The Sacred Band of Carthage was the elite military force guarding the city of Carthage itself. Unlike most of the Carthaginian military, it was formed entirely of Carthaginian citizens as opposed to mercenaries; in fact, it was the only armed force of Carthage where mercenaries were forbidden to join. It was the only military force allowed in the city itself, and dressed in white, the color associated with death in Carthaginian society. The band usually formed a phalanx formation of spearmen or pikemen, on the Greek model. They were eventually wiped out completely at the end of the Third Punic War, along with Carthage itself. Though they reached a certain level of prestige, they were never as important as the Carthaginian navy. Sacred Band can refer to one of two elite military units of the ancient world: the Sacred Band of Thebes the Sacred Band of Carthage This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Jump to: navigation, search A map of the central Mediterranean Sea, showing the location of Carthage (near modern Tunis). ... A phalanx (plural phalanxes or phalanges) is a rectangular mass formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, or similar weapons. ... The Third Punic War was fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic from 149 BC to 146 BC. This was the last in a series of three wars. ...
The Sacred Band of Carthage was also used as a unit of Royal Guards of sorts for members of the Carthaginian Government as well as important people like Hannibal Barca.
It was also well known, that every man in the Sacred Band was taught to love his fellow Bander as a Brother, and as a lover.
The SacredBand of Carthage was the elite military force guarding the city of Carthage itself.
The band usually formed a phalanx formation of spearmen or pikemen, on the Greek model.
The SacredBand of Carthage was also used as a unit of Royal Guards of sorts for members of the Carthaginian Government as well as important people like Hannibal Barca.
Carthage immediately sued for peace, and Gelon chose to be lenient; instead of demanding land, he asked for two thousand talents of silver.
Furthermore, the leading figure in Carthage at this time was Hannibal the son of Gisgo (not the Hannibal who marched over the Alps to fight the Romans), a grandson of the Hamilcar who died at Himera; naturally he would see this as an opportunity for revenge.
Carthage had come close to conquering all of Sicily before, only to be defeated by unforseen circumstances, so at this stage the main Carthaginian concern was to keep anybody else from getting involved on the other side.
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