During the Third Century, the Roman Empire was in an awful mess - a mess which nearly brought about its end on more than one occasion.
Just to set the scene, during the period we will call the Third Century (roughly 197 - 274 AD) there were about thirty emperors of varying degrees of legitimacy, and many more usurpers and would-be emperors. The average reign of an emperor in this period was under three years. Septimius Severus died naturally (in York); Decius (AD249-51) died fighting the Goths; Valerianus (AD253-60) was captured by the Sassanid Persians, used as a mounting block by their king, and then, supposedly, skinned alive; Claudius II (AD268-70) died of the plague. Apart from those exceptions, all emperors and most usurpers met their deaths by assassination or during civil war.
This sort of internal strife was almost bound to invite interest from external forces, presumably hoping that they could profit from Rome's discomfort. Not only that, but it would appear that the nature of the external threat had changed. On the Rhine and Danube frontiers, the threat from the old tribal rulers had been supplanted by the movement of whole nations. In the East the fairly benign Arsacid Parthian dynasty was overthrown early in the Third Century by the much more dynamic, expansionist, and threatening Sassanian Empire. The latter was probably the most serious, credible, threat to Rome’s Empire at this time - indeed at any time - and it is this intermittent conflict between these two ‘super-powers’ that has attracted me.
The Roman army underwent a sea change during this period. It began with the legionaries looking very similar to those we all consider to be the ‘classic’ Roman legionary, but the soldier emerging from the evidentiary mists of the Third Century and marching into the Fourth Century was a very different animal - almost unrecognisable from what had gone before. I’m concentrating somewhere in the middle of the century - the men are similar, but different enough in appearance to be interesting when considered alongside the classic legionaries of the First and Second Centuries, and those of the later Empire.
Most of the models for both sides will be from A&A Miniatures, with a few Sassanids from Gripping Beast. For Third Century Romans A&A are the only manufacturer with a comprehensive range. As has become usual, the figures will be primed white, have nice bright base colours painted on, and will then be painted over with Army Painter Quick Shade 'Strong Tone' to provide shading. Shield transfers are from Little Big Men Studios.
Photos of the first unit for my Third Century Roman army are here.