Greetings…
Here is a lovely new book from Osprey that I snatched up as soon as I saw it…
https://www.ospreypublishing.com/uk/goths-ad-200700-9781472863065/The Goths, AD 200–700: : Elite Raffaele D’Amato Osprey Publishing
It’s a cracker… Full of excellent artwork and information…
All the usual Osprey fair… Easy to digest chapters covering the many phases of the Goth/Ostrogoth / Visigoth history….
It never dawned on me that when the Arab Conquest Armies crossed over from North Africa to Spain it was the Visigoths they fought first…
Now there would be a colourful collection…
The paper work has started to come through about my Cataract Surgery… So hopefully that is an indication that a date will indeed be set sooner rather than later…
I really want to paint toys…
All the best Aly
Good luck with the eye operation Aly! My optician says I'm about 12 months from referral with a six week wait then. You'll soon be painting more than me.
ReplyDeleteThank you David…
DeleteI don’t think I have ever painted more than you 🤣
All the best. Aly
Keeping my fingers crossed for a speedy resolution to your eye problem mate. Shame to see painting talent like yours sitting idle. No doubt once you’re fixed up you’ll be back at it, hammer and tongs.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mark…
DeleteI certainly have plenty of toys in the Lead Alp waiting for paint…
All the best. Aly
Here's hoping the eyes are better soon Aly.
ReplyDeleteNeil
Thank you Neil…
DeleteAll the best. Aly
Lovely looking book, best of luck with the surgery, I guess I was different as I had no problem seeing figures, it was just everything beyond 3' that was blurry!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
An excellent book indeed Iain…
DeleteFor me it’s the other way round… I am not to bad with the middle distance…
All the best. Aly
I've always found this proto-dark age period (of the Goths, et al) fascinating. Good to hear that there is some tangible evidence of activity towards getting your procedure.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a very interesting period… With lots of opportunities for colourful and unusual toys…
DeleteIt is indeed good to ‘see’ things moving along.
All the best. Aly
Hopefully your surgery date will be defined soon and the butterfly can be released again.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Mark…
DeleteThe butterfly is getting restless…
All the best. Aly
It does look interesting. Good luck with the surgery!
ReplyDeleteIt is a very interesting book…
DeleteI have an appointment for an appraisal in a few days…
So hopefully it won’t br too long…
All the best. Aly
Nice looking book Aly and I too hope everything proceeds well with your eye surgery.
ReplyDeleteI is indeed…
DeleteIt makes me want to paint more Goths….
Yet another reason to hope I get my eyes sorted sooner rather than later…
All the best. Aly
Interesting looking book and here's hoping your surgery takes place soon.
ReplyDeleteIt was well worth getting…
DeleteSooner would be a good thing…
All the best. Aly
I had this on pre-order for fathers day a very useful and interesting tome. Big problem I want to buy more figures now🙂
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed a useful little book…
DeleteYour not alone in being tempted to buy more toys…😁
All the best. Aly
PS. Good look on the eye op front!
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteA nice looking book and yes I like the idea of my Arabs fighting against Visigoths ! The very best of fortune with the eye surgery stuff and hopefully painting soon
ReplyDeleteI thought your butterfly would see a place to land Matt 😁🦋…
DeleteIt would certainly be a pretty game…
All the best. Aly
While the book is pretty, he is a bit fast and loose with some of the facts. That's one of the things that annoys me about his work. Simple things like saying they used fire hardened staves as missiles: they did, but only because one of the conditions of entry across the Roman Border was to surrender all current weapons. When the Romans turned treacherous, they made do with fire hardened staves because it was all they had. The text does not say that, but really makes you think they used them all the time. Secondly, he states that the Goths definitely had Horse Armour. They did not. He bases this on 2 sources quoted in the book. One is allegedly from a Scholarly article in a Journal on Roman Armour. I read the article, which did not mention Horse armour at all. The other is a quote I believe from the Delphi Edition of Procopius which states that there was an incursion into the Balkans of 150,000 (!) and all mounted Goths were armoured on armoured horses. The Greek translation actually reads armoured men on horses. That is not me being a rivet counter, just him being a poor historian.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, best of luck with the operation , Aly.
Your old acquaintance,
Neil Grant
Hi Neil…
DeleteIt’s been a while… How are things with you?
I certainly don’t think you are a ‘rivet counter’…
Much as I really like Osprey books I have always taken them as an introduction to a period/army /war/battle.
What I like about this book is it isn’t just showing the Goths as a bunch of hairy blokes covered in mud 😆
The pictures are nicely done and help to show that these people were skilled craftsmen as well as capable warriors….
The armoured horses are definitely a ‘thing’… I have seen the ‘half armoured’ look on a number of available figures…
It’s that strange cross over between interpretation and translation…
Armoured men riding horses…. Or is it Men riding armoured horses…. 150,000… Or just Lots and lots. 😁
The best thing is to not just rely on one book… this one is not a bad start though….
All the best. Aly
Doing OK. Been Living in France for 7 years now, retired for 8. I get to read an awful lot of history now, and , because I can't paint in the same detail I could 30 years ago, am painting more figures. Matt Bickley's Vikings just now...his figures are always a delight to paint. One of my hobbies is doing Army Lists (mostly medieval) for Simon Miller's "To the Strongest" rules which is why I do a lot of fact checking on stuff.
DeleteI know a few people who have retired to France… They all seem to be living very enjoyable lives…
DeleteMatt Bickley is a splendid sculptor… His figures are very paintable.
I particularly like the work he did for Claymore Castings.
I am always impressed by the number of figures and size of the To the Strongest games…
If only I had that kind of output…
All the best. Aly