Faction symbols

[abou]

Aedui - a wild boar - I remember it was a sacred animal of one celtic goddess

The wheel was also an important symbol, which is why it is present there.

AS - scales? do not know

It is an inverted anchor. A symbol attributed to Apollo and also a supposed birthmark on the inner thigh of the Seleukid kings. There's more, but I'm feeling a bit lazy.

Arverni - 2 hammers and a bowl ?

Hammers and a war drum. Associated with a particular god - Kahju is probably correct.

Bactria - leopard - sacred animal?

An animal from the region, but also associated with Dionysos. Plus, it adds some variety because we already have Thundering Zeus as a in-battle banner

Casse - triple spiral - common celtic symbol

Yup.

Epeiros - a dog, does it refer to molossian hounds?

Yup, Molosson housnd.

Getai - a serpent - sacred animal?

It is actually a windsock or draco. A common military standard. The same goes for the Sauromatae.

Hayasdan - 2 birds and sun/flower? I have seen it on a coin

Probably taken from a coin, but I bet that one of the Armenian guys could give a detailed explanation of its significance.

Kart-Hadast - a horse ?

Can't remember why exactly, but it is important.

KH - pegas why?

Pegasus was a common icon in Greek culture.

Lusotanans - ?

I'll leave this to the Lusotannan guys.

Makedonia - sun/star what does it mean?

Nobody really knows. It just seems to be a common symbol of the Makedonian dynasties.

Pahlava - gryph, common in their culture

I'll leave this to Ario, but I do believe it has been influenced by the 1st Persian empire.

Pontos - ?

Star and crescent moon. I believe it is common on Pontic coins.

Ptolemaioi - falcon - Hor(us)

Zeus' eagle, actually, and on almost every freaking coin they ever minted.

Romani - eagle of Jupiter

Bingo.

Saba - horned animal of unknown species ?

Ibex, which is common to the region.

Saka - idea came from some excaved Saka jewel?

Yup.

Sauromatae - funny lizard ?

Same as the Getai - draco.

Sweboz - horns ?

Bah, I read what it is somewhere in EBH, but I can't remember. Probably a Germanic symbol found somewhere. Reminds me more of the Klingon symbol than anything else.

[Andronikos]

Zeus' eagle, actually, and on almost every freaking coin they ever minted.

I believed that falcon was more important in egyptian culture than eagle as a symbol of Hor (Horus), protector of pharaohs and that Ptolemaics continued in worshiping him. Edfu is a temple of Horus and was built by them.
So they actually brought a cult of eagle from Greece? Interesting.

[Bootsiuv]

Well, it wasn't really the cult of an eagle, afaik. It was the worship of Zues, which, if I'm not mistaken, was eventually changed and integrated (like in many other places Alexandros conquered) to Zues-Amun, because Amun (Ra) was more akin with Zues in egyptian religion than Horus.

The eagle was a symbol of power associated with Zues, much like the thunderbolt. :)

[Imperator]

I live in Houston TX, and in the Houston Museum of Natural Science there was an exhibit on ancient Kazakhstani art. And guess what I saw there: some pretty Saka gold brooches and buckles- one of which looked EXACTLY like their current banner. That was pretty cool.

[Liberator]

Playing Makedonia since a while, I always thought their "sun/star" is the Phalanx or a sea of spears!

[The Persian Cataphract]

The Pahlavân symbol is actually a mythological winged lion completely based off the Ecbatana golden roundel which dates to the Achaemenid age; I was not around when this symbol was chosen for faction symbol, and at first may seem like an attribution of Achaemenid legacy to the Parthians, but the truth is that Iranian mythology persisted strongly, and with the largely Mithraist following among the original Parthians, many Iranian myths and legends were eventually passed down to the national epic of Iran as written by Ferdôwsî of Tûs.

The symbol could equally have been the Sên-Murv/Sîmurgh, Ahûrâ Mazdâ/Frâvahâr, Derafsh-i Kâvîyânîg, Crescent and sun of Mithras, a Persepolitan lotus, winged bull, a clan's crest or Bâskûch/Ghôrêd... But ultimately a winged lion found from the heart of Iran was chosen, representing Parthian ambition, legacy, inspiration, and power. No other symbol could represent these things all in the same time. With a background of a purple honeycomb pattern, the image is completed.

[Teutobod II]

The wheel was also an important symbol, which is why it is present there.
It is an inverted anchor. A symbol attributed to Apollo and also a supposed birthmark on the inner thigh of the Seleukid kings. There's more, but I'm feeling a bit lazy.
Hammers and a war drum. Associated with a particular god - Kahju is probably correct.
An animal from the region, but also associated with Dionysos. Plus, it adds some variety because we already have Thundering Zeus as a in-battle banner
Yup.
Yup, Molosson housnd.
It is actually a windsock or draco. A common military standard. The same goes for the Sauromatae.
Probably taken from a coin, but I bet that one of the Armenian guys could give a detailed explanation of its significance.
Can't remember why exactly, but it is important.
Pegasus was a common icon in Greek culture.
I'll leave this to the Lusotannan guys.
Nobody really knows. It just seems to be a common symbol of the Makedonian dynasties.
I'll leave this to Ario, but I do believe it has been influenced by the 1st Persian empire.
Star and crescent moon. I believe it is common on Pontic coins.
Zeus' eagle, actually, and on almost every freaking coin they ever minted.
Bingo.
Ibex, which is common to the region.
Yup.
Same as the Getai - draco.
Bah, I read what it is somewhere in EBH, but I can't remember. Probably a Germanic symbol found somewhere. Reminds me more of the Klingon symbol than anything else.

maybe they used something like the top symbol on the left speartip.
For obvious reasons EB didn´t use the swastica

http://www.swastika-info.com/de2/wor...3c09c6ea2e3c3f

[Anastasios Helios]

I'm guessing that the tree on the Carthagian symbol refers to the Cedars of Phoencia/Lebanon....and the horses, perhaps the Sacred Band?

