"Painting Slav Warriors - Period 500 to 700 AD" Topic

I have recently been playing an online campaign with some friends set in the year 715 AD. I volunteered to play the Slavs, who fired up my interest in that period and army. Reading up about the Slavs also got me involved in reading about the Lombards, Alemanni, Goths and Merovingian Franks in the preceding centuries.

But it appears uniform books/guides for the Slavs are slim pickings. I did locate these two guides, they seem to be in sync with each other.

Warriors of Eurasia: From the VIII Century BC to the XVII Century AD Paperback – September, 1995 by Mikhael V. Gorelik

ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL ARMIES OF THE WORLD – DBA 220 PAINTED ARMIES HYSTOPEDIA

Specifically I was trying to locate more information for the period 620 through 658 AD, when Samo led the Slavs to independence. The Battle of Wogastisburg does not have much information about it at all, where Samo beat the Franks under Dagobert I.

I would like to go through my figure collection for figures which could be used as Slavs, and also go through various manufacturers for figures which could also be used as Slavs. Germans and Goths seem close in appearance. But I would like to line up proper paint schemes prior to examining figs and/or acquiring more!

I would welcome any help locating more information about this period from you ladies and gentlemen, maybe more precise painting guides so I can properly paint up this new army. Most of my collection is in 25-28mm scale, so those would be the figures I'd be painting up.

Thanks!

Alas, I'm not aware of any such painting guides for such an obscure topic. I've got the Gorelik book too, which helps.

My google-fu came up with this
link

although a lot are simply stolen scans of the Gorelik book.

The off-white tunic which is the traditional dress across modern Slavic countries is a good model. IIRC, there is surviving decoration from neck, hem and sleeves so the better off could have these.

While a load of whiteish linen tunics doesn't sound very interesting, they do look good en masse.

"While a load of whiteish linen tunics doesn't sound very interesting, they do look good en masse."

And like the Austrian of a later era…they paint easily.

I think I'll be having a lot of "soiled" linen clothes for them! Not bright white, but some various off white shades. From what I'm getting, this period they had most round shields too, not the rectangular or teardrop style. But they did scavenge battlefields and raid, so……..they could have most anything!

Thanks Gents!

I've seen those before, I dig the Rus princes best