| vtsaogames | 29 Mar 2014 12:12 p.m. PST |
I was in the Met Museum library today and came across a scholarly journal called Ancient World. It's not fancy and has some spelling errors but interesting articles. I read one called "Our Gods Have Deserted Us" about the Carthaginians in Sicily during the 4th and 5th centuries BC. One of the things the author says is that Carthaginian armies of that period each had two leaders, one military and one religious. I guess the military guy figured out what formation and tactics to use after the religious guy said it was a propitious time to make war. You want some more Carthaginian names? This article had them. The author said that Carthaginian policy in Sicily was to dominate the island with their own colony. They never got this but were prepared to settle for Greek city states run by aristocrats. What they didn't want at all was Greek city-states run by democratic regimes. I must get back there soon. There was another issue that was entirely devoted to insurgent warfare in the ancient world. |
| John the OFM | 29 Mar 2014 2:20 p.m. PST |
Maybe they were Comissars. |
 ochoin  | 29 Mar 2014 2:29 p.m. PST |
@vstagames
Interesting.
I really don't think we take heed of superstition nearly enough in our ancient gaming. |
| vtsaogames | 29 Mar 2014 4:13 p.m. PST |
Maybe they were Comissars. With a unit of NKVD slingers behind the line? |
| vtsaogames | 29 Mar 2014 4:17 p.m. PST |
I really don't think we take heed of superstition nearly enough in our ancient gaming. Like the way the Spartans can't send reinforcements to Leonidas because they have to sacrifice. The article had one story about a Carthaginian religious leader killed in ambush. Both sides sent out people to make sacrifices, but the other guy had archers hidden in his entourage and shot the Carthaginian. Bad form, eh? |
| Thatblodgettkid | 29 Mar 2014 8:34 p.m. PST |
Hello everyone, I just happen to be the author of that article. It's nice to see someone got something out of it. I think that, in gaming terms, Carthaginian armies should have some morale cost to having their religious leader killed, as seems to have happened at Himera. Michael |
| ochoin | 30 Mar 2014 12:07 a.m. PST |
Good thought. The other thought is what does a Carthaginian priest look like & who makes one? |
| Costanzo1 | 30 Mar 2014 8:33 a.m. PST |
If you scroll down with patience or go to Etruscan, you can see an Etruscan priest IV century home made. thunz.wordpress.com |
| aapch45 | 30 Mar 2014 8:45 a.m. PST |
Interesting constanzo1. Looks very good. Also enjoyed reading the informative bits. |
| ochoin | 30 Mar 2014 11:25 p.m. PST |
Constanzo: I found it eventually. You most unfairly placed large numbers of photos of wonderful things in front of the Etruscan priest & models.
(especially your SYW stuff: a huge distraction). Great blog, there. mille grazie |
| Tarty2Ts | 01 Apr 2014 5:43 a.m. PST |
Interesting …. both articles sound good. |
| brevior est vita | 01 Apr 2014 6:44 a.m. PST |
ochoin – Here are links to pics of votive stelae depicting Carthaginian priests:
link
link
link
link They don't include a tremendous amount of detail, but hopefully they will be of some help in selecting an appropriate figure to use. Cheers,
Scott |
| ochoin | 01 Apr 2014 2:11 p.m. PST |
The priests don't look too outlandish & indeed any robed civilian figure might suffice. Thanks for that. |
| Monophthalmus | 02 Apr 2014 2:04 p.m. PST |
Interesting that the last picture shows a priest carrying a baby, possibly for sacrifice. There's been a lot of debate recently about whether the Romans were telling the truth when they claimed that the Carthaginians regularly sacrificed their offspring (making them barbaric, of course). Seems to be one of those claims that keeps being 'proved' and then refuted…. |
discovers a lost dinosaur.
