Units of History - The Sacred Band of Carthage DOCUMENTARY

Summary by Krater

An historical overview of Carthage's elite Sacred Band of citizen soldiers, examining their origins, equipment, recruitment, size, tactics, and notable engagements in the Sicilian Wars.

From the video

Answers: What was the Sacred Band of Carthage and how did they fight?

• Carthaginian military history
• Sacred Band of Carthage
• Ancient citizen soldiers
• Punic-Sicilian Wars
• Ancient warfare tactics and equipment

What it concludes

• Carthage's Sacred Band was an elite force composed exclusively of wealthy, reputable, and valorous citizen soldiers numbering between 2,000 and 3,000 men.
• The Sacred Band were equipped with high-quality infantry gear including tunics, body armor, helmets, large hoplon-type shields with religious symbols, and long spears.
• During the 6th Sicilian War in 341 BC, the Sacred Band fought valiantly at the Battle of Crimissus but was slaughtered after suffering the loss of 2,000 citizen lives.
• The heavy casualties at Crimissus led historians to claim Carthage never used citizens in battle again, though this was likely an exaggeration since citizen levies appeared in later Punic-Sicilian conflicts.