"Attalid Pergamene light horse" Topic

Hi guys, I'm currently trying to figure out what Pergamene light cavalry looked like, maybe someone can help me.

Was it like Tarantine cavalry or more like Seleucid city militia cavalry or maybe even of Galatian ethnic?

Thanks in advance

The ones that came with my TTG boxed army in the 90s looked like most other lights that I had at the time. Nothing really distinctive as I recall. It wasn't till I got a late Imperial Roman that I noticed a difference in the lights from earlier periods.

I should imagine that there is not a great deal of information that gives specifics when it comes to Pergamon.

You'd be forgiven for running Seleukid militia style light horse, Galatian or Thracian (hellenistic, not fox cap wearing) mercenaries or just generic Hellenistic horsemen with javelins.

Just checking Livy's description of the Pergamene cavalry at Magnesia:

"Beyond them [the legions] he placed rather less than 3,000 cavalry, 800 belonging to Eumenes…"

He's not giving much information away there.

Oh, and some more, same source, same battle:

regarding the Seleukid chariots, "Accordingly he [Eumenes] ordered the Cretan archers, the slingers and javelinmen, accompanied by some troops of cavalry, to rush out … and to hurl missiles…"

So clearly some troops of the cavalry were javelin-armed but no further details are given.

Models that look like late Hellenistic types will do…
xystophoroi would probably have armor, light cavalry would probably have round shields like Tarentines.

Soldiers on the reliefs are shown heroically naked or in fine looking tunics, with suitable late style Hellenistic helmets.

Hellenistic light cavalry

Pergamene cavalry

Thorax

Xystophoroi

link

Pergamene soldier

link

These Polematch figures take a stab at them:

link

JJ

Anything Hellenic would do and Seleucid stuff flavor is certainly allowed, given the link between the two states/empires.

It depends what you want you light horse to represent i.e skirmishers, light lancers etc.

The Aventine ones not wearing Pylos would be nice too.

TMP link