African Exalted Spearmen translated to "Dorekim Afriqim Hiromim'
No words for 'elite' or 'chosen' survive thus the word 'ḥrm'/'exalted' has been supplemented.
This unit is the best that Carthaginian armies can offer. Veterans from many campaigns, they have followed the “Toma Mahnit” (Commander of the Army) for many years and are capable of great feats during the combat. They are the backbone of the Carthaginian battle lines pay back for every bit of trust invested in them by holding the center steady in the direst moments of battle. With their service time, and depending if they lived long enough, most of these have become Carthage’s most trusted veterans.
Having been victorious over Roman armies, this man wears a Gallic tunic and shoes, has a bronze Montefortino helmet, iron mail shirt (with a waist belt so that all the weight does not drag on the shoulders), strapped bronze greaves and a large scutum. All Roman loot.
History:
Hannibal's Libyans at Cannae were “veteran troops of long training”, says Frontinus, “for hardly anything but a trained army, responsive to every direction, can carry out this sort of tactic” (Strategemata, 2.3.7). He of course is referring to Hannibal's celebrated double envelopment. In other words, whatever they were before, subject levies or hired mercenaries, the Libyans were now professional soldiers serving in a private army, they were Hannibal African Veterans.
Polybios says (3.87.3, 114.1) that Hannibal issued his Libyans with Roman war gear plundered from the booty of the Trebbia and Lake Trasimene, and Livy notes (22.46.4) that thereafter they could easily have been mistaken for actual Romans, which suggests they wore the panoply of scutums, greaves and helmets and even their tunics to pass themselves off as Romans.
We could guess that Hannibal troops used the equipment from the Battle of Trasimene until the Battle of Zama (so around 15 years using it) and they would probably keep using it, if they had not been defeated at Zama…
Lastly, while many think that this African infantry unit only represents the one that served in Italy with Hannibal, we must remember that armies tend to help themselves to whatever they fancy from defeated enemies. Therefore, items of Roman armor would regularly appear in the Carthaginian ranks when circumstances allowed, so this unit is by no means limited to Hannibal veteran soldiers.
Extremely loyal and simply vicious in attack or defense, these men are a force of extremely well trained and motivated soldiers, at the top of their class, and can be relied upon in any situation.
Bonus image of the new carthaginian unit, Dorekim Afriqim Hiromim (Exalted African Infantry)WIP:
https://imgur.com/TC1DA4y
Barcid Revenge submod
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Originally Posted by Roma_Victrix
History+Gaming=Historical_Gameplay
