A Golden Palm

**Orb** · 01-20-2007, 20:44

A Golden Palm

"Bell, book, and candle, shall not drive me back,
When gold and silver becks me to come on."

William Shakespeare

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”

Psalm 91

EB 0.8, Karthadastim, VH/M
No pursuit after a victory
No elephant use in sieges
<25% mercenary use
Maximum Roleplay
All numbers multiplied by 10, except Mnai and ships.

Chapter 1: To lead a horse to water

“We have slaved long enough for our country, we have attempted to live peacefully and our illusions were dispelled by the encroaching Hellenes, who destroyed so many of our colonies. We were forced to act, and so we have begun some expansion to secure our holdings, but this is not enough!

Our power has been rocked and shaken by Pyrrhos and his Syracusan allies, our farmers are attacked by Numidian raiders and barbarian Africans who overstep their independence and our Spanish colonies are not secure.

We, therefore must stabilise ourselves. We must either leave Sicily or

“Hear, hear!”
“Shut up, Hanno.

Take all of it. I believe that economic security, which goes hand in hand with military security, must come from a great expansion west, and the seizure of more African and Spanish mines – the coasts, being easier to resupply, will serve for this purpose.

We must eradicate all brigands in our harshly to set an example for all others, and inflict at least one crushing defeat upon another world power to prove that we are not ripe for picking. I believe that no less than fifty-thousand men should serve as regular soldiers for us, our armouries and stables will rival those of Solomon of old!

Let us not forget the sea so vital to us. To command our colonies we need to command the waves. The only way to do this is to eradicate all piracy in the Western Mediterranean and have at least twenty squadrons of ships available for command, Carthage must have the finest docks in the world.

There is nothing that will come to us without our culture dominating our auxiliaries, I desire that great schools and grand temples be present in our city, with temples set up elsewhere, our maps should be more extensive than those of any other. Similarly, our colonies must grow so that they may become less reliant on us.

Gentlemen, we have our friends

, we have our enemies

And we have the backing of Baal-Hammon!”

Speech of Hanno the great to the council in December 273 BC, interpretations added in brackets.

Targets

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Chapter 2: Aliquis Ultor
Targets

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Aenos** · 01-20-2007, 22:06

Nice start! Great to see an AAR about my favourite faction.

Also a good idea to decide on targets so the story can 'grow' towards that. Goodluck.

**Orb** · 01-21-2007, 00:39

1.0 A Democratic Vote (will be perfected, some details not recorded on my test will be filled in correctly later, quotes are similarly likely to be replaced by more suitable ones).

"After all, the practical reason why, when the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule is not because they are most likely to be in the right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are physically the strongest. But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it."

- Henry David Thoreau

A Golden Palm Chapter 1.1

“Civilised Society”

‘The Carthaginians, after such a speech, debated for a long time the merits and drawbacks of holding Sicily, until the Spartan mercenary Xanthippos spoke thus:

“Siophet,” – such was his barbaric pronunciation – “Bomilka and I intend on leading an expedition to reclaim all Thrinakia for Kart-Hadastim.”
Bomilkar

Bomilkar ha Hamor fifteen or so years after this conference

, whose hideous face, it is said, was brighter than the fabrics of Syrian nobles and more gnarled than a Gallic oak was called ‘ha Hamor’ (the Ass) for his stubbornness, took over from him “The Epeirotes have left and are preoccupied with the Romans, the two main factions left on the island” -these were the Mamertimes and the Syrakousioi- “are not united and the Greek world is busy elsewhere.”

Mago

Mago at about 265BC
pointed out that no attempt to retake the entire island had ever succeeded, and ha Hamor responded that was because the other Greeks had always interfered or showed unity.’ – Xanthippos of Lepki, a Carthaginian diplomat who, several years later, was the liaison between that town and Kart-Hadast.

‘Various theorists believe that Gisgo, governor of Ippone, who had previously been refused reinforcements against Numidian attacks, was won over by a promise made to him by the Spartan Xanthippos to provide him with soldiers. It is also believed that Carthalo, governor of Sardinia was at this time:

“Nowhere to be seen, although he certainly had attended. My wife is also nowhere to be seen. Since I doubt he’ll read this, I’ll say that he’s a…”

The next part of this note contains (written, it is believed, by Carthalo’s secretary) several slurs on this Carthaginian’s masculinity and decency.

