"Carthaginian Archers?" Topic

Hi guys…just getting into ancients and starting a Carthaginian army courtesy of Victrix.
I have noticed the complete absence of archers…they have Balearic slingers and Numidian horse skirmishes with javelins.
Just wondered why they didn't have any archery force.

They probably did. Much of Carthaginian army was made up of mercenaries, so they could recruit archers if needed, probably Cretans or Spanish.

Welcome to Carthage!

There wasn't much of an archery tradition in the Western Mediterranean of this period. Greeks were rather conflicted about it. Persians employed it to a great degree. The relative neglect of archery may have something to do with different notions of heroic personal combat, especially amongst the Iberians, Celts, Greeks and Romans.

The Carthaginians may have felt likewise, but they probably had a different notion of heroism since they usually got others to do their fighting for them.

The Carthaginians of the Second Punic War hardly used archers. The one battle where archers appear to have been used was Zama where Moorish archers served on the Carthaginian side. There would have been very few present.

Cretan archers in this period were known to be in the employ of Carthage's rival Syracuse, who loaned some to Rome for use against Hannibal.

Iberians (today's Spanish) weren't much known for archery, more for javelin, spear and sling.

The principal missile weapon of this period was the javelin. Javelineers of various types would be fielded in the thousands. Ordinary line infantry would often use javelins before closing for melee. Cavalry would often be armed with javelins.

Next to this, Hannibal probably had no more than 1,000 Balearic slingers, probably more like 500 or so. This would translate to one or at most two units in most 28mm systems.

If you've bought Victrix's 'Warriors of Carthage' box then the Libyan javelineers in the box will serve you well.

Since you're embarking on a Carthaginian project I would highly recommend Duncan Head's Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars. It's now back in print and provides tonnes of information about the troop types, tactics, and appearance. It's been a big influence on the Victrix range.

I've also starting on a Punic Wars project using Victrix and others. You may find some of the stuff I've posted on my blog helpful:

etherdrakecave.blogspot.my

etherdrake has it about right. There is some scattered evidence for occasional archery – the article at link mentions bronze arrowheads found embedded in skeletons that are thought to be Greek dead from the battle of Himera in 480, for instance, and there were arroweads found both at Motya and at Carthage itself. But apart from the Zama reference, archers don't seem to have played much part in any documented battle.

The Carthaginians also recruited Sards for at least one army, probably more. There are many bronze figures from Sardinia that show archers, although these are usually dated to about 800 BC so well before the Carthaginians were around. But they do show a tradition of archery in Sardinia, at least

One good thing about the Carthaginians, they use plenty of mercanaries

My Carthaginians have a small complement of Celtic archers along with a few jolly Celtic warbands -but those are the only archers I use for Carthage

Thanks guys for the responses…most useful.

Have got 2 boxes of the Warriors of Carthage, 2 of Iberian cavalry and 2 of Numidian cavalry…..I also ended up with the warlord games Successor army boxed set…that was before I had done enough research😕

Yes, I noticed that Carthage was primarily a mercenary army and that, for me, was one of the attractions…lots of variation.

Have changed my painting technique to just base coats and soft tone ink, otherwise these guys will never see battle. Using the LBMS shield transfers really enhances the look.

Anyway, thanks again chaps