Here’s my DBA Ancient Spanish army of the period 240BC - 20BC. It can represent either an Iberian army with the scutarii acting as 3Ax, or a Celtiberian one with the scutarii as 3Bd.
I would have painted this army in the 90s or early 2000s, so it really does count as ancient! It also means the photos, which were taken back then, aren’t exactly hi-res.
The basic army list for either option is:
1 x Cavalry general
1 x Light horse element
6 x Scutarii elements
- (3Ax for Iberians)
- (3Bd for Celtiberians)
4 x Caetrati light infantry
The Iberians with fast auxilia as their main troop type, aren’t well suited to standing toe to toe in the open. Neither are their support troops, in the form of cavalry, light horse (both in VERY limited numbers) and the four elements of light infantry (Ps).
In fact the whole army must be used carefully to be successful. An Iberian general can’t expect to overwhelm its opponents through brute force. It is best suited to dominating from rough and difficult terrain.
The Celtiberian option with its fast blade scutarii, can be used more aggressively. A Celtiberian general needs to make best use the army’s combination of fast blade punch and support troop manoeuvrability to dictate where the battle takes place. Celtiberians still need a fair bit of terrain to play around - especially so the support troops can be effective.
Thankfully both options are Aggression 0, so are likely to defend and choose terrain.
The Army:
Light Horse - LH x 1 element. Museum Miniatures:
Spanish Scutarii - 3Ax / 3Bd x 6 elements (+ 2 spare elements) - Essex Miniatures:
Spanish Caetrati - Ps x 4 elements. Irregular Miniatures with
(I think) a stray guy from Essex Miniatures:
