Carthaginian phalanx?

[Marcus Claudius Marcellus]

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Did they have these historically? I've never heard any mention of them.

[JaM]

Yes, Carthagians also deployed phalanxes as their elite units. Anyway usually they relied on mercenaries, therefore majority of their armies were composed of Iberian and Gallic mercenaries/allies.

[[N2]Kami]

Sacred band :-?

[Marcus Claudius Marcellus]

Sacred band :-?

I assumed the Sacred Band fought in a Hoplite phalanx, similar to the picture CA released for the faction previews. Not a Macedonian style phalanx with Sarissa?

[Greve Af Göteborg]

I believe that the Punic core (which was a minority when it comes to Carthage's military force) used mainly the phalanx combat style together with lighter infantry types from iberia, good skirmishing cavalry from numidia and gallic and greek heavier infantry. Don't know if they used the Greek or Macedonian phalanx, maybe they used the Macedonian style more since they were allied to Macedon?

[Markas]

Traditionally Carthaginian citizens of the higher ranks fought in a Hoplite style influenced from their fights with Syracuse. In around 255 BC a mercenary named Xanphippus re-organized the forces around a Macedonian model with a citizen pike phalanx in the centre. As Carthaginian citizen soldiers did not to my knowledge serve overseas, they were restricted to North Africa.

[Marcus Claudius Marcellus]

Traditionally Carthaginian citizens of the higher ranks fought in a Hoplite style influenced from their fights with Syracuse. In around 255 BC a mercenary named Xanphippus re-organized the forces around a Macedonian model with a citizen pike phalanx in the centre. As Carthaginian citizen soldiers did not to my knowledge serve overseas, they were restricted to North Africa.

I've read about Xanthippus before, but I didn't know he re-modeled them into a pike phalanx, very interesting, thanks Markas!

[Oplitis]

I've read about Xanthippus before, but I didn't know he re-modeled them into a pike phalanx, very interesting, thanks Markas!

For Xanthippos: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthippus_of_Carthage

[Dan113112]

Traditionally Carthaginian citizens of the higher ranks fought in a Hoplite style influenced from their fights with Syracuse. In around 255 BC a mercenary named Xanphippus re-organized the forces around a Macedonian model with a citizen pike phalanx in the centre. As Carthaginian citizen soldiers did not to my knowledge serve overseas, they were restricted to North Africa.

In RTR 6.0, Carthage had Macedonian styled units.

[Keyser]

Traditionally Carthaginian citizens of the higher ranks fought in a Hoplite style influenced from their fights with Syracuse. In around 255 BC a mercenary named Xanphippus re-organized the forces around a Macedonian model with a citizen pike phalanx in the centre. As Carthaginian citizen soldiers did not to my knowledge serve overseas, they were restricted to North Africa.

Is the mention of Xanthipus equiping the punic levies in the macedonian style mentionned in Tite Live ?

It's certainly not in Polybe, so i wonder where that comes from...

Polybe included the carthaginian army among the phalanx users in its famous comparison of the the roman legion witht the phalanx, but he didn't use "phalanx" in the sense of "macedonian phalanx", more in the usual sense (compact mass of men, probably spear armed).

The notion that the "african" troops used pike is highly debatable and i would say it goes contrary to many implicit references in Polybe.

Edit

@Xanthippus (lol nice name for the discussion)

But aren't those archeological sources actually quite limited and arguable ?

[Anna_Gein]

The Carthaginian equipment is still extremely mysterious to us.

I remember discussion about what was supposed to be the "longche" spear considering the conflicting descibtion of it by the same author. You are left to wonder if it isn't at least two different weapon and if it wasn't name for a cultural meaning.

Though I don't think Punic soldiers from the punic war used sarissa. Certainly not Hannibal's troops from the second punic war due to their supposed re-equipment. And the first punic soldiers were fighting as classical hoplite. But I understand from where CA decision come from for this.

On a side note I guess it means that the Easterner corner of the map will spam armies of pikemen upon armies of pikemen if even the Western Mediterranean world has them.

[Archilles]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Did they have these historically? I've never heard any mention of them.

Where is that screen from?!?

[Marcus Claudius Marcellus]

Where is that screen from?!?

The Total War Facebook page.

[Archilles]

Thanks! Looks good

[JaM]

i believe in EB they were called "Silver Shields"

[tomux7]

i believe in EB they were called "Silver Shields"

Isn't that Seleucid elite unit?

[Lockcaps]

Should be pointed out aswell that the unit in the picture could be mercenaries.

[smoke]

I'm really curious about what the Sacred Band looks like, I thought they looked amazing in Rome I.

[Markas]

The Sacred Band are presumed (historically) to be defunct around game start but there's no reason not to have them near the top of the tech tree, as they were reformed a few times. Their destruction at the hands of the Syracusians presumably led to the customs forbidding Carthaginian citizens to serve abroad except as Commanders (being of wealthy families someone may have realized it was not conducive to have the future political leadership of Carthage getting skewered on the battlefield).

[Smiling Hetairoi]

Didn't EB have a unit of Carthaginian phalangites? And wasn't it later proved that they were not sarisa but spears used for ship combat?