian standing army used to defend fortified strongholds. They also have the sica short sword or even a larger variant of the sica: the single-handed falx. The specific sickle shape concentrated the weapon's entire weight and, with it, the entire penetration force in the weapon's point, an assembly of factors that made a weapon whose maximum action was represented by the intense striking and cutting. These traits made it extremely dangerous, even when the enemy was protected by armour, a shield and a helmet. Potential injuries (cuts, splits) depended mostly on the intensity of the strike, on the experience of the striker, on the angle of incidence, but also on the part of the body that was affected. In the case of great amplitude strikes the ineptitude force, given by the weapon and arm's weight, interfered.

Akantion Heavy Infantry used the peltas oval shield for protection. Dacian infantry formations were a triangle for offensive manoeuvres against phalanx and Roman cohorts and horseshoe formation for defence. These spearmen had the role to protect flank attacks from enemy cavalry and allow the more offensive and versatile elite troops made from falxmen and the fearsome and obscure wolf warriors to bring terror and rout the enemy forces. They were protected by lighter troops armed with bows, slings and javelins.