Carthage - Serge Lancel

Carthage, now a ruin on the North coast of Africa, was the capital of one of the world's most powerful empires. This book describes its history, from foundation by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC to destruction by the Romans some six centuries later.

The volume opens with a narrative account of the expansion of the Phoenician trade empire from the tenth to the fifth centuries BC. The author then examines the growth of Carthage from a colony of Tyre to the capital of a western empire that stretched across Africa from modern–day Libya to the coast beyond the Pillars of Hercules, and in Europe from Spain through Sardinia to Sicily. The central part of the book creates a portrait of Carthage at the peak of its power. Professor Lancel describes its society, trade, rituals and religion. He then tells the story of the great conflict with Rome, famously featuring Hannibal's crossing of the Alps, and concluding with the city's destruction in 146 BC. The book ends with an essay on the elements on Punic culture that survived the demise of the city.