Battle of Dun Nechtain 685

 Wikipedia on this battle between Northumbrians and Picts

Pictish symbol stone depicting what was once generally accepted to be the battle

The Winter King filming wraps

 The adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's Arthurian novel series has finished filming. Details of the cast and so forth here

Armies of the Late Roman Empire AD 284 to 476: History, Organization and Uniforms (Armies of the Past)

 Amazon has a look inside. I had not heard of this book before the comment by Peter. Anyone read it? 

Khurasan 15mm late Roman

 https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/lateroman.html. Sculpted by Clibinarium who also sculpted Pendraken's 10mm range

Late Roman

 

Picturesque setting. Don't know whose photo it is. Caption says

Comitatensis elite Roman soldier on the northern Rhine limes, IV century

Victrix late Roman infantry

 unarmoured are available

https://www.victrixlimited.com/collections/late-romans/products/late-roman-unarmoured-infantry?variant=40080855498851

Also see their forthcoming late Roman armoured infantry here

Victrix late Roman command

Roman soldiers 4th century by Igor Dzis

 

Intercisa helmets

 Article on the Intercisa helmet. They have this image which I haven't seen before. Detail of a fresco in the catacombs of San Giovanni in Syracuse ...

https://magister-militum.co.uk/blog/intercisa-helmets

Foundry Arthurian

 A small but interesting range here. 28mm

Budapest helmet

 

A richly decorated helmet. Here.

Also see here where the image is from

Gripping Beast

 This is a 28mm range that has been flying the flag for the Dark Ages for some time.

https://www.grippingbeast.co.uk/

https://www.grippingbeast.co.uk/Age_of_Arthur--category--63.html

Dux Bellorum rules

 

Written by the author of Glutter of Ravens. Review here

The Dark Age of Britain, from the middle of the 4th century to the end of the 8th, was a time of violence and warfare, when charismatic warlords such as the fabled King Arthur could gather together armies and carve out their own kingdoms. With this new set of wargames rules, players can take on the role of these warlords and command their own armies on the tabletop. Written by the author of the popular Glutter of Ravens rules set, Dux Bellorum is an element-based system, where each base of figures represents 50 fighting men. Each player has a specific number of points with which to construct his force and can choose to a Late Roman, Romano-British, Welsh, Saxon, Pictish, Irish, or Sea Raider army. The game is then played out following a set of simple, fast-paced rules. A completely self-contained gaming system, Dux Bellorum is perfect for gamers who are looking for a way into fighting Dark Age battles without investing a lot of time or money in larger rulesets.

From the playtest introduction:

Dux Bellorum is an Arthurian-era Dark Ages wargame, set in the period from the mid fourth century AD to the end of the eighth century AD. The rules emphasise the influence an army’s commander has on his units, with simple manoeuvre rules and chaotic, swirling close combat. You'll win by inspiring the right troops at the right time, balancing quality versus quantity in your army, and by finding a sprinkling of luck at the right time.

All distances are given in Base Widths, which allows the game to be used with any scale of miniature based in many different ways. An army usually has 6-12 units, and each unit is rated for Aggression (Attacks), Protection (Defence), and Cohesion (Strength) and is trained either as Shieldwall, Warriors, Riders, or Skirmishers (all of which operate differently in the game).

Dux Bellorum armies are selected from following lists: Late Roman, Romano-British, Welsh, Saxon, Pictish, Irish, Land Raider, Sea Raider.

THE AGE OF ARTHUR: WARFARE IN THE BRITISH DARK AGES, 400 AD - 800 AD: WARHAMMER HISTORICAL

 The Age of Arthur – Warfare in the British Dark Ages 400 AD – 800 AD is a source book for Warhammer Ancient Battles.

Cover art Jon Hodgson. See more of his work on Deviant art

This exciting period of British history saw the foundations of England, Scotland and Wales laid down by the warring Saxons, Romano-Britons, Welsh, Irish and Picts.

Arthur himself may have led British resistance against the Saxons, but this supplement also focuses on the other great warlords of the age – including Cadwallon of Gwynedd, Vortigern of the Britons, and Ecgfrith of Northumbria – and their warbands.

This source book contains a suggested historical overview and chronology of the period, as well as 19 detailed army lists featuring:

The Romano-British Civitates – including the armies of Vortigern, Ambrosius and the Bretons.

