A Companion to the Punic Wars

Widely considered the greatest conflicts of antiquity, the Punic Wars irrevocably changed the course of world history. A Companion to the Punic Wars provides a comprehensive new survey of the three wars fought by Rome and Carthage between 264 and 146 BC. Featuring a series of thought provoking essays from a community of distinguished international scholars, the collection provides a unique portrayal of the bloody “hundred years’ war” that created a legend out of Hannibal and left Rome with a world empire. The three wars are covered comprehensively from the Roman and Carthaginian military and naval strategies to diplomacy, economic and social factors, historiography, and the achievements of the charismatic Carthaginian general Hannibal. A Companion to the Punic Wars offers invaluable new insights to students and scholars alike into an epic struggle that had far reaching impacts on the Western world.

List of Tables. List of Maps. Notes on Contributors. List of Abbreviations.Introduction: The Punic Wars (Dexter Hoyos). Part I: Background & Sources. 1. The Rise of Rome to 264 (John Serrati). 2. Early Relations between Rome and Carthage (Barbara Scardigli). 3. The rise of Carthage to 264 (Watler Amelina). 4. Manpower and Food Supply in the First and Second Punic Wars (Paul Erdkamp). 5. Phalanx and Legion: the “Face” of Punic War Battle ( Sam Koon). 6 Polybius and the Punic Wars ( Craige B. Champion). 7 Principal Literary Sources for the Punic Wars (apart from Polybius) ( Bernard Mineo). Part II: The First Punic War & Aftermath. 8. The Outbreak of War (Dexter Hoyos). 9. A War of Phases: Strategies and Stalemates 264–241 (Boris Rankov). 10. Roman Politics in the First Punic War (Bruno Bleckmann). 11. Roman Politics and Expansion, 241–219 (Luigi Loreto). 12. Carthage in Africa and Spain, 241–218 (Dexter Hoyos). Part III: The Second Punic War. 13. The Reasons for The War (Hans Beck). 14. Hannibal: Tactics, Strategy and Geostrategy (Michael P. Fronda). 15. Hannibal and Propaganda (Richard Miles). 16. Roman Strategy and Aims in the Second Punic War (Klaus Zimmerman). 17. The War in Italy, 218–203 (Louis Rawlings). 18. War abroad: Spain, Sicily, Macedon, Africa (Peter Edwell). 19. Rome, Latins and Italians in the Second Punic War (Kathryn Lomas). 20. Punic Politics, Economy and Alliances, 218–201 (Pedro Barcel ó). 21. Roman Economy, Finance and Politics in the Second Punic War (Toni Ñaco del Hoyo). Part IV: The Last Half–Century of Carthage. 22. Carthage and Numidia, 201–150 (Claudia Kunze). 23. Italy: Economy and Demography after Hannibal’s War (Nathan Rosenstein). 24. The ‘Third Punic War’: the Siege of Carthage, 148–146BC (Yann Le Bohec). Part V: Conclusions. 25. Death and Transfiguration: Punic Culture after 146 (Mhamed–Hassine Fantar). 26. Spain, Africa and Rome after Carthage (John Richardson). 27. Carthage and Hannibal in Roman and Greek memory (Giovanni Brizzi). References. Index. 

Dexter Hoyos is retired Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History from the University of Sydney, Australia. He has published extensively on Latin teaching and aspects of Roman and Carthaginian history (including on Hannibal’s actual route over the Alps). His books include Unplanned Wars (1998), Hannibal’s Dynasty (2003), Truceless War (2007), and Hannibal: Rome’s Greatest Enemy (2008).

“My cavils in the previous paragraph notwithstanding, Hoyos and his team are to be complimented for their success in bringing the multifaceted “action history” of the wars to life in a striking and sophisticated way.”  ( Bryn Mawr Classical Review , 1 January 2013)