[Axel JD]

The Lusotanan factions symbol looks suspiciously much like a Bronze Age sun wheel, which is very commonly found in southern Scandinavia and on the Iberian peninsula. The Saka symbol, though, looks very much like Scythian craftmanship, but I suppose the Saka adopted a similar style when they came across the remanants of the Scythian culture.

[KuKulzA]

The Lusotanan factions symbol looks suspiciously much like a Bronze Age sun wheel, which is very commonly found in southern Scandinavia and on the Iberian peninsula. The Saka symbol, though, looks very much like Scythian craftmanship, but I suppose the Saka adopted a similar style when they came across the remanants of the Scythian culture.

yes, the Nation Geographic once had a Scythian article and some of the stuff looks very similar to the Saka symbol

[Axel JD]

yes, the Nation Geographic once had a Scythian article and some of the stuff looks very similar to the Saka symbol

Ah, yes, I remember that article. It was something like two or three years ago, right? How much does that score on your average geek test, I wonder?

[KuKulzA]

Ah, yes, I remember that article. It was something like two or three years ago, right? How much does that score on your average geek test, I wonder?

no its not geeky... Scythian article was friggin cool

[Sarcasm]

The Lusotanan factions symbol looks suspiciously much like a Bronze Age sun wheel, which is very commonly found in southern Scandinavia and on the Iberian peninsula. The Saka symbol, though, looks very much like Scythian craftmanship, but I suppose the Saka adopted a similar style when they came across the remanants of the Scythian culture.

The Lusitani symbol is a common symbol that is found engraved in walls and steles in a number of Castra and Oppida north of the Tagus river. Dated from around the 3rd and 2nd century, so reasonably adequate, though not perfect.

[kekailoa]

maybe they used something like the top symbol on the left speartip.
For obvious reasons EB didn´t use the swastica

http://www.swastika-info.com/de2/wor...3c09c6ea2e3c3f

I was under the impression the swastica was a more Celtic symbol, and was adopted by the Germanic tribes because of the Celtic influence?

[||Lz3||]

I've always wondered what's epeiros' symbol... it looks like a weird...dog?

[Vorian]

I've always wondered what's epeiros' symbol... it looks like a weird...dog?

Molossian hounds were famous in Greece for being excellent guards and help in the hunt. They were used all over and it's said they were so big that battled with boars and kept away wolves and leopards.

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Plus they come from that region (Epeiros) *and* they are found, distinctively, on Epeirote poleis' coinage. It was that or a bearded face of Zeus (the one you see on the Epeirote general's or captain's standards) and we felt this was much more unique and appropriate.

[Hooahguy]

wow- i just boosted my history knowledge by a lot today- wow- i had no idea about the faction symbols- i knew they came from either gods or artifacts from their areas, but i had no idea the specifics!

[Reality=Chaos]

I was under the impression the swastica was a more Celtic symbol, and was adopted by the Germanic tribes because of the Celtic influence?

AFAIk the swatika is an Indian symbol that was during the nazi time attributed to the early germans and then adopted by the NSDAP

[Watchman]

Jeez. Your wiki-fu is weak, boys. *Extremely* widespread and popular symbol.
The Nazis were just poseur faggots who pilfered every cool thing they could find.

[Moros]

Well apparantly the Saba icon isn't really explained yet.
As abou said it's not just some horned animal, it's an ibex which weren't only common there it was also the animal of Almaqah (or in sabaic inscriptions: 'LMQH, 'LMQHW). This was the main god of the Sabaeans. But it was also the one thing that bound the Sabaeans and the other communities together. The god and temples of Almaqah which not only played an important role in Religion but also in politics, law,... It was almost the cement holding the Sabaean state together. Of course it being the animal and depiction of Almaqah it's the most common element in Sabaic art. From architecture, tools, stèles,...almost everything.

Hence the obvious choice.

[Andronikos]

Ok, so I googled a little and found this:

Sucellus was depicted carrying a long-handed hammer and a cauldron, suggesting that those who invoked his name, either ask him for protection or provision.

Arduinna was the Gallic goddess of the forest and hunting, which the Romans had identified her with Diana (Artemis). Arduinna had been depicted in art, riding on the back of a wild boar. She seemed to be popular around the Ardennes region.

I also found that the boar was a symbol of courage and popular design for coins. But didn't find anything about the wheel which sb told to be important.

[SwissBarbar]

Hammers and a war drum. Associated with a particular god - Kahju is probably correct.

Actually it's a cup and not a war drum