Qart-Hadasht
About the part of the Carthaginian army composed of proper carthaginian troops -not mercenaries- the argument is very complex
Even if Carthage always relied heavily on mercenaries, Carthaginans, Lybo-Phoenicians and Lybians always played a part in the military structure of the army.
If Lybians in the ancient period are mercenaries like Spaniards and Celts, with the expansion of Carthage in the African hinterland, gradually became a part of the Carthaginian society, and the term "Lybo-Phoenician" itself became something more variegated, inteded to define both carthaginian citizen or meteci of mixed heritage and Lybians fully influenced by carthaginian culture
At the battle of Crimissus (341 B.C.), within various groups of mercenaries, was deployed a force of "ten thousand hoplites with white shields, and for the splendour of their weapons, the measured and disciplined way of marching, were identified as Carthaginians" (Plutarch, Parallel Lives, Timoleon - 27).
Writing about the same battle, Diodorus named a particular unit of 2500 men, all from noble carthaginian families, that formed a "Sacred Battalion" or "Sacred Band" (X, 20, 6 and XVI, 80, 4), that have been connected with the theban hoplite battallion with the same name.
More or less one century afterward, the situation appeared not so different: even if finding the necessity to rely on the military counsel of the spartan Xantippus, it appears that him gave a better organization to the army, but didn't change basically its approach to the battle: at the Battle of Tunis, the Carthaginians were deployed in a phalanx formation, in the center of the army, distincted from the mercenaries units that were deployed on the right wing (Polybius, Histories, I, 33).
Obviously we can't be sure that the phalanx employed at the Battle of Tunis was a hellenistic phalanx or an hoplite phalanx, but the little carthaginian iconography we have for the period depicts a panoply that seems quite hoplitic.
However, even at the time of the First Punic War probably Carthaginian soldiers weren't only hoplites: at the battle of Adys, Carthaginian infantry was deployed on rough terrain where, Polybius states, other carthaginian corps, elephants and cavalry, would have been of no use, implying however that Carthaginian infantry was able to operate on rough terrain (Polyb. I, 30, 6-7).
That probably implies that at last some "thyreos-bearers" were already in use in the Carthaginian army in that period.
In any case, the real twist in the Carthaginian army probably occured during Hamilcar's occupation of Spain.
The iberian areas intersted by Carthaginian influence started to present an increasing number of thyreos shields, that in the Iberian and Turdetanian contest is heavily frequent, even over the local kind of shield, the round caetra.
A possibility is that in the necessity to enable his army to confront the Iberian hit-and-run warriors in their harsh context, in a specular and parallel manner of wich occurred to the Roman army during the occupation of the harsh Samnium, Hamilcar reform is army in more versatile and maneuverable ways.
As a matter of fact, when defining the tactical groups of the African veterans in barcids army, Appian and Polybius will use the word speirai, the same word that is used to describe roman maniples, or in general a maneuverable formation, in opposition to syntagma, that is used to define tactical groups of a phalanx.
Moreover, Polybius states that the gaulish king Braneus, helped Hannibal's men during the expedition toward the Alps, and "replaced all their old or worn weapons with new ones" (Pol. III, 49, 11), and also the Libyans and the Lybo-Phoenicians, according to both Polybius and Livy (Polyb. 3.87.3, 114.1; Liv. 22.46.4) at some point of the invasion of Italy were armed with the best Roman equipment looted from the battles of the Trebia and Trasimene, and this clearly states that they were accustomed to use a thyreos-like shield, and all that follows: being accustomed to a shock-and -charge tactic with heavy missile weapons followed by hand-to-hand combat with swords.
Looking onward, during the Third Punic War, when Carthage starts to rearm, they produced "Thyreos, Xyphos, Saunion (socketed-pilumlike javelin) and Longche" (Appian, Punike, 93), and in the list of the weapons that Carthage surrended to the Romans, are cited only throwing spears and javelin.
There is no reference at all about oplon or doru, and obviously no mention of sarissa pikes at all
The misconception of a Carthaginian army with an "African Hellenistic Pikemen Phalanx" is due to an infamous wrong traduction of Loeb, adopted also by Connely, of the term "Lonchophoroi" in Polybius, that was misinterpreted for a synonym of "sarissophoroi" and so translated like "pikemen".
