"Cyrus The Great War Tower? (15mm)" Topic

I'm putting together a Cyropaedic Achaemenid Persian army, using Khurasan's Achaemenids for most of the troops, but I'm having to look elsewhere for specialty items, like the Scythed Chariots and Cyrus the Great's War Tower.

I'm debating whether to buy a War Tower, or scratchbuild.

The only commercial models I'm aware of are by Essex and Black Hat (former Gladiator). The Essex one is nice, but is not quite what I'm after.

I was wondering what Black Hat's(formerly Gladiator's)Cyrus the Great War Tower looks like.

link

Does anyone have an pictures? Of, if you've seen it, would you mind describing it?

In any event, here a some interesting concepts of the War Tower:

And more fanciful:

There is also one from Magister Militum
link

Cyrus was indeed a great war tower. I'll miss Cyrus.

Starfiury: I'm asking about a Cyrus the Great War Tower, not necessarily Cyrus the Great's personal War Tower. Much like a Hussite War Wagon is not a Hussites' War Wagon. Don't grammar nazi me.

Ivan it looks like the 3rd picture down – slab sided

Mike

Not grammar naziing -- it was the first interpretation to pop into my mind, and since I have nothing relevant to add and poor impulse control, my post was born.

Such was the work of Abradatas; and when Cyrus saw his chariot with four poles, he conceived the idea that it was possible to make one even with eight poles, so as to move with eight yoke of oxen the lowest story of his movable towers; including the wheels, this portion was about three fathoms high from the ground. Moreover, when such towers were taken along with each division of the army, it seemed to him that they were a great help to his own phalanx and would occasion great loss to the ranks of the enemy. And on the different stories he constructed galleries also and battlements; and on each tower he stationed twenty men. Now when all the appurtenances of his towers were put together, he made an experiment of their draught; and the eight yoke of oxen drew the tower with the men upon it more easily than each individual yoke could draw its usual load of baggage; for the load of baggage was about twenty-five talents to the yoke; whereas the weight of the tower, on which the timbers were as thick as those of the tragic stage, together with the twenty men and their arms amounted to less than fifteen talents to each yoke of oxen. Inasmuch, therefore, as he found that the hauling of the towers was easy, he made ready to take them with the army, for he thought that seizing an advantage in time of war was at once safety and justice and happiness.

(Xenophon, Cyropaedia VI.1.52-54)

Understandably, some commercial models skimp on the eight yoke (presumably meaning 16 oxen) and 20 fighting crew.

Starfury: sorry I overreacted to a harmless post…

Thanks everyone for the helpful responses! The description from Xenophon sounds more like the tiered versions in the first two pictures I found.