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In this history documentary we continue our Units of History series by taking a closer look at the famous Sacred Band of Carthage. In other videos we covered the War Elephants of Carthage, the Numidian Cavalry, and the Balearic Slingers.
The documentary begins with an overview of the history of Carthage and the evolution of the Carthaginian Army. The Punic state began as a small Phoenecian colony in North Africa with forces of citizen soldiers who very much resembled eastern troops. Next came the rise of Carthage. As the city of Carthage grew so too did its army which appears to have also become more well equipped. The army of Carthage was soon deploying its own heavy hoplite infantry, cavalry, and even chariots on the battlefield in its conquest of the Mediterranean. At the same time however, Carthage also began to hire mercenaries and raise auxiliaries which slowly replaced its native forces. This trend continued until the army of Carthage was primarily composed of foreign troops. However Punic men still served in the army as officers and cavalrymen. Some citizens still served in the infantry and it appears that it is from this last remaining bastion that the Sacred Band of Carthage emerged. Its name actually comes to us from the ancient Greeks who compared it to the Sacred Band of Thebes.
Next we discuss the military equipment of the Sacred Band of Carthage which included richly decorated armour and weapons. We then turn to talk about their training and tactics as well as their service history which included participating in the Punic-Sicilian Wars against the greeks. While we don't have evidence of them participating in the Punic Wars against the Roman army, it is possible that they were present during the 3 invasions of africa and therefore would have fought in the Battle of Zama and the Siege of Carthage.
#History
#Carthage
#UnitsOfHistory
Research: Vaughn Fenton
Script: Vaughn Fenton
Narration: Guy Michaels
Production: PentaLimited