Society of Ancients

The Society of Ancients (SoA) is an international, non-profit organization[1] based in the UK that aims to promote interest in Ancient & Medieval history and wargaming, covering the periods from 3000BC to 1500AD.

The Society

The Society publishes a bi-monthly journal entitled Slingshot. Membership proceeds are used, among other things, to fund the publication of the magazine and to sponsor wargames competitions which fall within the society's remit. The Society commonly has a presence at large conventions across the UK and overseas.

Founded in 1965 by Tony Bath, the Society started with 20 members.[2] During the next decade it increased in membership by at least 50% every year.[3] Since then its growth has continued - currently it has a worldwide membership of more than 1200. Early members included the actor Deryck Guyler (who served as president of the society[4]), the academic George Gush, Tony Bath and Phil Barker, co-creator of the many sets of rules published by WRG including the De Bellis Antiquitatis wargames rules.

The society concentrates on historical wargaming - a decision to exclude fantasy was made around ten years after it was founded.[5] Among other events it has organized one-day events where a single historical battle is re-enacted using a number of different rulesets. These battles have included Gaugamela, the Sambre, Cynoscephalae,[6] Kadesh, Zama and Plataea.[1][7]

Slingshot
Slingshots from 2009 and 1992

The society publishes a bi-monthly journal, "Slingshot".[8] It has been described as the periodical of most interest to ancient Wargamers.[9] Some of the articles are quite technical - ancient military maneuvers, ancient arms and armor and similar, as well as material specifically about wargaming, such as rules and war game reports.[3] It is occasionally referenced in academic publications.[10][11] Contributing writers include noted historians such as Adrian Goldsworthy [12] and Boris Rankov.[13] Other professional historians who have written for Slingshot include Philip Sabin, Matthew Bennett, Guy Halsall, Paddy Griffith, Nigel Tallis and Steve Badsey. Other contributors have become published authors, either before, or subsequently to their contributions. The magazine has also carried material written by notable games designers (for example, Phil Barker, Richard Bodley Scott, Jervis Johnson, Rick Priestley and Neil Thomas).

Initially, Slingshot was edited by Tony Bath and indeed was produced by him with the help of his wife using a borrowed duplicator. When this fell through, Tony Bath was able to purchase cheaply a spirit duplicator with which it was produced from May 1965.[14] From March 1969 it has been commercially printed.[15]

Other Publications

The Society has also published a number of wargames with ancient or medieval themes, including:

  • Gladiolus (1992), a card-based game of gladiatorial single combat.[16]
  • Legion (1997), a board game that simulates ancient battle on a hex grid.[17]
  • Lytel GuÞan (1999), a skirmish game for Dark Ages Britain.[18]
  • The Saxon Shore is Burning (2002, revised edition 2018), a strategic game of the so-called Barbarian Conspiracy against Roman Britain of AD 367.[19]

External References to the Society

Almost since the Society's inception, it has been a commonplace for books about ancient and medieval wargaming, and relevant rule sets, to mention the society. Examples of wargaming books include:

Examples of wargaming rule sets which reference the society include:

References
  1. Wargames Illustrated August 2012 p48
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-06-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. The Ancient Wargame Charles Grant p151
  4. Harry Pearson in 'Achtung Schweinehund' p.130
  5. Tony Bath's Ancient Wargaming, Ed John Curry, 2009, p219
  6. Lost Battles, Philip Sabin p248
  7. "List of Battle Days at the Society website". Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  8. "Warhammer Ancient Battles, Wargames in the Ancient World", 1998, p144
  9. Hannibal and the Punic Wars, Warhammer Historical, p110
  10. e.g. Sabin in The second Punic war: a reappraisal (London 1996) p67 and p73.
  11. e.g. The Face of Roman Battle, Philip Sabin, The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 90 (2000), p4
  12. Slingshot issues 185, 186, 197, 199, 213, 218, 220, 223, 252
  13. Slingshot 257
  14. Slingshot Issue 5
  15. Slingshot Issue 16, page 1
  16. BoardGameGeek entry for Gladiolus
  17. BoardGameGeek entry for Legion
  18. BoardGameGeek entry for Lytel GuÞan
  19. BoardGameGeek entry for The Saxon Shore is Burning
  20. The Ancient War Game, by Charles Grant (published by Adam and Charles Black, 1974), devotes an entire Appendix to the SoA, starting on page 151: “No book concerning itself with ancient wargaming could be complete without a reference to the Society of Ancients, the organisation which concerns itself with the study of military history in the ancient and medieval periods and with wargaming in the same epochs”.
  21. Ancient Wargaming, by Phil Barker, page 64 (published by Patrick Stephens Ltd./Airfix, 1975) - “All ancient wargamers benefit by belonging to the Society of Ancients, who publish the bi-monthly journal Slingshot, which is essential reading”.
  22. Introduction to Battle Gaming, by Terence Wise, page 157 (published by Model and Allied Publications Ltd., 1969).
  23. Wargames Through the Ages, 3000BC to 1500AD, by Donald Featherstone, page 17 (Stanley Paul, 1972): “the Society of Ancients … are the most enthusiastic and well-informed body of international wargamers specialising in the Ancient and Medieval periods. Membership of this Society should be a top priority for any wargamer interested in the period”.
  24. De Bellis Antiquitatis by Phil Barker, page 52 (version 2.2, published by Wargames Research Group, 2004)
  25. De Bellis Multitudinis, by Phil Barker, page 27 (version 3.0, published by Wargames Research Group, 2000) - “a long established world-wide society for all interested in ancient and medieval warfare”.
  26. Warhammer Ancient Battles, by Jervis Johnson, Rick Priestley, Alan and Michael Perry, page 144 (latest edition published by Games Workshop 2005, from which this reference is taken; original version published 1998). The SoA is mentioned alongside the Lance and Longbow Society: “If you’re seriously into ancient and medieval wargaming then you really should be a member of these two societies. Their respective bi-monthly publications, Slingshot and Hobilar are gold mines of ideas and inspiration!”. Other WAB supplements which use similar references, all published by Games Workshop, include: Alexander the Great, by Jeff Jonas (p. 127, 2003); Siege and Conquest, by Guy Bowers (p. 144, 2007); The Age of Arthur, by Steve Jones and James Morris (p 144, 2007); The Art of War, by John Kersey (p. 144, 2007); Hannibal and the Punic Wars, by Allen E. Curtis (p. 112, 2005); Spartacus, by Simon Brown (p. 47, 2004); Fall of the West, by John Lambshead and Leslie Newsom (p. 80, 2002); Byzantium: Beyond the Golden Gate, by Heine Baekkelund (p. 128, 2005); El Cid, by James Morris (p. 64, 2003).
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