There were also two votes against, that of Hamalcar, the Shophet’s protégée, fearing, I believe, to the increasing influence of Hamalcar and Xanthippos, and that of Hanno, governor of Lepki, who stated that he wished “to abandon profitless Sicily and Sardinia and instead take Cyrene, Numidia and Massylia.”’

- Orb, a leading historian on the expansion of the Carthaginian republic from 272 BC onwards.

‘Mago, having the opportunity to decide, spoke thus: “’Why should I risk Carthaginian lives for Greek territory?’ some of you will say. I agree with you. There has never been a successful expedition to recover all of Sicily. Yet I say this, if we do not strike down the Syracusans now their Hellenic brothers are most divided and subdued, we will never have again such an opportunity. The garrisons of Syracuse and Messana are small, no aid can reach them for at least a year, the seas are clear.

I send Xanthippos and Bomilkar to strike out against Syracuse. They have two years to achieve their objective, or else be recalled to Carthage and forced to retire. Bomilkar, you have the command of a Liby-Phoenician phalanx from Qart-Hadast, and any men you can raise from Edumatha before the expedition. Xanthippos, you have the men you possess now, but that is all. Go.”

So it came to pass that a force from the Qarthadastim, led by the Spartan general Xanthippus and the Carthaginian Hamalcar, assembled in the spring of 272 BC just east of Kart-Hadast in order to capture Syracuse.

I am told that it comprised:
900 picked cavalry, acting as the bodyguards of ha Hamor and Xanthippos
5,200 Poenic citizens. 2,000 of these were regular soldiers.
2,000 heavy Libyan spearmen
8,000 Iberian light infantry, half of these fought as skirmishers, the rest as spearmen
5,000 Iberian light cavalry

To make a total of 15,200 infantry and 5,900 cavalry’
- Xanthippos of Lepki

**Orb** · 01-23-2007, 15:24

A Golden Palm

"Bell, book, and candle, shall not drive me back,
When gold and silver becks me to come on."

William Shakespeare

“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.”

Psalm 91

EB 0.8, Karthadastim, VH/M
No pursuit
No elephant use in sieges
<25% mercenary use
Maximum Roleplay
All numbers multiplied by 10, except Mnai.

Chapter 1: To Lead a Horse to Water

‘Shophet, I come to bring word that the city of Syracuse has been taken.’
‘They are two months later than I had asked. Tell me how this came about.’
‘Sir, I set off as a mercenary with the army led by Xanthippos two years ago…’

In the summer of 272 BC, Xanthippos and Bomilkar ha Hamor had set off from the port of Kart-Hadast with a company of about eighteen thousand men. They were joined at Syracuse four months later by two thousand Iberian caetrati and a further thousand Iberian light cavalry.

‘Thus our army which laid siege to the historic city, having removed lesser surrounding fortifications and towns, was composed as follows:
900 picked cavalry, acting as the bodyguards of ha Hamor and Xanthippos
5,200 Poenic citizens. 2,000 of these were regular soldiers.
2,000 heavy Libyan spearmen
8,000 Iberian light infantry, half of these fought as skirmishers, the rest as spearmen
5,000 Iberian light cavalry

To make a total of 15,200 infantry and 5,900 cavalry’

The Syracusans were possessing a lesser number of men, estimates range from 15,000 to 18,000, but these were inferior in training and skill to the Carthaginians and they possessed under a thousand cavalry, all of which were lightly armed. Thus the Syracusans did not sally out and meet the Carthaginians. The siege lasted for nearly two years before the Syracusans took the field with a force weakened by the famine they were suffering (for a group of mere lordless pirates had blockaded the city from the sea in the hopes of exacting a large payment from the Syracusans). They were led by a man named Hiero and included:

Under 1,000 hippakontistai, lightly armed cavalry
600 Hoplites trained in the Iphikratean style
3,000 Sicels, armed as pantadopoi
4,000 mixed skirmishers and archers
2,000 Peltasts and Thureophoroi

Thus the force which went out to face the Carthaginians was not much more than 10,000 men, and greatly inferior in terms of the number of passable combatants and cavalry.

