When it comes to the three Punic Wars between Carthage and pre-empire Rome, the Second Punic War often takes center stage. The Second Punic War’s drama can’t be overstated. When these two mighty, practically equal powers went head-to-head, it produced two of history’s greatest military leaders: Carthage’s Hannibal Barca and Rome’s Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. It resulted in some of history’s most epic battles, like the much-studied Battle of Cannae and created the opportunity for the Carthaginians’ long, arduous, and odds-defying march over the Alps and into Italy.
A Bitter History
Mr. Bahmanyar provides a brief retelling of Carthage and Rome’s founding, and how the Punic Wars began. He also discusses the post-First Punic War, the Truceless War, which took place when the Carthaginians’ mercenaries revolted. This latter war, also known as the Mercenary War, was brutal and merciless, as the instigators weren’t merely executed, but crucified.An Illustrative History
As Mr. Bahmanyar explains, the Punic Wars, specifically the Second, were like a family feud, with Carthage’s Barca family—from father, sons, and brother-in-law—and Rome’s Scipio family—father, brother, and son—leading the armies. Readers get brief biographies of these leaders. The author cites primarily from ancient sources, like Livy, Virgil, and Polybius, and also, when available, from archaeological sources.Covering the Iberian Campaign
The author presents the Iberian campaign in 11 parts. The first part of the campaign is the Battle of Tagus, which pitted the Carthagenians against the Carpetani (a combination of Iberian allies) and illustrates Hannibal’s tactical brilliance. He used the Tagus River to his advantage despite being heavily outnumbered. The book presents the battle in large scale imagery and a map. Shortly thereafter, Hannibal conducted his march through the Alps to invade Rome. There is a brief mention of Hannibal’s march into Italy, but Mr. Bahmanyar keeps the discussion in Iberia. It’s there, without Hannibal, that we meet the relatively unsung members of the Barca family, like Hasdrubal and Mago. It is there also that we witness the death of Scipio Africanus’s father and uncle.Just as the book begins with the Iberian campaign and Hannibal’s masterstroke military victory at Tagus, we witness Scipio Africanus, a year after his father and uncle’s death, conduct his own brilliant maneuver toward the campaign’s end. The siege of New Carthage, however, was less about Scipio Africanus’s method of attack on the lightly defended outpost, and more about his choice to attack it in the first place.
As Mr. Bahmanyar notes, New Carthage was “of tremendous value” because of “the vast stores hoarded there supplying its military.” The author indicates the Roman general’s thinking, stating that “A lightning fast and successful strike here at the heart of Punic Iberia would clearly favour the Romans and injure Carthaginian hegemony irreparably.”
During these 11 momentous battles, Mr. Bahmanyar takes the time to dissect why certain maneuvers worked and why some were costly. He also investigates the battles, posing questions, such as the final battle discussed in the book, the Battle of Ilipa in 206 B.C. During this battle, Scipio Afrianus’s troops conducted a double-flanking maneuver, just as Hannibal had done in Cannae about a decade prior. The author wonders why the Carthaginian armies didn’t adapt to maneuvers with which they should have been familiar. As Mr. Bahmanyar notes, “The Battle of Ilipa was a Roman victory based on Hannibalian tactics adopted by Scipio.”
Somehow, the author tackles an exhaustive subject with brevity. The visuals—from maps to illustrations to graphic charts—provide valuable information, giving the reader a sense of events during the chaos of battle. For ancient history or military strategy enthusiasts, this is a good book to add to the collection.