The "longche" used by the Lybian and Lybo-Phoenician wasn't at all a sarissa, but a relatively short spear, with a broad head, used both for stabbing and as a throwing weapon, (Strabo, XVII.3.7), and moreover the the Lonchophoroi in specific weren't the African Veteran line infantry, but light, skirmish troops, paired with Balearic slingers and used in the rough terrain during the Trasimene ambush:
"Hannibal, coasting the lake and passing through the defile occupied himself the hill in front, encamping on it with his Spainards and Africans; his slingers and LONCHOPHOROI he brought round to the front by a detour and stationed them in an extended line under the hills to the left, he placed them in a continous line under the hills to the right of the defile, and similarly taking his cavalry and the Celts round the hills on the left, he placed them in a continuous line under these hills, so that the last of them were just at the entrance to the defile, lying between the hillside and the lake."
And more:
"When the Roman cavalry fell back and left the flanks of the infantry exposed, the Carthaginian LONCHOPHOROI and the Numidians in a body, dashing past their own troops that were in front of them, fell on the Romans from both flanks, damaging them severely and preventing them from dealing with the enemy in their front." (Polybius III, 73, 7)
The fact that Polybius use the term "Lonchophoroi" (lett. "spear-bearer") instead of "Akontistai" or "Psiloi", normally used in Greek to define skirmishers, is probably due to the huge versatility of Hannibal's light infantry, probably a mix of caetrati, Celtiberians and Lusitanians (Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, XXI, 57) and Lybians (the warrior depicted on Smirat's Relief in Tunisia, with round shield and spears/javelins, desc), equipped not only with missiles like falaricae (all of them) and soliferrea (the Spaniards), but even with a spear that could be used both for throwing and as a thrusting weapon (cfr. J. Lazenby, "Hannibal's War"), maybe te same "small broad-bladed longchai" that Strabo linked to some Lybian light troops (XVII.3.7).
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Base Troops:
Libyan Javelinemen (MERC for the first period)
Libyan Thyreophoroi Spearmen (MERC for the first period)
Libyan Levy Hoplitai (MERC for the first period)
Blastophoenician Militia
Carthaginian Citizen Levy Hoplitai
Carthaginian Mariners
Carthaginian Citizen Cavalry
Libophoenician Cavalry
Oscan Mistophoroi (MERC)
Apuani Warriors (MERC)
Celtic Swordsmen (MERC)
Celtic Skirmish Cavalry (MERC)
Numidian Skirmish Cavalry (MERC)
Iberian Caetrati (MERC)
Sardi Pellitti Militia (MERC)
Balearic Slingers (MERC)
Mauri Archers (MERC)
Hamilcar Reform Troops:
Libophoenician Thyreophoroi
Libophoenician Thorakitai
Celtiberian Cavalry (MERC)
Turdetani Scutarii (MERC)
Edetani Scutarii Spearmen (MERC)
Hannibalic Reform Troops:
African Veterans
Lonchophoroi (MERC)
Ilergete Scutarii (MERC)
Celtiberian Scutarii (MERC)
Cantabri Axemen (MERC)
Lusitanian Caetrati (MERC)
Oretani Warriors (MERC)
Carthaginian Citizen Levy Hoplitai
Relying traditionally on mercenaries, it was quite rare for Carthaginian citizens to go to war as a land troop.
Even if normally they tend to occupy command roles or were committed to form naval units, in particular cases of necessity it occurred that Carthage's citizen formed levy units on the battlefiled, as it happaned when Agatocles of Syracuse (308 B.C.) or Attilius Regulus (256 B.C.) put Carthage under siege, or during the Great Mercenary Mutiny after the I Punic War (240-238 B.C.).
The equipment used by Carthaginian Citizen levy, due to the strong influences from the Greek and Etruscan world, was hoplite-like, as testified by iconographical sources:
Adopted by Carthaginians in the VI sec B.C., however in our timeframe hoplitism has started to fade away... the Sacred Band, an elite hoplite phalanx formed by Carthage’s noblest youths in imitation of Theban Sacred Battalion is just a distant memory, and was never reformed after its destruction in 310 B.C. in battle against the tyrant of Syracuse Agathocles... being an emergency force, Carthaginian Citizen levy hoplites weren’t experienced soldiers.