The British and Welsh Kingdoms – including the kingdoms of Gododdin, Gwynedd, Strathclyde and Dumnonia.

The Saxons – including Saxon raiders as well as the kingdoms of the Heptarchy.

The Franks – the armies of the early Merovingians.

The Picts – including the Northern and Southern Picts, and the enigmatic Attecotti.

The Scots-Irish – including Irish raiders and the kingdoms of Dalriada and Ireland.

There is also a section on wargaming Arthur in history for those who wish to use the great hero in their armies! Accompanying each of the army lists are suggestions for collecting, painting and wargaming with the various armies that fought in Dark Age Briton.

Other resources include a full colour section portraying the armies of the time and a wealth of illustrations and maps.

This book contains 15 exciting scenarios and two full campaigns – Mount Badon and the Raiding Season – to help you recreate the atmosphere of early medieval warfare – The Age of Arthur.

Pendraken 10mm late Roman

 "We've added painted images to our full Late Roman range, sculpted by Clibinarium and painted by Chris Grau!  Head over and take a look here: 

https://www.pendraken.co.uk/late-roman-547-c.asp "

Armae late Roman helmets

 Here for a fine range of helmets. Prices seem good. 

King Arthur Man or Myth

 This 2020 book by the same author as the below title. The good news is my library has a copy.

The book is an investigation of the evidence for King Arthur based on the earliest written sources rather than later myths and legends. The evidence is laid out in a chronological order starting from Roman Britain and shows how the legend evolved and at what point concepts such as Camelot, excalibur and Merlin were added. It covers the historical records from the end of Roman Britain using contemporary sources such as they are, from 400-800, including Gallic Chronicles, Gildas and Bede. It details the first written reference to Arthur in the Historia Brittonum c800 and the later Annales Cambriae in the tenth century showing the evolution of the legend in in later Welsh and French stories. The work differs from other books on the subject in not starting from or aiming at a specific person. It compares the possibility of Arthur being purely fictional with an historical figure alongside a list of possible suspects. The evidence is presented and the reader is invited to make up their own mind before a discussion of the Author's own assessment

The Early Anglo-Saxon Kings Tony Sullivan

 On Amazon.

The Early Anglo-Saxon Kings takes a new look at the adventus Saxonum, the arrival of the Saxons, recorded in the earliest literary sources. As the Roman provincial structure fragmented, new cultural identities emerged. In fifth century Britain whatever sense of pax Romana remained gave way to a war-band culture which dominated both Brythonic and Germanic peoples. Villas left abandoned were replaced by the mead-hall. These halls now rang with the songs and poems of bards and scops. Tales of famous battles such as mons Badonicus and Cattraeth filled the air. Out of the ashes of the former Roman diocese new kingdoms emerged. One major factor was the settlement of significant numbers of Germanic peoples in Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries. The first kings of these peoples are shrouded in legends and myth, such as the leaders of the first group of mercenaries, Hengest and Horsa, as well as Ælle of the South Saxons, Cerdic and Cynric and later Ceawlin of Wessex. The book takes the reader from the early-fifth century through to the mid-seventh century and the death of the last great pagan Anglo-Saxon king, Penda of Mercia. An entertaining journey across the landscape of Britain in search of battle-sites and burial-mounds, this book brings to life the world that produced Y Gododdin and Beowulf; a world that saw warlords and kings carve out new kingdoms from the carcass of post-Roman Britain.

Another image from Vergilius Romanus

 Source

Tunic 5th to 7th century from the Metropolitan Museum

" Tunics, worn by all levels of society, were the standard form of dress in Egypt and throughout the Mediterranean world in the Byzantine period. The neck opening of this tunic fragment is exquisitely decorated with finely detailed motifs embroidered into the whole. Extending front to back are clavi (bands) of double-headed axe heads alternating with floral motifs – pinecones extend onto the shoulders. The tunic is said to have come from Panopolis, a center of textile production in Egypt named for the classical god Pan, a member of the wine god Dionysos’ s retinue. The motifs may have been auspicious or related to the cult of Dionysos. The pinecones, representing prosperity and fertility, topped the god’s thyrsus, or staff. The double-headed axe was a symbol of Herakles, another associate of the god. "