Jul 16, 2019 hannibal was known for leading the carthaginian army and a team of elephants across southern europe and the alps mountains against rome in the second punic war. The romans destruction of carthage after the third punic war erased any. Facing the army in a pitched battle would be suicide, and instead richard formed a defensive perimeter with his back to a river and waitedwhile under constant and heavy missile attackfrom early morning until midafternoon. Joshua hall puts that right with this indepth study of their tactics, equipment, unit organization, army composition and operational effectiveness. His work features in exhibitions and publications throughout the. Bc vegetius wrote a summary of military matters which is an important source of information on the roman military. He was outnumbered three to one by a force of mostly mounted troops. Terence wises fine text details the armies of both sides of the wars, including the many different allied troops employed by the carthaginians. A thrilling journey to the core of roman timesthrough a world of extraordinary military tactics and political intriguefrom international bestselling author david gibbins.
May 14, 2018 carthage went to war against numidia and, in so doing, broke the peace treaty with rome which forbid carthage from mobilizing an army. Unfortunately it is not good to stand against enemy cavalry or pikemen. Hannibal was known for leading the carthaginian army and a team of elephants across southern europe and the alps mountains against rome in the second punic war. Ten of the greatest battlefield tactics, by rob johnson. Elite troops of the sacred band used the linothorax and it was distinctively painted with symbols of tanit, the patron goddess of the unit. It was under such leaders as philip ii 382336 bc and alexander the great 356323 bc of macedonia and hannibal 247183 bc of carthage that the first great strides were made in military science. Auxiliary unit used to smash skirmishers and light infantry. Hello, i wondered if any historical experts could point me in the direction of how best to compose a 20 unit army for using carthage. By rob johnson, author and lecturer in the history of war, oxford university. What we know of him comes exclusively from roman historians who had every interest in minimizing his success, exaggerating his failures, and disparaging his character. He specializes in detailed historical reconstructions, and has illustrated osprey titles on subjects as diverse as the aztecs, the ancient greeks, roman battle tactics, several 19thcentury american subjects, the modern chinese army, and a number of books in the fortress series.
Unable to force rome to capitulate, he was eventually forced to leave italy and return to carthage when a savvy roman general named scipio invaded north africa. The battle of cannae hannibal barca stands triumphant over the defeated roman legions the carthaginians were incredible at adapting to different circumstances during the punic wars. This is the story of fabius petronius secundusroman legionary and centurionand. The carthaginian army has a mix of all kinds of troops, because of his high proportion of, spanish and african allies. The epic conflict between rome and carthage remains one of the most compelling stories of military history. Ancient carthage carthage was a citystate founded by the phoenicians on the coast of north africa some time in the early first millennium bce. The romans destruction of carthage after the third punic war erased any carthaginian historical record of hannibals life. Adopting the weapons and tactics of the hellenistic kingdoms, carthage similarly employed.
Without much of a standing army in carthage, hannibal for forced to leave rome to return to his homeland to defend it. By combining the finest mercenary armies with their own elite forces and huge naval fleet, carthage was able to dominate the western mediterranean and protect. What battle formations did the carthaginians use during the. Resulting from a mighty power struggle between the military confederation of rome and the trading empire of carthage between 264241 b. When he at last met defeat at the hands of the roman general scipio, it was against an experienced officer who had to strengthen and reconfigure the roman legion and invent mobile tactics in order to succeed. Carthage, now a ruin on the north coast of africa, was the capital of one of the worlds most powerful empires. Derived from the greek word strategos, the term strategy, when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the art of the general, or the art of arrangement of troops. I will encourage you to read some archaeology article that gives an independent account of who the carthaginians were. Roman strategy and tactics from 509 to 202 bc cont. However the shining moment for carthaginian battle tactics was du.
You should use war elephants any time it is possible to strengthen your army. The study of military theory captured the imagination of several byzantine emperors, who hoped to restore the glory of the roman. He invaded the homeland of his enemy and remained there, undefeated, for fifteen years. If you want to discover the captivating life of hannibal barca, then keep reading. Feb 28, 2011 hannibal was a firstrate tactician, only a somewhat lesser strategist, and the greatest enemy rome ever faced. Roman legionary vs carthaginian warrior osprey publishing.