Actually, the first time an almost all Carthaginian Citizen army won a victory on the battlefield was under the command of a foreign commander, the Spartan Xanthippus, in the Battle of Tunis against Attilius Regulus (255 B.C.).
A good friend and scholar of Xantippus, Hamilcares Barca also employed succesfully Carthaginian citizen troops during the Great Mercenary Mutiny.
Carthaginian Mariners
As said before, Carthaginian citizen in time of war usually occupied command positions and didn't fight as mass troops.
Nevertheless, if there it was a field in were Carthaginians achieved excellency, it was the naval one, and the crew of Carthaginian warships was highly probably formed by citizens.
We actually didn't know for sure how they were armed, but probably their equipment wasn't so distant from the common Carthaginian citizen hoplite, maybe without an oplon (heavy and cumbersome, so dangerous shield for someone fighting on a ship). We choose to equip the Carthaginian Mariners with the more little round pelta, and a bow, that even if wasn't a weapon widely used on land battlefields, its presence is testified among Carthaginian mariners from the Siege of Motya (398 B.C.) onward.
Carthaginian Citizen Cavalry
As per Carthaginian Hoplites, these are not experienced soldiers, but alas they could count on a very good and expensive equipment because they came from the higher ranks of Carthaginian citizens.
For shields they have been equipped with the hellenistic cavalry shield, round with the spina, depicted on Delphi's monument erected in honor of Aemilius paulus vitory at Pidna.
Carthaginian Elephants - Carthaginian Elephants with turret
The elephants employed by Carthage were a subspecie of the african elephant that now is extinct, Loxodonta africana pharaohensis.
Differently from his bigger cousin of the central Africa, Loxodonta pharaohensis was smaller, probably similar to the modern African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis), and was only 2,5 meters to the withers.
The little dimensions (compared to other elephants) spread the misconcept that carthaginian elephants were unable to bring a turret on their back, but recent studies and historical references testify that carthaginian war elephants were employed both with and without carring a turret (cfr. Hannibal, Elephants and turrets, IN SUDA 438 [POLYBIUS FR. 162])
Libyan Javelinemen
These skirmishers are recruited from the Libyan villages on north Africa that are under Carthaginian rule.
In ancient period Libyan are presented in classical records as mercenaries, and one of the leaders of the Great Mercenary Mutiny was a Libyan, Zarza.
But after the end of the revolt, tamed by Hamilcar Barca in 238 B.C., Libyans gradually became part of the social tissue of Carthage (even if the lowest, and always a peripheral one), and gradually their troops became a levy.
Silius Italicus in the Punica wrote about Libyan light troops wearing red robes and carrying light "parmae" shields.
The presence of coloured men is attested by iconography, but they aren’t actually coming from defined ethnic groups, but it’s highly more probable that “Libyan” communities had a mixed ethnic composition.
Remember that actually “Libya” wasn’t a term used in modern acception by Greeks and Romans, but actually was a quite generic term that initially defined all Saharian and costal Africa (With the exception of Egypt).
In our period however, “Libyans” was used more or less to define North African people most of all of berber stock and some coloured presence that were under direct Carthaginian rule.
Libyan Levy Hoplitai
These Libyan warriors are equipped in the fashion of their carthaginan masters, and as per Libyan Javelinemen, these troops are something between mercenaries and a forced levy from Libyan communities that are under Carthage’s sphere of influence, not very reliable and with poor morale.
As per other Libyan forces, presence of black people is attested, even if scarce.
Libyan Thyreophoroi
Even at the time of the Greco-Punic Wars, are attested some Libyan troops fighting not as skirmishers but also in a more ductile manner than hoplites.
Recruited among the Libyans that are under Carthage sphere of influence, these warriors fought with tall thyreos shield.
More maneuverable than hoplites, however, as for other Libyan levies these warriors aren’t very realiable.
Libophoenician Thyreophoroi
Libophoenician is a conventional term to identify the bulk of the variegated population of Carthage and other Carthaginian towns.
Actually it didn’t meant they were necessary all of mixed Libyan and Phoenician stock.
Ethnically they varied from actually sons of mixed marriages between Phoenicians and locals, or Phoenicians and Greeks or Italics or Etruscans that had settled in carthaginian areas as artisans or merchants, or again strongly punicized Libyans living in Carthaginian towns, or moreover Phoenicians from lesser African colonies (Adrumetum, Utica, Kerkouane) that didn’t benefit from full citizenship.
