Quote Originally Posted by Gazius
Did carthage ever keep a standing army of mercs? Or at least on retainer so that they could be called to if needed? Do you have anything to base the armies off besides what they fielded for their wars with Rome?
An example of a standing army of mercs are the ones that operated around Hispania around the Second Punic War. Also they get reinforcements from Carthage after Cannae. But yeah they were mercenaries so they went to their homes when their contract was over.

From what I have seen in .81 you can get pretty fast an army of mercs and then disband them if you want to save the money, and then make it again when you need one.

At this time Carthage was at war with Rome and not with Syracuse or other cities of Magna Graecia like Massalia. For the First Punic War (so I suppose that against Syracuse) the armies where mostly Africans, but I dont have the numbers to make an army.