Item Number: CTNUM-03B
Item Name: Numidian Light Cavalry with Giraffe Shield
Description: The Numidians were the Berber population of Numidia (present day Algeria and in a smaller part of Tunisia). The Numidians were one of the earliest Berber tribes to trade with the settlers of Carthage, and as Carthage grew , the relationship with the Numidians blossomed. Carthage’s military used the Numidian cavalry as mercenaries. Numidia provided some of the highest quality cavalry of the second Punic war, and the Numidian cavalry played a key role in a number of battles, both early on in support of Hannibal and later in the war after switching allegiances, to the Roman Republic.Ancient authors, such as Polybius
and Livy, tend to stress Carthage’s reliance on mercenary units, which
is slightly misleading when applied to the Carthaginian army. While
Carthage did employ mercenaries in the true sense of the word,
Carthage’s usage of native African and Iberian recruits would not be
true mercenaries as these peoples were subjects of Carthage.
Also, Carthage’s army was composed of recruits from its allies
fighting for Carthage in accordance with bilateral treatise. The
Numidian Kingdoms are an example who provided extensive light cavalry
due to the close relationship between the two states.