Thus, “Libophoenician” should been read more that a social status than an ethnic indication.
In fact, Libophoenicians, leaving some rare exceptions, were all Metoikoi, people living in the cities but not beneficing from full citizenship. Even if the bulk of them were merchants and artisans, even wealthy ones sometimes, they hadn’t vote right.
Also, while citizens didn’t pay any taxes, Metoikoi did, so they were actually the real “fuel” of the economy.
Being also the biggest part of Carthaginian population, and being without doubt more concerned of Carthage stability and wealth than the Libyans from the peripheral villages, they were an obvious choice to form reliable soldiers that weren’t mercenaries, a necessity that became urgent during and immediately after the Great Mercenary Mutiny in 240 B.C. : after dealing with the rebellious mercenaries, Hamilcar Barca, the father of Hannibal, head to Spain with a conspicuous army to consolidate and amplify Carthage’s dominion there, in an area that he thought was far away from Roman interest, have being Carthage beaten by Rome during the First Punic War.
In Spain Hamilcar reformed completely the Carthaginian Army.
He realized that hoplite phalanx was an obsolete form of warfare, too static, and also he realized that to confront the fast Iberian and Celtiberian fighters in their natural environment, full of mountains and hills, he had must to employ a more mobile troops in a more loose formation, more or less in the same way the Romans did to confront the Samnites in the mountains of Samnium.
Also, confronting Spaniards, he noted the importance of swordfighting, so he converted his Libophoenican warriors in swordsmen, training them in the use of Xyphos and Kopis sword (that actually was already part of their panoply, but was in reality rarely used due to hoplitic formation) and equipping them with also the Falcata (an Iberian interpretation of the Kopis) and equipping them with the more ductile thyreos shield instead of the oplon.
Libophoenician Thorakitai
Thorakitai are simply an heavy armored version of Thyreophoroi, equipped with chainmails, an armor that the Mediterranean people copied from the Celts.
As for the Hellenistic armies, Carthaginian too employed Thorakitai as elite shocktroops.
African Veterans
The long period of Carthaginian occupation of Spain gave Hannibal, Hamilcar’s son, the possibility to apprehend more about Spaniard military culture, and eventually employing some of its valuable instruments. In fact, Hannibal’s soldiers started to use, aside to Xiphos, Kopis and Falcata swords, the feared “Gladius Hispaniensis”, a straight sword of excellence used by Celtiberians, a very effective weapon, good both at slashing and piercing.
Also they start to use the falarica, an iberian javelin identical to the oscan Saunion, more or less an ancient version of the roman pilum.
Moreover, during the II Punic War, Hannibal re-equipped his Lybophoenician veteran soldiers with the weapons from the fallen Romans he beat at Ticinus, Trebia and Trasimene.
Even if chainmail was already used by Carthaginian Thorakitai, it wasn’t so common, so the chance to raid it from the fallen enemies was a great deal, and also, the Roman scutum was more convex than the Thyreos employed by the Carthaginians, and so gave a better protection.
However, these troops are to be intended as the maximum elite soldier of the period.
Not only they have an excellent equipment, but they also are veterans of incredible battles, and have been formed by one that was the best general of the known world.
Libophoenican Cavalry
Libophoenician Cavalry was a heavy melee cavalry made from metoikoi.
Even if normally Carthaginian armies relied on more ductile and light cavalry like the numidan, or medium and ductile cavalry like Gaulish and Celtiberian, sometimes these heavy horsemen were employed to confront enemy cavalries or occupy important strategical point, being obviously more reliable than mercenaries.
A figurine of a bareheaded cavalryman wearing a Hellenistic muscled plate cuirass carrying two light spears/javelins and a round shield with a rounded boss and raised rim has been identified by Duncan Head as a Liby-Phoenician cavalryman. (Daly, pp.91) If this is true, they would have also carried a curved slashing sword for use once their missiles had been cast.
Numidian Cavalry
Numidian skirmish cavalry was heavily employed by Carthaginians, especially by Hannibal.
Of Berber stock like Libyans, instead of them Numidians were more nomadic than accustomed to permanent communities.
They were divided in two different tribal groups: Massesyli and Massyli.
The Massesyli were the most powerful group, with their homeland on East Numidia and were bonded to Carthage by friendship and alliance, while the Massyli of West Numidia, in different period subjugated by the Massesyli, at the end of the Second Punic War rebelled and allied with the Romans.
