+- RomanArmyTalk (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat)
+-- Forum: Research Arena (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Allies & Enemies of Rome (https://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat/forumdisplay.php?fid=10)
+--- Thread: Carthage (/showthread.php?tid=20295)
Carthage - Al Amos - 02-10-2012
Okay there is much speculation about how the Carthaginian army was organized. I understand there was a great reliance on mercenaries, allies and 'subjected' peoples. The organization of those peoples' units would be unique to the particular nationality. No worries there, but what about the native Punic units, the Sacred Band, the Libo-Phonicians?
I've seen where they've been organized as the Greeks of the day, but I got to thinking, wouldn't they have fallen back on their Phonician roots? Which led me to another thought. What kind of army, if any, did the Phonicians posses? The city-states of Sidon, Tyre, etc how were their forces organized? What kind of composition? Did they form tribal units, as many of the other ancient cultures did? What size units from the basic to the largest?
I know the Carthaginian army would have evolved and changed over the centuries, but militaries tend to be conservative and it makes sense to me that some of the mother country's ways would have carried over to the colony and lasted through out the ages.
Any ideas?
Thanks. al
PS I have Lazenby's "Hannibal's Army", and a few Osprey titles on the Punic Wars, Herodotus and Thucydides, etc. So if anyone knows if any of these may have some answers (that I have yet to stumble across) feel free to point to them.
Thanks. al
Re: Carthage - richard robinson - 02-10-2012
I enjoy your speculation but I think that the spectre of hellenisation post Alexander was huge and that all armies tended to emulate them. Except for those Romans, of course, just before they met The General and his elephants
Broadly stated I know- but a reasonable summary?
regards
Richard
Re: Carthage - S. Marcer - 02-24-2012
Hello Al Amos,
Making a fast bibliographical research there come to my mind:
- Peter Connolly, Hannibal and the Enemies of Rome, 1978.
- Adrian Goldsworthy, The Punic Wars, Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2002.
- Adrian Goldsworthy, The Fall of Carthage: The Punic Wars 265-146BC, Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2007.
and (in Spanish and in Italian) there are some good articles / books about the mercenaries and the different armed groups fighting for Carthage:
- Fernando Quesada Sanz, De guerreros a soldados. El ejército de Aníbal como un ejército cartaginés atípico, dans Trabajos del Museo Arqueológico de Ibiza y Formentera, no 56, 2005.
- Anna C. Fariselli, I mercenari di Cartagine, Agorà, 2002.
- Monedero Domínguez et Jerónimo Adolfo, Libios, libiofenicios, blastofenicios: elementos púnicos y africanos en la Iberia Bárquida y sus pervivencias , dans Gerión, no 13, 1995.
Hope to be useful.
Regards
Re: Carthage - barcid - 02-25-2012
Life & Death of Carthage ..CG & C Picard is a good read too
Re: Carthage - S. Marcer - 03-10-2012
Hope you don't mind if I chime in 2 weeks after the last post, but recently, reading an article about the Ligurian and Celtic mercenaries during the Punic Wars, I found a list of international publications about the Carthaginian army and the use of the mercenaries.
Hope it will be useful.
Best
S.M.