Quote Originally Posted by Eduorius
When the recruitment officer arrived from Greece (possibly Cape Tainairon) in the winter of 256 BC, he arrived with around 50 - 100 Greek mercenaries.

Polybius doesnt tells what this Greek mercenaries were, but I assume they were probably hoplites.

Because they were so few, because they were mercs, because of their number, and because of the engine limitations, we tought that the best way to represent this troops was to made them the bodyguards for Xan.

I think that nobody here wants Xan using a Sacred Band Cav as bodyguards like the other Carthaginian generals. Giving Spartans, for a Spartan general was the best option in my mind.
Giving him Spartan troops seems somewhat extreme, especially considering the small amount of mercenaries he apparently arrived with. If I've got time I'll try to look around for more details, but at first glance I'd have thought realism would be better served by a group of regular hoplites; or perhaps a random type of bodyguard, ranging from Spartans to peltasts (or even no Xanthippus at all), keeping in line with EBs motto that the starting position is correct, but the rest of history isn't predetermined?