However, Numidan horsemen weren’t properly mercenaries, but something like a federate allied troop from an allied nation.
Nowing the habit of people of northwest Africa to use Indigo Tinctoria for their clothes, we choose to give to our Numidan horsemen blue tunics.
Mauri Archers
Mauri were the people of Mauretania, akin to the Lybians and to the Numidians.
They are cited as mercenary troops in the Carthaginian army, as skirmishers or more frequently as archers (Polyb. XV.11.1, Liv. XXII.37.8 and XXVII.18.14)
Lonchophoroi
As a matter of fact, Lonchophoroi is the term that Polybius uses to define a kind of versatile light infantry skirmishers used by Hannibal in setting ambushes and that outmatched by far their roman counterpart, the Velites.
Their ethnicity is quite a matter of debate, and if some scholars said that they were composed of various African tribes (Lybian, Mauri, Gaetulians), other are prone to suggest that they were even more variegated, with also Celtiberians (Cantabrians) and Lusitanians (that are named as elements of Hannibal's light infantry by Livy and Silius Italicus).
We decided to depict them as an all-african force, leaving Lusitanian and Cantabrians having skirmish troops on their own.
Lonchophoroi equipment is also a matter of debate: surely their shield was a small caetra (in wood/whicker/leather), is believed by many scholars that they were actually equipped with several multifunctional short spears (the Longchai), good both as a throwing and a thrusting weapon, pointing out that they were defined by Polybius as "Lonchophoroi" (spear bearers) and never as "Akontistai" (skirmishers) like the Roman Velites.
Blastophoenician Militia
Phoenican actually settled in Spain long before Carthaginian extended there their dominion.
We are speaking about Phoenicians coming from Phoenicia itself, from the merchant cities of Tyre, Sydon, Arwas, Byblos, ecc. In Lebanon.
While Phoenician colonist founded Carthage, other founded less important and lucky cities and trading posts on the Balearic Islands and on the Spanish coastline, especially trading with the rich Tartessos.
The descendant of these colonists are Phoenicians that have lived in Iberia for generations, and sometimes are of mixed Phoenician and Iberian stock.
Especially they blend with the Iberian tribe of the Bastetani, and in the III B.C. isn’t clear if Bastetani and Blastophoenician were still separate entities or a whole.
Actually the Greek term “Blastophoenician” is a corruption of an early “Bastetano-Phoenician”.
When Carthage extended his influence to Spain, these descendant of the Phoenician settlers rapidly became part of the Spanish Carthaginian milieu, thank to the common ancestors.
Turdetani Scutarii
Turdetanian weren’t properly Iberian, but were the heirs of the ancient Tartessic culture, which origin is still unclear.
However, culturally they were clearly quite over the top of Iberian standards, having big cities, a huge fleet, rich silver mines, written records and laws, and having shared commerce and contacts with the Phoenician till the Bronze Age.
Is not completely clear, but they were probably a sort of hegemonic power in the south-east of Spain, and when Hamilcar set to seize power in the Iberian Peninsula, Turdetanians confront him leading a league of Iberic tribes and deploying even Celtiberian mercenaries.
After they were beaten, actually they were assimilated in the system of Carthaginian Spain and their presence in Carthaginian army is to be intended as levy troops, but nominally their position as an eminent and dominant nation in South-Eastern Spain was maintained.
As other Spaniards, they were normally deployed as garrison troops to control Africa, and however they seems to be quite scarce fighters, being recorded as “less warlike of the Spaniards”, and even after the Carthaginian were beaten, when they confronted the Romans alone, they relied more on Celtiberian mercenaries than on their own warriors.
Oretani Warriors
During his management of Carthaginian Spain, in the order to establish alliance and peaceful bonds with the locals, Hannibal married Himilce, princess of the Oretani, an Iberian -even if deeply celticized- people, so is not clear what was their effective role in the Carthaginian army, if they were mercenaries or allied troops.
However, as per many Iberian soldiers of Carthage, they probably weren’t 100% reliable, because instead of deploying them in Spain or using them in the Italian Campaign, Hannibal preferred to send them in Africa as garrison.
Iberian Caetrati
Iberian light infantry mercenaries were deployed as mercenaries by Carthage and by Siceliots Greeks till the IV b.C., if even not before.
