Hi guys,
After finishing several armies over the years, I’ve decided to start a new 28mm project, one that bridges my love for Roman history and the dramatic story of Palmyra’s rise and fall.
This time, I’m building a mixed Roman–Palmyrene army from the mid–3rd century, representing the forces of Odaenathus of Palmyra in his campaigns against the Sassanid Persians, and later, those of Queen Zenobia and General Zabdas during their rebellion against Aurelian’s Roman Empire (circa 260–272 AD).
It’s a fascinating period: the Roman East in turmoil, after the capture of Valerian... legions mixing with desert cavalry, cataphracts, Camels and archers from the great caravan city of Palmyra. The project lets me explore both sides of this conflict, since I already have a painted Sassanid army and a half–finished Roman force from the 3rd century, perfect opponents for the new troops.
The miniatures come mainly from A&A miniatures, Wargames Atlantic, both in plastic (Romans) and 3D resin, with some excellent additions from Blitzkrieg Miniatures. I plan to base them for Hail Caesar and Impetus, two of my favorite rulesets for large ancient battles.
The plan is to build the Palmyrene army in stages , starting with the Romanized core under Odaenathus, then expanding into the later “Empire of the East” phase under Zenobia, with more Eastern cavalry, archers, and cataphracts.
I hope to see both armies clashing on the tabletop soon.
