Merkabim Garamantim (Garamantine Chariots)

Merkabim Garamantim (Garamantine Chariots)
Merkabim Garamantim (Garamantine Chariots)
Primary Weapon	Type: javelin Attack: 7 Charge: 0 Lethality: 1 Range: 55 Ammo: 20 Attributes: thrown missile
Secondary Weapon	Type: none(chariot) Attack: 5 Charge: 30 Lethality: 1 Attributes: attack affects area
Defence	Armour: 2 Shield: 2 Skill: 6
Recruitment	Soldiers: 18 Cost: 1080 Upkeep: 270 Turns: 1
Mental	Morale: 5 Discipline: low Training: untrained
Other	Hit Points: 2 Mass: 1 Attributes: Can board ships, hardy, Power Charge, Can perform Cantabrian circle Formation: square Side/Back spacing: 13/16 Ownership: Carthage, Makedonia, Epeiros, Lusotannan, Arevaci, Ptolemaioi, Koinion Hellenon, Pergamon, Arverni, Aedui, Numidia

These Garamantine nobles ride into battle on chariots. They are equipped with swords, but mostly use javelins to terrorise their opponents.

Description

The Garamantine nobles and chieftains ride in large chariots across the desert from which they throw spears and javelins at their enemies. These men are the most wealthy and highest ranking among the tribes of the Garamantes and thus wear more elaborate clothing, such as pants. They also carry Berber swords, though these are difficult to wield from the back of a moving chariot. Beware of the zealous nature of these men as they will try to engage the enemy, even in close quarters, for they are used to hunting down the cowardly Troglodytai Ethiopians of the Sahara, and not accustomed to facing disciplined soldiers. Use them with care and they will ride down your foes for you!

Historically, the chariots used by the Garamantes are described in Herodotus as being four horsed. While this style did exist in North Africa (the Carthaginians using four horse chariots for example), it was somewhat impractical. The rock art of the Garamantines depicts their chariots as being driven by two horses, which seems a more realistic number. As Herodotus is known for his embellishment, the archaeological evidence is favored.

The Garamantes were a group of Berber tribes living in North central Africa on the fringe of the Sahara desert where they herded cattle and worked irrigated farmland. They conducted raids against towns to the North and against the nomadic Saharan people known to the Greeks as the Troglodytai. The Garamantes reached dominance in the second and third century AD and are often referred to as one of the first great Berber nations. They fought on foot, from horseback and from chariots. Much of the evidence for their equipment comes from their own rock art and Egyptian paintings of Libyan soldiers. Herodotos refers to the Garamantines as a fierce and aggressive tribe that would hunt down the Troglodytai, but also says that they are a people who know little of war. Herodotos made the them famous for his fanciful tale of the cattle they raised, which supposedly had horns so long that they had to graze backwards.