Mercenaries of the ancient Iberian Peninsula

Statue of an ancient Lusitanian warrior from Lisbon, Portugal.

Mercenary life is recorded as a custom of Iron Age Spain, particularly in the central area of the Iberian Peninsula. Departing from the native tribe and applying to serve in others was a way for economically disadvantaged youth to escape poverty and find an opportunity to use their fighting skills.[1] Starting from 5th century BC, mercenary life would become a true social phenomenon in Hispania, with great numbers of fighters from distant lands coming to join the armies of Carthage, Rome, Sicily and even Greece, as well as other Hispanic peoples.[2]

They are repeatedly described by authors like Strabo and Thucydides as being among the best fighting forces in the Mediterranean Sea area, as well as, according to Livy, the most elite unit in Hannibal's army (id roboris in omni exercitu).[3] Polybius cites them as the reason for the Carthaginian victory in several battles during the Second Punic War.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Proto was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ María Paz García-Gelabert Pérez, José María Blázquez Martínez. "Mercenarios hispanos en las fuentes literarias y la arqueología" (PDF) (in Spanish). Habis.
  3. ^ Livy. Ab Urbe Condita Libri, 27, 14.
  4. ^ María Paz García-Gelabert Pérez. "Estudio del Armamento prerromano en la península ibérica a través de los textos clásicos" (PDF) (in Spanish). Espacio, Tiempo y Forma.