Xanthippos ordered the Iberian skirmishers to form a screen, and the citizens to form behind it a main line, with cavalry and Iberian auxiliaries on either flank. The Sicels, impetuous and daring, rushed forwards and would have caught the reforming Carthaginians off guard. Only the Iberian skirmishers were in position. However, the lightly armed Sicels were outdone by the sheer ferocity of the caetrati and without the support of peltasts would have been pushed back at once. The Iberian horsemen, seeing their kinsmen outnumbered, came to their assistance and the Greeks and Sicels were defeated easily. The Greek light troops were sheltered by the fire from their walls, so no pursuit could easily be made.

Hiero, together with his cavalry was at this time caught between the victorious Iberian Caetrati and reserve cavalry, as well as the Iberi milites armed with spears. His men were cut down and he was captured. After the battle he was executed. One historian of the day mentions that he was posthumously whipped and tortured.

The Syracusans nonetheless came forth again twice, and having been bested on both occasions, Iberian cavalry pursued them into the town, cut down the gate guards and seized control. The remaining citizens surrendered.

Carthaginian casualties are estimated at two thousand to two and a half thousand men, including about five to eight hundred cavalry. Nine thousand Greeks and Sicilians were slain or captured, a further sixty thousand local Greeks have been sold into slavery.

As soon as a meaningful government had been established in Syracuse, a temple to Aphrodite was erected, in memory of the plague which had struck down Carthaginians who had defiled such a temple in years past and also of the roots to Cypros held by the Poeni.

‘You have done well messenger, I give you ten mnai for your efforts.’

At the meeting, after the assault on Syracuse had been accepted.

‘Sir’, said Hanno, the anti-Barcid, ‘I tire of sitting behind walls, and request that eight thousand mnai be given to me over a year that I may begin a system of watchtowers in the provinces of Africa. I feel deeply that unless we strengthen our African holdings, we may be at risk from incursions.’
Mago nodded, Hamalcar agreed immediately, hoping to cut off funds to the Sicilian expedition. Gisgo agreed immediately, hoping to be able to add further security to his own town of Ippone in the same manner at a later date. This motion was, therefore, also accepted.

‘Any more for any more?’
The men agreed on building mining complexes in the Iberian territory of Mastia, in order to fund these various expeditions and then parted, all set on their goals.

Meanwhile:

In the summer of 271 BC, Numidian tribesmen led by some man named ‘Sarosh’ encircled the town of Ippone and were defeated by Gisgo and the reinforcements which the Spartan had acquired for him. Although the initial forces were roughly equal in size, the Poeni militia proved able to stand the barrages of javelins and then turn back on multiple fronts savage charges. The Numidian allies (of Carthage) and Gisgo’s heavy cavalry worked together to pin down and destroy individual groups of Numidians, while the Numidians who surrounded one group of Poenic infantry were in turn surrounded by reserves, the battle was not bloodless but the Carthaginian records cite their losses as being not much more than two and a half thousand, while nearly the entire force (Sarosh and a few others survived) of the Numidians was killed.

During the Syracusan siege, maps were acquired from both Gallic tribes and also the Romans, the entire interior of Spain was explored by Carthaginian spies and diplomats. The mysteries of Africa, however vast, were also made less by spies, diplomats seeking refuge with individual tribes and small groups of Poeni pioneers, as well as the new watchtower initiative.

A small group of bandits had sprung up near Adumetha, a force had been raised and they had been destroyed by Adherbal, son of Bomilkar ha Hamor.

After the Ordeal:

Carthalo, who had returned from Sardinia, supposedly bored by life on that island, was ‘Just in time’ for the new expedition to be organised. He wasn’t the most energetic of sorts really. Mago had decided that Adherbal, who had been blooded in the battle outside Adumetha a year ago, would be suitable for leading the expedition.

Ha Hamor was pleased, very pleased. He’d heard about the events long before the city of Kart-hadast had. He’d seen from the top of the walls the stragglers floating to shore. Hamalcar was dead, his fleet sunk by pirates as he’d attempted to return to Carthage to gain prestige and hope to weaken the family of ha Hamor.
Adherbal was thus named Protégée of the Shophet, being close to the Shophet and respected as the sort of man who just didn’t have it in him to plot Mago’s downfall. An army was raised over the next year of eight thousand Libyan spearmen, four thousand Liby-Phoenician infantry and a few thousand Iberian and Spanish medium cavalry. This army would be led by Adherbal and the second in command would be Carthalo, so it was decided. It would be met by several thousand allied Numidian cavalry and infantry in Ippone and then launch attacks on the settlements of the Massylians and the Numidians.

In Italy, however, a good situation had turned into another war, ha Hamor had stayed in Syracuse, managing the wealth of it competently, while Xanthippos laid siege to Messana. With him was the young Himilco, one of Bomilkar ha Hamor’s sons. A spy of the Qarthadastim reported to them that the Romans had laid siege to the city of Rhegion. Bomilkar, using his authority, ordered his son to detach from the main army with nine thousand men and “assist” the Romans, by taking the city from the mercenaries holding it and appropriating the mines for the Carthaginians. This was accomplished swiftly, as the Carthaginians launched an attack from one side, the Romans struck from the other, the Carthaginians, using strategy, suffered few casualties and seized the city’s centre, while the Romans were bogged down facing an elite Greek phalanx in one street. The rebels’ leader, Melampos, seeing himself and his few surviving soldiers badly outnumbered, surrendered to the Carthaginians. His life was spared, as were those of his elite band, who, it is said, fled to Ambrakia in the immediate aftermath.

The Roman captain Gneo Haterius feared retribution for his failure to acquire the wealthy mines of the region for the senate and people of Rome. He immediately laid siege to the city, which had a depleted garrison (for many of the soldiers there had returned to assist the capture of Messana). Two seasons later, the Messanans sallied out to face what has been called a masterpiece of tactics. Xanthippos had about two thousand more men, and superiority, but regardless he won more convincingly than expected.

He placed skirmishers hidden in long grass as a screen before his small main phalanx. He then had allied Iberians hidden on the right and Lycanians on the left. His horsemen on the left rode forwards and hurled javelins at the horsemen under the command of the enemy general Ennychos, Ennychos pursued them and was ambushed by the Lycanians. Under the fire of javelins and surrounded, nearly half of his cavalry were incapable of fighting before there was any close combat. The Mamertine cavalry and leader thus met this fate.

The Iberian skirmisher screen then burst into action, attacking the Hellenic pantadopoi. They, having loosed many javelins, were backed up by the Carthaginian phalanx, at which point the skirmishers retreated through the phalanx, leaving the pantadopoi outclassed. The cavalry, having finished with the Mamertine hippeis came to the aid, and the hidden Iberians on the right encircled the Greek light infantry. The entire Greek light infantry force was in this way defeated. Only a few stray phalangites were not fleeing. Carthaginian cavalry followed the Hellenic light infantry into the town, cut down the guards of all the gates and placed their own men at the gates instead.

Meanwhile the Iberians, fighting as light infantry and declining to engage in protracted combats, antagonised the Hellenic hoplitai until the town was firmly under Qarthadastim control. The remaining hoplites surrendered in exchange for a promise that the town’s occupants would not be enslaved. This promise was fulfilled, and these same hoplites fought as mercenaries under Xanthippos in the upcoming campaign for the control of Rhegion.

The Romans, meanwhile, had formed a total alliance with the Epeirotes. Like the traitors they were they consorted with those they had once sought to destroy. It would be a long campaign to hold Rhegion.

Xanthippos then struck out at Gneo Haterius and defeated with few losses the small Roman force; Himilco was able to return to Messana and was extremely grateful, while Haterius was executed for incompetence. Xanthippos was able to finally come closer to his aspirations of political power by becoming governor of Rhegion, a post which no Carthaginian wanted, he now had the support and gratitude of at three members of the council (Bomilkar ha Hamor, Himlico and Gisgo). He would soon make his request to join it, although he knew it would not be easy. He granted his Lycanian mercenaries some land and the materials to build a fort. This happened to be in the way of the Epeirotes marching to attack Rhegion. Ah well, not much to be done about that.

At about the time that Rhegion was laid under siege, the African expedition was halfway to Ippone from Carthage.

-------------------------

Screenshots will be added later.

Great campaign

**Orb** · 01-24-2007, 18:49

‘Tell me, Xanthippos, why are you so confident of defeating the Epeirotes? They outnumber you sizeably, and you have little time and resources to prepare with, just until your pet Lycanians are crushed.’

‘This “Hellenos Aiakades” is a boy, unexperienced in command, his resources will run out and I may trap him in that same fort the Lycanians are using to hold out against him.”

“Yet, asking for a seat on the council? It seems a little ambitious.”

“They daren’t fail to appease me, as a Greek leading an army containing nearly no Carthaginians or Libyans. They’ll give me the position just to encourage me not to go over to the Epeirotes. It would, of course, be very bad for the generals in Sicily if they didn’t… I might do something crazy, and considering the pirates, they stand no chance at all of getting reinforcements to the few thousand troops there facing maybe forty thousand Epeirote and allied soldiers. Not to forget the Romans…”

Xanthippos’ point was quite clear. If he did not get a place on the council he would betray Kart-Hadastim and launch a campaign together with the Epeirotes on Sicily. Bomilkar and Himilco would be killed or executed later for abandoning the entire island, seeing as nearly no reinforcements could be mustered to lead a meaningful counter-attack as long as the pirates controlled the seas, Lilibeo would be lucky to remain in Carthaginian hands for over a year if this happened.

Bomilkar could get three votes (his own and those of his sons) for the Spartan to be given a place. Hanno would vote against it, anti-Barcine fool that he was. Mago, a great pragmatist, would understand the situation and give the Greek his place. Carthalo wouldn’t disagree unless he was paid to and Hasdrubal would see the inclusion of a Greek on the council as a benefit to public order in his own Iberian holdings.

It looked like the Spartan was in for the long haul. He unveiled his plans: the Lucanians had been ordered to feign an attempt to break out when he gave the signal, they would escape, rather than demonstrating a serious will to fight. With the Epeirotes having entered the fort, he would lay siege to it, his current army augmented by elite Greek mercenaries.

The Epeirotes would be suffering from a lack of supplies and so have a weakened mental state, Hellenos would be forced to sally out of the city and Xanthippos could defeat him without too significant losses. The fort could then be re-garrisoned and reused in case the Romans attacked.

Thus it came to pass that the Carthaginian senate agreed to the following motion: Xanthippos, a Greek, would acquire a place on the council, if he defeated Hellenos Aiakades. On such events lay the future of the rights of xenoi under the rule of Carthage - perhaps thus Xanthippos would achieve the legacy he wanted.

**Orb** · 01-30-2007, 13:31

First section reworked and screenies added (others to follow with reworking), photoshopping of screenshots plagiarised from Quirinus Kuhlmann, read his great "The World According To The Koinon" AAR!

**Orb** · 02-11-2007, 14:52

Second section reworked, perhaps doesn't convey the characters as fully, but has a few screenies and a more uniform style.

**Mamba** · 02-12-2007, 04:40

Surprised at the lack of feedback.

This is quite well done, Orb. I especially like what you've done with the images, as it makes them look more sophisticated.

Looking forward to seeing more of this!

**Teleklos Archelaou** · 02-12-2007, 05:07

My 24kpbs download speed makes viewing AAR's with pics pretty nasty. QK's is of course almost impossible for me to view.

I bet some folks don't even realize we have some AAR's in this subforum. Maybe I'll put AAR at the front of all the titles? I want to do one too, but have got to work more on mod first.

**Quirinus Kuhlmann** · 02-12-2007, 12:26

Greetings and good luck to your AAR, Orb. I read it with pleasure and interest and will follow it in the future. Also I'm looking foreward to the screenshots, you're going to add. Is that Xanthippos a greek general, that was bribed by you?

Also thank you very much for advertising my story. I'm honoured, really.

Telekos Archelaou: While uploading my screenshots I often think of your 24kpbs Modem, but then again, I can't resist to add them...
I think, putting "AAR" in front of the titles of the AARs, which spread out in this forum is a good idea. At all it is very nice to see, how they begin to spread!

**Empty** · 02-27-2007, 00:06

Wow! Marvelous! This "historic novel" really took my breath away!

Can't wait for the continuation.

**Orb** · 02-27-2007, 22:07

The continuation probably won't be happening, as it was begun under 0.80, and I am moving on to other things in 0.81 until the Carthaginians get a few more things.