Equipped with relatively small round shields and falcata swords, they were prized for their velocity and maneuverability
Edetani Scutarii Spearmen
Edetani were a warlike nation on the south-east coast of Iberia.
Is not clear if they were allied or even clients of the Turdetanians.
However, Edetani warriors used to travel abroad as independent to serve as mercenaries in the wars of the Mediterranean, and probably are Edetanians the "Iberian Mercenaries" fighting for Carthage cited by Greek historians about the Greco-Punic Wars.
After the proper entering of east costal Spain in Carthaginian dominion, probably their role in the Carthaginian army was more a levy one than real mercenaries, however, as other Iberian tribes, they were usually employed in Africa, preferring to dethatch them far from home, as a sign of being not so reliable.
Ilergete Scutarii
Ilergetes were a powerful confederation of Iberian tribes of North-Eastern Spain.
Even if Iberian in language and culture, they were strongly influenced in their panoply by the Gauls from north the Pyrenees.
During the rule of Hannibal, their king, Indibiles, was supported by the Carthaginian as petty ruler of Northern Spain.
Ilergetes warriors are cited as part of the garrison that Hannibal leaves to his brother Hasdrubal, but probably their presence in the Carthaginian army is to be intended as federate troops, more or less like the roman “socii”.
However they proved themselves quite changeable, fighting for the first part of the Secondo Punic War aside the Carthaginians, but then changing side and passing to the Romans.
Cantabrian Axemen
The axe is a traditional weapon for the mountain forest dwelling Cantabri and Calleaci, Celtiberian peoples that were experts in guerrilla tactics.
Celtiberian caetrati are cited by Livy as part of Hannibal skirmishers, and Silius Italicus states more precisely that they were Cantabrian, leaded by the chieftain Laros.
Describing Laros Silius Italicus is very precise, speaking about his habit of using the battle axe "as the tradition of his fierce people", and wearing a hood instead of a metal helmet.
Celtiberian Scutarii
Celtiberians were famed mercenaries, and their characteristic sword, Gladius Hispaniensis, was probably the best hand weapon of the period.
Unfortunately, their round caetra shield wasn’t good for pitch battle and line fighting, and their training too was more focused to guerrilla tactics or individual fighting.
Understanding that the raw material of Celtiberians was in any case very valuable, Hannibal recruited them but trained them in a different way, equipping them with thyreos shield and teaching them to be more disciplined.
At Cannae the Celtiberians fighting for the Carthaginans are described wearing white tunics with red rims, with thyreos and gladius hispaniensis.
As for the other peoples of Iberia, roper helmets were scarcely employed by Celtiberians, and the one fighting for the Carthaginians employed Montefortino provided by them or scavenged on the battlefield.
Celtiberians always appear to remove cheekpieces form Montefortino helmet, not to limit theyr peripheral vision during the fight.
Actually, Hannibal took the best warriors of the known world, enhanced their equipment, and transformed them in the best soldiers.
Differently from other mercenaries, Celtiberians were very loyal, creating a kind of ritual binding between them and their patron, and at Zama, even when all the other mercenaries and the Carthaginian an Libophoenician troops themselves had fled, Celtiberians still hold the ground and have benn butchered one by one by the Romans because they refuse to flee or surrender.
Celtiberian Horsemen
Celtiberian Cavalry was heavily employed by Hamilcar in Spain, and after him by Hannibal during II Punic War. It appeared to be a very versatile unit, both a cavalry and a mounted infantry: for example at Cannae along with the Celtic cavalry it charged the Roman one, then dismounted abruptly and confront the enemies on foot, annihilating them.
Lusitanian Caetrati
As for Celtiberians, Lusitanians were also famed mercenaries in the Iberian peninsula.
Cattle raiding was actually a normal occupation, and plundering warfare was for Lusitanians a way of life.
Forged by a continuous state of warfare, coming from a mountainous region, Lusitanians were famed guerrilla fighters, feared both for their ability of setting ambush and their ferocity.
Equipped with both celtiberian gladius and Iberian falcata, wielding the terrible all iron barbed javelin named soilferreum and a small caetra shield made of “esparto”, a very resistant vegetal fiber, they also are the last people of Iberian Peninsula that still use the old fashion disc cuirasse, elsewhere already abandoned.
