Kilikian Pirates

Looool,

Anyone remember those rediculous barechested, harpoon-throwing, ap axe-totting madmen from vanilla?

I was wondering if there is any historical basis of from them, or were they just a unit made by CA?

If they were real, who did they raid, and who employed them (if that is the case)

Well Kilikian pirates did exist and had also conquered Crete if I remember correctly. Pompey put an end to them

IIRC they were also a unit in RTR...
not sure though, so i guess there is something with them:D

Most likely the Cilicians in addition to Isaurians (tough sob's) will probably get their well-deserved units in EB2.

As a teammember wrote on internal forums "Isaurians & Cilicians will get some units slots, as severly underrepresented ethnicities".

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Originally Posted by Krusader

Most likely the Cilicians in addition to Isaurians (tough sob's) will probably get their well-deserved units in EB2.

As a teammember wrote on internal forums "Isaurians & Cilicians will get some units slots, as severly underrepresented ethnicities".

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These guys even had an importance in the Byzantine Empire, as well as the Mardaites (sp?). I'll be very happy to see them in EB2 if this is the case. :book:

Playing bare bones and Eb at moment both Pontus..in my bare bones one they are a main stay of my army,death dealing harpoon loonies!

The term for 'bare bones' is, I believe, 'vanilla'. Ya gotta speak the language, yo.

I rather liked those Kilikians though. It'll be nice to see them around again, though hopefully nastier (pseudo-Uazali?).

Those Cilician Pirates were great! I recruited them exclusively to use as my marine corp in a Selucid campaign. I had a half stack of them that would act as a quick reaction/raiding force throughout the Mediteranean. They fought everywhere, but sometimes they lost to cavalry and heavy infantry. Still, they were great, and they are one of the few "Vanilla" units I miss... I gotta get me one of those harpoons!

Cilician pirates, Rhodian slingers, and Arcani are the only Vanilla units I really miss. Please, bring those back, if they are historically correct. Except the Arcani, you´ve got to bring them back no matter what!

rhodian slingers will be back in 1.1 (see preview)

Arcani too

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Originally Posted by Vorian

Well Kilikian pirates did exist and had also conquered Crete if I remember correctly. Pompey put an end to them

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Well, "put an end" as in resettled them onto better farming land and probably took a goodly number into his clientage. Which mattered for his youngest son later on when he became the Mediterranean's de facto pirate king.

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Originally Posted by QuintusSertorius

Well, "put an end" as in resettled them onto better farming land and probably took a goodly number into his clientage. Which mattered for his youngest son later on when he became the Mediterranean's de facto pirate king.

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I didn't know that. Can you give me a link (I only have wiki and my own knowledge I am afraid)


Remind me the first time I heard of Rome's pirate war was when I was 8 and read an Asterix book where Ceasar had brought the pirates to Rome in a triumph (I mean the regular ones, the red-hair captain with the old man who always spoke in Latin and the big black guy:laugh4: :laugh4: ) Oh, the memories of my childhood!

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Originally Posted by Vorian

I didn't know that. Can you give me a link (I only have wiki and my own knowledge I am afraid)

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Mentioned in Adrian Goldsworthy's In the Name of Rome, when talking about Pompey's campaign against the pirates in 67BC, using tactics which had worked against tribes in Spain. Although many pirates were actually settled in Cilicia (rather than being removed from there), with the settlement of Soli being renamed Pompeiopolis. He references Appian and Plutarch.

Ahhh, intriguing indeed.

Well in a side note, what weapons and gear would they have used? I'm pretty sure they werent "handed out" weaponry, so would it be the usual weapons of the area like the celtic longswords or tabar axes?

Would they run around like shirtless madmen to try and show their bravery?

Would they actually use harpoons and stab people with those pointy, pointy, death dealing sticks? (was the harpoon even invented yet?)

Or were they just levies, who raided the coasts in small barges like some other pirates at the time, or did they actually have small fleets of triremes?

Harpoons date back to Stone Age, so they were most definitely known. I rather imagine people normally used good old throwing-spears instead for fighting though.

Wasn't the good old bireme or some similar design (don't out of hand remember what exactly those "lemboi" ships the description says the Illyrian favoured for piratical activities were like) the pirate ship par excellence of the period ?

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Originally Posted by Watchman

Harpoons date back to Stone Age, so they were most definitely known. I rather imagine people normally used good old throwing-spears instead for fighting though.

Wasn't the good old bireme or some similar design (don't out of hand remember what exactly those "lemboi" ships the description says the Illyrian favoured for piratical activities were like) the pirate ship par excellence of the period ?

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From what information I have, Pentekonters were the favored pirate ship of choice in the eastern Mediterranean, at least.

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Originally Posted by Watchman

Harpoons date back to Stone Age, so they were most definitely known. I rather imagine people normally used good old throwing-spears instead for fighting though.

Wasn't the good old bireme or some similar design (don't out of hand remember what exactly those "lemboi" ships the description says the Illyrian favoured for piratical activities were like) the pirate ship par excellence of the period ?

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Liburnian?

Damned if I remember. Something light, fast and cost-effective anyway no doubt, as canny people in that profession have always liked it.

I'm happy to know that the cilician will be more represented in EB2. :2thumbsup: