The Battle of Tunis - 255 BC

[TWFanatic]

The Battle of Tunis was Carthage’s only major land victory of the First Punic War. It stands out amongst other battles of the Punic Wars namely because the majority of the Carthaginian army consisted not of mercenaries, as was their custom, but of ordinary citizens. However, the Punic victory was not due to the willingness of the Carthaginian populace to fight - an area in which the Romans were far superior - but to the charismatic leadership and sound tactical decisions of a Greek (possibly Lacedaemonian) Mercenary named Xanthippus.

My major source for this battle is, of course, Polybius. The relevant sections of his Histories are 1.32 - 1.35. Among the other resources I have consulted, two of the most useful were Hannibal: A History of the Art of War Among the Carthaginians and Romans, by Theodore Ayrault Dodge, and The History of Rome, by Thomas Arnold.

Of everything I’ve ever read on this battle, nothing has mentioned the size or kind of the elephants which made up the front line of the army of Xanthippus. If anyone knows something I don’t or has an idea of what elephants to use, please let me know.

The same goes for the heavy mercenaries. I tend to believe that they were Greek, since Carthage had sent a recruiting agent to Greece looking for mercenaries prior to this battle. According to Polybius, the agent brought back “a large number of men with him.” Xanthippus only accounts for one of these men.

The following numbers are on a 10:1 scale.

Xanthippus:
1 unit of 5 Sacred Band Cavalry
2 units of 100 Ezrahim Parasim Ponnim
2 units of 100 Numidian Skirmisher Cavalry
5 units of 150 Misteret Izrahim Tsorim
1 units of 150 Dorkim Lubim-Ponnim Mookdamim
1 unit of 100 Misthophoroi Hoplitai
1 unit of 100 Toxotai Kretikoi
1 unit of 100 Balearic Slingers
10 elephants

Marcus Atilius Regulus: (all units are Camillan except for Velites)
1 unit of 5 Eqvites Consvlares
2 units of 25 Eqvites Romani
4 units of 108 Velites
4 units of 108 Hastati
4 units of 108 Principes
4 units of 54 Triarii