page_title: Warfare in the ancient Iberian Peninsula
section_title: Infantry
hierarchical_section_title: Warfare in the ancient Iberian Peninsula / Military organization / Infantry
caption_attribution_description: Español: Recreación de guerrero ibero del siglo III a. C., con sus armas (falcata, escudo, peto de placa, linotórax). VII Jornada de puertas abiertas del recinto arqueológico de Kelin. Paraje los Villares, Caudete de las Fuentes, Valencia.
context_page_description: Warfare in ancient Iberian peninsula occupied an important place in historical chronicles, first during the Carthaginian invasion of Hispania, including the Punic Wars, and later during the Roman conquest of the peninsula. The densely bellicose character of the Pre-Roman peoples who inhabited Hispania was repeatedly shown in their conflicts against Rome, Carthage and each other.
context_section_description: Infantry in Hispania was usually lightly armored, compared to the Hellenic peltast by some authors. They would capitalize on their mobility and quickness to overwhelm enemies, executing running attacks, performing skirmishes and bellowing battle cries. Celtiberian warriors might have used orange war paint. Ranged weapons were favored, among them slings and javelins (including several types of those, like the falarica and soliferrum). Aside from javelin casters, Balearians were legendary slingmen among the rest of Hispanic tribes. They were taught from childhood to use accurately slings of several sizes, and employed them to throw stones heavier than many other slingmen of the time, weighing around 1 mina (15.3 ounces/436g) every shot. Most other peninsular tribes preferred smaller lead bullets as slingshot. The bow and arrow was very rarely used, if at all, and possibly limited to hunting.
  However, Spaniard swordsmen are acknowledged more often than ranged fighters in chronicles due to their toughness and lethal effect. Populations from the Mediterranean coast would use the falcata, while most other peninsular peoples employed the gladius, which would be adopted by the Roman military for its excellence at both cutting and stabbing. Armor was usually light and made of leather, and shields were used in two main forms: one was the small, round caetra, which gave its owners the Roman name of caetrati, while the other was the heavier, oval scutum, similar to the thyreos or the Gallic longshield, whose carriers would be called scutarii. Balearic slingers would use hardened leather shields tied to an arm in order to leave both hands free to use their slings.
  Despite their light armor, which should force them to trust on strategy over all out assault, Hispanic infantry is also described as fearsome even in the front lines. Iberians and Celtiberians occupied comfortably the vanguard of Hannibal's army at the Battle of Cannae, divided in speirai (units similar to Roman maniples) and side to side to his Gaulish contingent, while Balearic slingers supported them from behind. Even Lusitanians, commonly known as ambushers and riders, are quoted to stand out for their ferocity and battle skill. This is attributed not only to the experience of their warring culture, but also to the quality of their weapons, particularly their swords.
caption: Recreation of a southern Iberian caetrati.
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