This enables the development of traditions that have positive effects in the same way that skills benefit the characters that have them. The general may often have had complete autonomy of action or, on other occasions, had to rely on the council of 104 and the two most important political persons at carthage, the two suffetes magistrates, for such important decisions as. Aug 16, 2017 rome decided to take the fight directly to carthage and sent publius cornelius scipio also referred to as scipio africanus because of his great military victories in africa to lead the army in africa. Carthage went to war against numidia and, in so doing, broke the peace treaty with rome which forbid carthage from mobilizing an army. His famous crossing of the alps in winter with an intrepid army and elephants is unforgettable, but are his brilliant maneuvers and intelligence gathering still worth examining. Many pieces of greek equipment were used by carthaginians troops, one popular piece being the linothorax, a cuirass made of layers of linen glued together to make a tough shell. The wars included such legendary events as the crossing of the alps by hannibal, and the battle of cannae. Despite the enigma of this great carthaginian general being unable to preserve carthage after him, hannibals tactics and methods offer great lessons not only for.
The carthaginian defeat was total and absolute, instilling fear and horror into romes enemies and allies. Your army should compose of one of these, some hoplites as your main line, and your general as shock cav, plus a few skirmishers, whichever type you use. His famous victory at cannae 216 bc over the roman armies is still studied as an example of battlefield tactics. The most notable of these developments was the carthaginian formation used at the battle of cannae, during the second punic war, on 2nd august 216 bce.
You see, even if some phoenicians had migrated to carthage present day tunisia, there is no way they could have had the number. This book describes its history, from foundation by the phoenicians in the ninth century bc to destruction by the romans some six centuries later. Apr 04, 2017 the battle of cannae hannibal barca stands triumphant over the defeated roman legions the carthaginians were incredible at adapting to different circumstances during the punic wars. Carthage s military also allowed it to expand into sardinia and. Keep marching hasdrubals army from carthage to cirta numidian capital land 3 units of balearic slingers in numidia and move them toward cirta. Richard the lionheart faced the army of saladin at arsuf in 1191. The first punic war is a record of a dismal wastage of human life and of. Armies of the carthaginian wars 265146 bc osprey publishing. Once the allobroges left their posts at the end of the day, hannibals army stormed through the pass, bypassing any resistance. Hannibal won victories in northern italy by outmaneuvering his roman adversaries and defeated a larger roman army at the battle of cannae in 216 bc. What battle formations did the carthaginians use during. The following historyplex article sheds light on their war strategies in detail.
Romes strategic victory over the tacticaloperational genius, hannibal barca hannibal barca, general of carthage during the 2d punic war with rome, 218202 bc, has few peers in the annals of military history. Thus, hannibals army set up camp and lit many fires to give the appearance that they were settling in for the night. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Development of land tactics during the course of the punic wars, there were key developments in military tactics which affected the outcome of the conflict. Discover book depositorys huge selection of military tactics books online. History and civilization of ancient carthage, the great north. The armies of carthage permitted the city to forge the most powerful empire in. The most important carthage unit, used to break enemy lines and to trample enemy troops. Most of its richer citizens fought armed in greek equipment, although often embellished with uniquely carthaginian features, using the sarissa as their main weapon. By 390 bc, the roman army was in need of change, as greekstyle tactics of.
Military strategy deals with the planning and conduct of campaigns. Although carthage s navy was always its main military force, the army acquired a key role in the spread of carthaginian power over the native peoples of northern africa and southern iberian peninsula from the 6th century bc and the 3rd century bc. Hannibal was aware of this and developed a plan that relied perfectly on the romans tactics and selfsuperiority. I already was fairly well versed in hannibals tactics, but here as well the author added to my knowledge. List of books and articles about military strategy. Strangely i have a tendency to first want to read the books that are not acclaimed the lesser children of otherwise known and appreciated authors so carthage was my first book by joyce carol oates and to be honest i didnt expect much. In the punic wars between rome and carthage, hannibal emerged as the outstanding field commander.
When hannibals father and older brother died, hannibal took over the carthaginian army and led it against rome in the second punic war in 218 bc. Such a strategy, however, restricted carthages strongest elements. Dec 10, 2017 his famous crossing of the alps in winter with an intrepid army and elephants is unforgettable, but are his brilliant maneuvers and intelligence gathering still worth examining. Massively outnumbered, the carthaginians nevertheless won an astonishing.
