"The Numidians 300BC-AD300 Review" Topic

" I have only really considered the Numidians as part of Carthaginian and occasionally Roman armies. This new Osprey in the Men at Arms series by William Horstead opens them up as a force to be reckoned with in their own right.

The Numidians were a tribal people based in modern Algeria and Tunisia on the borders of Carthage. This made them ideal allies for the Carthaginians who were always in need of manpower, and later the Romans when they landed in North Africa.

Numidian cavalry are their best-known asset, particularly when fighting with Hannibal in Italy. What these scantily clad warriors made of crossing the Alps is lost to history! They were javelin armed on small hardy horses, useful for reconnaissance, yet still effective on the battlefield. It is that battlefield success that wargame rules struggle to replicate on the tabletop. The author is clear that their tactics were traditional skirmish hit and run, which seems likely, although I still struggle with how this tactic drove the Roman cavalry off the field at Cannae and elsewhere…"

Full Review here

link

Armand

Cool! Good until 300AD. They spoke a Berber language? Another title, in a similar vein, could be one on the ancient Moors. They fought the Late Romans, and Theodosius launched a campaign to suppress their rebellion, which was quite a headache for the Romans. Also the Vandals and Eastern Romans/Early Byzantines tangled with the Moors, a well as the Moors serving in the Islamic conquests of Spain and Sicily. A very useful force could be fielded.

Thanks!.

Armand