Carthage relied heavily on mercenaries to bolster its citizen armies, a strategy that worked well for short campaigns close to home. However, when campaigns lasted longer than anticipated and coin was not forthcoming, mercenaries became less than trustworthy. In 240BC a group of mercenaries who had fought for Carthage during the First Punic War seized Tunis because they weren't paid. To help prevent this situation from ever arising again the Carthaginians began minting coins on campaign. They were made from silver, gold and electrum and were marked “from the camp”.