Even if strongli celticized, Lusitanians were a people on their own, nor Iberian, nor Celtic, nor Tartessic, but coming from an Indoeuropean rot akin both to Celts and, surprisingly, Italics (V. Blazek, Lusitanian Language, in Studia minora facultatis philosophicae universitatis Brunensis, vol. 11. 2006, p. 15).
Sardi Pellitti Militia
The people of Sardinia are still a mistery in a lot of ways.
If in the Bronze Age the Nuragic Culture was very developed, and the Sherdana warriors were famed mercenaries in the Middle East and in Egypt, forming even the personal guard of pharaoh Ramses II, in the Iron Age nothing of this remained.
Even the artifacts of Sardinian Iron Age are completely different from the ones of the Bronze Age, and the wonderful bronze statues, the shardana horned helmets, the antennae swords, all disappear.
Iron Age Sardinians are described as less more than savages dressed in goatskins, that shun the coastline and use to live on the mountains of the hinterland of the island, sometimes even suspected of act of cannibalism against foreigners.
Especially the fact that in Iron Age there aren’t sardinian settlements on the coastline is curious, and a lot of historians thought that the involution that Sardinian culture have went through in the passage from Bronze Age to Iron Age have been caused by some natural catastrophe, maybe a mass seaquake/tsunami, and there are even some scholars that believe that the origin of the myth of Atlantis should be searched in ancient Sardinia more than in Crete.
However, in the III B.C. Sardinian Tribes are fierce mountainfolk, enemies to all the foreigners.
Only the Carthaginians manage sometimes to set up good relations with them, and sometimes Sardinians are named as Carthaginian mercenaries.
Also, during the II Punic War a revolt against the Romans was organized by Ampsicoras, a noble chieftain from both Sardinian and Libophoenican origin, that organized the tribes of the Sardi Pelliti (licteraly “Pelt covered Sardinians”).
Balearic Slingers
Actually not an Iberian people at all, the Baliares were akin to the native people of Sardinia.
They were famed mercenary slinger, and obviously, being the Baleares under the influence of Carthage, they were recruited mainly by Carthaginians.
Celtic Warriors / Celtic Skirmish Cavalry
Gaulish mercenaries fought for Carthage since the IV B.C.
When the Great Mutiny of the mercenaries took place, one of the leaders of the three rebels was a Gaul named Autaritos, demonstrating that Gauls were an important element of Carthage mercenaries
In our timeframe, the bulk of Gauls normally fighting for Carthage as mercenaries came from the Cisalpine Senones tribe, that in our period have been already wiped out by Romans, so being without a homeland anymore, they serve worldwide the Mediterranean sea as mercenaries, expecially for Rome’s enemies.
Moreover, when Hannibal set march to Italy starting the II Punic Wars, other Cisalpine Gauls (Cisalpine Boii and Insubres) were already in communication with him, and had already started a revolt against the Romans in the prospective to join the Carthaginians at their arrival, as they did.
Apuani Warriors
The Ligurians are an ancient and harsh people that live in a harsh, mountainous land.
Even if they were strongly influenced in culture by the Gauls, and there are a lot of tribes in Northern Italy and in Provence that are defined as “Celtoligian” or "Semigalli", Ligurians manage in some regions to remain an entity on their own.
They were famed in all the Mediterranean as mercenaries, and especially the Apuani, who fought aside the Carthaginians even before the First Punic Wars.
Even if normally Ligurians were more used to guerrilla fighting, the Apuani are noted as a good line infantry, used as such by both Hannibal and Hasdrubal.
Mistophoroi Oskoi
The Oscans were an italic group of tribes that lived in southern Italy, like Brettioi/Brutti and Lucanians.
They provided a lot of mercenaries to Carthage, and one of the three main leaders of the Great Mercenary Revolt was actually an Oscan, Spendius.
Some of them, especially the Brettioi, were very familiar with the Italiotae (Greek settlers of southern Italy), an actually some Italiotae were in their ranks (Greek historians, writing about Carthaginian italic mercenaries, wrote that some of them were “Demi-Greeks”).
Even if mercenary phenomenon was common between these italic tribes as for the Gauls, as for them during the III B.C. most of the Oscans travel abroad to Carthage to serve as mercenaries because their homeland have been conquest by Romans.
Preview: Qart-Hadasht Faction
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