"The best and bravest of Carthage trained to fight as hoplites"
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The Sacred Band were a phalanx of veteran spearmen, raised in Carthage, and trained and armoured in Greek hoplite fashion. They were unique in that they were drawn from the populace of the city itself, rather than being allies, levied subject peoples or mercenaries; these were the groups that normally made up Carthaginian armies. Chosen from the nobility and wealthy citizens, they were well trained and disciplined. Thanks to their social status they could afford the full panoply of hoplite armour: a bronze cuirass, greaves and helm, and a hoplon shield. In the case of the Sacred Band these were predominately white in colour. Armed with hoplite spears, tipped with an iron head and bronze butt-spike for balance, members of the Sacred Band also carried straight swords. Renowned for their valour, even in defeat, the Sacred Band was expected to fight to the last, and did so at the Battle of the Crimissus in 340BC. Their numbers never recovered and, in time, the pressure of Carthage’s wars with Rome meant that the Sacred Band was superseded by mercenary armies, paid for by Carthage's trading wealth. These armies still had small numbers of Carthaginian citizens and Liby-Phoenicians, but the Sacred Band of old was no more.

"Men able to afford and stable horses still need training in the arts of war."
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The scarcity of horses in some states, climate, and the tradition of infantry fighting meant many Hellenistic rulers used a limited number of horsemen in their armies. Although the various states undoubtedly organised their forces differently, Greek military manuals point to both heavily armoured and lighter skirmishing cavalry. The "hippeis" were the high ranking citizens who could afford to buy and keep horses, and they often served as a royal guard. Unlike their foot counterparts they continued to drill and practice in peacetime and took part in major processions and festivals.

The cavalry of the Aeotolian League was regarded as the best cavalry of the Hellenistic world, while the Achaean League’s horsemen were thought of as largely ineffectual. Generals would supplement their own cavalry forces with the more experienced and better skilled mercenary riders, along with horsemen from conquered states.

"These elite heavy pikemen, disciplined, well-armoured, and hard-faced, are a terror to face."
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Historically, the Macedonian phalanx innovated the use of the fearsome sarissa: a pike of up to 21 feet in length. First introduced to the army by Alexander the Great’s father, Phillip II, the sarissa was cumbersome but created an almost impregnable phalanx formation. Presenting a wall of pikes from five files of men, it protected more of the front ranks and created a much bigger killing zone than the traditional hoplite phalanx. Defensively, the Macedonian phalanx could not only withstand and repel any cavalry or infantry charge to the front, it could also deflect incoming arrows, as the back rows kept their pikes vertical until needed. Arrows were caught up in the raised pikes and fell harmlessly to the ground, where they could be repurposed by the deadly Cretan archers fielded to support the pikes. Thusly, the Macedonian attack, whilst slow-moving, could also be unstoppable: if coordinated and disciplined, it simply steamrollered its enemies from the field. Following his untimely death, the diadochi - Alexander's successors - continued to use and further refine pike phalanx combat.

"Those who are not awed are certainly very dead or very stupid."
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Varying in style, but not in purpose, palaces of local governors, satraps and royalty were power made manifest in stone. Whether based on earlier Persian designs, such as the administrative buildings and royal palace complex at Persepolis at the heart of the Achaemenid Empire, or constructed in Hellenic fashion by Alexander’s successors, such as the Seleucid palaces at Antioch, all these buildings were design to awe.

The palaces were also hives of activity, from which the day-to-day running of cities, provinces and kingdoms was orchestrated, and diplomacy, politics and wars were conducted and planned.

"A doorway beyond the mortal realm, and home to nymphs and lesser gods…"
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Trees were considered sacred by many cultures, and in ancient Greece groves were believed to be populated by nymphs and other minor deities. They were places of calm, shade, and divine protection. Only initiates were allowed near the trees, and animals were not allowed to graze within.

The most sacred grove in Greece was at Dodona, and dedicated to the Mother Goddess, the powerful earth goddess at the centre of nearly all ancient religions. According to Herodotus the site at Dodona had been used for thousands of years to foretell the future and seek advice. The initiated oracle would give answers to questions by watching the rustling leaves on the trees…