The Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy. Adrian Goldsworthy holds a PhD in ancient military history and is an authority on the subject of Rome’s wars. Ancient history is a fascinating field. It’s remarkable that we can know so much about events that took place over two thousand years ago. Yet this knowledge is difficult to obtain: much has been lost over the centuries, and the world of antiquity is so different from ours that imagining the daily life of its people can be difficult.
I chose The Fall of Carthage because I wanted to learn more about Hannibal, the Carthaginian general who famously marched war elephants from Spain, across the Alps, and into Italy to confront Rome. His most famous victory was at the Battle of Cannae in 216 BCE, where his smaller army completely encircled and destroyed a much larger Roman force. Ancient sources estimate around 50,000 Roman soldiers were killed that day, making it one of the bloodiest single days of combat in history. While casualty counts from ancient battles are often debated, Cannae’s death toll would still surpass that of any single-day battle in the Napoleonic Wars, World War I, World War II, or the Vietnam War.
In a video interview, Goldsworthy mentioned that the original title of the book was The Punic Wars, a more descriptive label, but the change to The Fall of Carthage was an editorial decision rather than his own.
Although the book covers all three Punic Wars, it is primarily a work of military history, focusing on strategy, tactics, and the organization of the armies. Goldsworthy details the structure of the Roman infantry, their weaponry and armor, training methods, and the discipline enforced by their commanders. Roman discipline could be brutal: for example, in cases of cowardice, a punishment known as decimation might be carried out, where one in every ten soldiers of a disgraced unit was beaten to death by his comrades as a warning to the rest.
Goldsworthy also explains how Rome’s power grew not only through conquest but also through integration. Conquered peoples were often granted varying degrees of citizenship, which came with the obligation to serve as soldiers when called upon.
Ancient Rome’s expansion can be seen as an early form of imperial conquest, in which a dominant state extended its control over other societies, absorbing their territories, reshaping their political structures, and integrating their people into the Roman system. While Rome did not operate under the same economic and ideological framework as modern European colonial powers, it nonetheless imposed its authority over less militarily powerful peoples across the Mediterranean and beyond.
I am still early in my reading, but so far, this is proving to be an excellent and insightful book. I expect to share more thoughts as I continue.
NOTE: Inspired by Hannibal’s legendary Alpine crossing, British engineering student and mountaineer John Hoyte set out in 1959 to recreate the effort. After unsuccessfully seeking help from consulates in France, Switzerland, and Italy, he secured an 11-year-old female elephant named Jumbo from the Turin Zoo. Hoyte assembled a small team that included a veterinarian, a driver, a cook, and other support members, and together they guided Jumbo across the Alps. Although their route differed from Hannibal’s exact path, the expedition demonstrated that such a crossing with an elephant was physically possible; Jumbo completed the journey despite losing about 230 kilograms in weight along the way.