Historical finds and knowledge of carthage north africa from a great archeologist. This kind of material tends to be tedious but if you want to know about carthage, this is the book. War strategies and tactics used by hannibal 3664 words. The three punic wars between carthage and rome took place over nearly a. Some traditions are unique to certain factions, affecting aspects of. The charges leveled against hannibal include greed, cruelty and. This book contains all the information youll need when researching the various troops and tactics of the punic wars.
Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. This book reveals these two defining moments in roman military. The destruction of carthage was an act of roman aggression prompted as much by motives of revenge for earlier wars as by greed for the rich farming lands around the city. This book reexamines the battle of cannae, where about. The punic wars triggered an era of astonishing human misfortune. The immediate threats to carthage are those closest to carthage itself.
One of the names most synonymous with brilliant military strategy is hannibal. Get one unit of merc noble fighters in your main army, this unit will dominate and win you so many battles. When a force is first mustered it is named, given a unique emblem and, from that point on, creates its own legacy through its actions in the field. I want something the would realistically represent what carthage would field in a battle and i appreciate it cant be perfect due to game limitations, but with the best efforts of what the game gives us, how would a carthage army. Facing the army in a pitched battle would be suicide, and instead richard formed a defensive perimeter with his back to a river and waitedwhile under constant and heavy missile attackfrom early morning until mid. Carthage felt it had no choice but to defend itself against masinissas invasions but was censured by rome and ordered to pay a new war debt to numidia. Its solid formation allowed it to confidently plow through the opposing forces of other armies. Richard gabriels hannibal is a worthy successor to his books on subotai. The commander of a carthaginian army in the field rab mahanet was selected for the duration of a specific war, usually from the ruling family. Aug 02, 2015 the carthaginian army has a mix of all kinds of troops, because of his high proportion of, spanish and african allies.
Hannibal had his army from a crescent shaped that concaved out towards the approaching roman army. The tactics and strategies of the roman army helped them fend more than half of the world, and thus they came to be known as one of the best armies, which remains unchanged even today. Hannibals strategy was to convince the allobroges that the army would not attack at night. Oct 18, 2011 discover book depositorys huge selection of military tactics books online. After that, you can either move the bireme back to palma and keep using it to transport more slingers as they become available, or move it back to carthage to join the fleet that will be built.
As with many nations during the 4th and 3rd centuries bc, hellenistic phalanx tactics had reached carthage and had been embraced. The mediterranean basin saw the dawn of modern military strategy and tactics. The early carthaginian citizen army rank and file used the. This is a guest post from patrick hunt, author of the new book. Carthage was the center or capital city of the ancient carthaginian civilization, on the eastern side of the lake of tunis in what is now the tunis governorate in tunisia. List of books and articles about military strategy online. Armies of the carthaginian wars 265146 bc men at arms series. Carthage s military also allowed it to expand into sardinia. This is a thorough, clearly written book about carthage from serge lancel who engaged in many of the archeological digs circa 1990 to 2000. Massively outnumbered, the carthaginians nevertheless won an astonishing victory one that left more than 50,000 men dead. Strategy and tactics, military scholastic books for kids. Polybius wrote in the sixth book of his history that the carthaginians were, more exercised in maritime affairs than any other people. To what extent does hannibal utilize the the battle strategies in sun tzus art of war rough draft the art of war is of vital importance to the state. Hannibal was a child during the first punic war a war between the roman empire, and carthage, surrounding a power struggle between the two empires.
The military of carthage was one of the largest military forces in the ancient world. On a hot and dusty summers day in 216 bc, the forces of the carthaginian general hannibal faced the roman army in a dramatic encounter at cannae. I want something the would realistically represent what carthage would field in a battle and i appreciate it cant be perfect due to game limitations, but with the best efforts of what the game gives us, how would a carthage army look when taking to the field. Hannibal of carthage, causing the romans to revise their battle tactics once. Carthage, great city of antiquity on the north coast of africa, now a residential suburb of the city of tunis, tunisia. Gregory dalys enthralling study considers the reasons that led the two armies to the field of battle, and why. Carthaginian warfare has been overshadowed by defeat to rome in the punic wars, but for six centuries before that carthage was remarkably successful in conquering lucrative territories in north africa, the iberian peninsula, and sicily.