Libyo-Phoenician Infantry
Spearmen Infantry(0.6.7)Side / Back
Short description
Libyo-Phoenician Hoplites were hardy infantry who fought as a spear-armed phalanx. LIBYAN LONGCHOPHOROI (PUNIC REFORM UNIT)
Description
The Libyan Hoplites were the standard line infantry of Carthaginian armies who fought as a spear-armed phalanx and were highly valued as hardy spearmen by Punic commanders.
The Libyan levies wore red tunics, and had the distinctively livid, all-body tattoos, body-paint and hairstyles found amongst the Libyans.
They were equipped with the 1-diameter large, round Argive shield typical of the Carthaginians, a thrusting spear some 6-7 feet long, bronze greaves, and a linen cuirass cut in the typical Hellenistic style, with pteruges and cut shoulder-pieces. The shield was decorated with a pattern used by Greek artists to represent the aigis of Athene; Herodotus says the aegis was derived from Libyan garments of fringed goatskin.
The helmet was a typical Hellenistic type, with cheek-pieces and without crest. The secondary weapon of the Libyan hoplite was a falcata-style sword, modelled on Spanish swords, for close-fighting or when the spear broke.
The indigenous inhabitants of North Africa who were subjects of Carthage were referred to as "Libyans" or even "Africans" by Polybius and Livy respectively. In the sixth century BC the Carthaginians ruthlessly conquered the native Libyan petty kingdoms amongst whom they had settled in Africa (modern Tunisia). These Libyans were populous and practised a more settled form of agriculture than their pastoralist cousins in the hinterland, the Numidians and Moors.
The term "Libyan" describes the lighter-skinned inhabitants of North Africa, to distinguish them from the black-skinned "Ethiopians" to the south. They were of Libyco-Berber ethnic background - Berber stock with some Negro admixture. They had their own non-Punic local language, probably with many dialects, which they spoke in addition to the Punic language.
Carthage treated her Libyan subjects harshly. Carthage lacked a class of small farmers working land outside the city; most of the best agricultural land was formed into large estates owned by Punic aristocrats and worked by harshly treated Libyans. Libyan villages were forced to pay a crushing level of taxes to Carthage. Apparently, a quarter of the Libyan crops were demanded in tribute in times of peace, and half in times of war (Polybius 1.72.1-2). In times of war Carthage was in the practice of levying large numbers of her Libyan "peasants" into her armies.
The Libyan Hoplites were trained to fight in a phalanx like the Carthaginians themselves: the Spartan mercenary-general Xanthippus famously drilled Carthage's Libyan levies in the First Punic War (Polybius, 1.32.7). The Libyan hoplites were armed by the Punic state in their hoplite panoply, rather than being responsible for supplying their own equipment. For this reason, Carthage stockpiled the required equipment with which to arm her Libyan levies (Polybius, 36.6.7; App., Pun. 80). In this way large numbers of Libyan levies could be quickly equipped from Carthage's vast arsenals. Carthage was after all reluctant to give a subject people weapons - and the frequent Libyan revolts demonstrated the wisdom of this!
Libyans were known for their agility and powers of endurance.