Sacred Band of Carthage
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[edit] Introduction
The Sacred Bands of Carthage were elite military units entrusted to guard the Republic. Unlike most Carthaginian military units, they were formed entirely of Carthaginian citizens as opposed to the mercenaries who made up the bulk of the Carthaginian army overseas; in fact, they were the only parts of the Carthaginian armies that mercenaries were forbidden to join. The Sacred Band of Astarte was a unit of heavy cavalry, operating in the Hellenistic style. Baal had his own Sacred Band as well, operating as heavy infantry. The skill and experience of these soldiers more than made up for their small numbers, causing historians such as Polybius to describe them as "The shining emblem of Carthage on the battlefield even when there is a host of a hundred thousand men"[citation needed].
These soldiers were held as sacred because of the oath they swore when they were accepted in the ranks of the band. Their equipment was also drawn from the temples of the gods, and individual soldiers treated their weapons with honor, feeling they had an obligation to do so. The Sacred Band was easily perceived on a battlefield by wearing white, the color associated with death in Carthaginian society.
[edit] Infantry Tactics
Tactically, the Sacred Bands relied heavily on mobility and maneuverability, rather than brute strength, making them agile and sophisticated fighters on the battlefield. They were, however, capable of participating in close fighting by locking their shields and spears together into a classical Phalanx formation of spearmen or pikemen, should the tactical situation call for it. They were often used for discipline-intensive manoevers such as the "Vicegrip" Hannibal employed at Cannae. They would often be placed in the Vanguard of an infantry force when the mere sight of them could cause the enemy to panic.
[edit] Cavalry Tactics
These were heavy cavalry used for very decisive moves such as destroying an enemy cavalry arm, as at Cannae, when they defeatedd Paullus' and Varro's horsemen. Being spear-armed, they relied on the shock of a charge to win the few unopposed seconds that were vital in a melée. The lack of this was devastating, as witnessed at Zama when the romans denied them this, and as such the Sacred Band was defeated.
[edit] Defeat
The Carthaginian Sacred Bands were eventually defeated during the First Punic War, but were reconstituted by the Carthaginian commander Hannibal Barca prior to Carthage's invasion of the Roman Republic during The Second Punic War. When the Leigions entered Carthage, the entire Carthaginian army was disbanded and any further recruitment was into the Leigionaires, Cavalry or Auxilia
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[edit] In Popular Media
In the 2004 PC game Rome: Total War, the Sacred Band of Carthage is depicted as a unit of pikemen in Carthaginian armor and uniforms. They are also the best infantry unit of the Carthaginians in the game.
[edit] See also
[edit] See
- MAA121,Armies of the Carthaginian Wars, Terence Wise and Richard Cook, Osprey 1982.
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