Revised Ancient Spanish DBA Army List

There are a few reasons I don’t like the official II/39 Ancient Spanish 240BC-20BC army list for DBA:

  • The Iberian option should be able to get some Celtiberian mercenaries.
  • Although pictorial evidence shows the cavalry had either large or small shields it is an assumption that the guy so equipped fought in a different fashion. In the infantry the small shield equipped Caetratri were skirmishers and large shield Scutarii were heavy infantry but this does not necessarily apply to the cavalry. It could be true but might not be. And Lusitanian heavily armoured infantry had the small Caetra shield. Literary evidence doesn’t distinguish between the two kinds of cavalry – Spanish cavalry was all the same. We do know they consistently bested the Numidians, who were skirmishers, so that suggests heavy cavalry. And all Spanish cavalry were brigaded with the Gauls and Poeni cavalry in the armies of Hannibal and his brothers; that also suggests heavy. On the other hand the Spanish cavalry could catch the Numidians, which others couldn’t, and that suggests light. I think it best to provide a choice. Personally I think they are all heavy but faster heavy than other nations.
  • The average ratio of Scutarii to Caetrati should be 2 to 1 for Iberians and Celtiberians. But the official lists have 3 to 2. Although we could assume one stand was Slingers which would make them balance up.

Here is my variant to address these issues.

II/39 Ancient Spanish – Revised

Ag: 0

Arable: 1-2 Compulsory (BUA or Road) 2-3 Optional (River, Steep Hills, Gentle Hills, Woods, Road, Waterway)

Hilly: 1-2 Compulsory (Steep Hills) 2-3 Optional (River, Woods, BUA, Road)

  • (a) Iberian, Arable
    • 1 x 3Cv (Gen) [Cavalry]
    • 1 x 3Cv or 2LH [Cavalry]
    • 6 x 3Ax [Scutarii]
    • 3 x 2Ps [Caetrati, Slingers]
    • 1 x 3Wb [Mercentary Celtiberians]
      • or 3Ax [Scutarii]
      • or 2Ps [Caetrati]
  • (b) Celtiberian, Hilly
    • 1 x 3Cv (Gen) [Cavalry]
    • 1 x 3Cv or 2LH [Cavalry]
    • 6 x 3Wb [Scutarii]
    • 3 x 2Ps [Caetrati, Slingers]
    • 1 x 3Wb [Scutarii]
      • or 2Ps [Caetrati]
  • (c) Lusitanian, Arable
    • 1 x 3Cv (Gen) [Cavalry]
    • 1 x 3Cv or 2LH [Cavalry]
    • 3 x 3Ax [Heavy Caetrati]
    • 6 x 2Ps [Caetrati, Slingers]
    • 1 x 3Wb [Mercentary Celtiberians]
      • or 4Bd [Sertorius’s Legionaries]
      • or 2Ps [Caetrati]

This list corresponds to the following Field of Glory army lists:

  • Ancient Spanish 250-1BC (Rise of Rome)

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