Our surviving samples of Carthaginian literature—namely, the Greek translation of the Periplus of Hanno (Ἄννωνος περίπλους) and a few fragments from the agricultural treatise of Mago—have unfortunately reinforced the view, expounded by the likes of B. H. Warmington, that the art of writing in the Punic world was unappreciated, unsophisticated, and the product of a…

The Carthaginians were introduced to war elephants by Pyrrhus of Epirus (295-272 B.C.) during its sicilian campaign, leading them to promptly abandon their Tyrean war chariots. They first deployed elephants against the Romans during the Battle of Agrigentum (262 B.C.) Carthage employed war elephants that were native to North Africa and were smaller compared to…

Given the extensive representation of populations from the west. Med. in the Carthaginian army, it is not feasible to provide a comprehensive description of all of them. Focus will be on the key mercenary troops that frequently fought alongside the Carthaginians. The Iberians : In Thucydides’ account (6.90.3), the Athenian general Alcibiades, praises Iberian mercenaries…

Historically, Greco-Roman literature often assigned different stereotypes to Punics including the idea that they were not particularly inclined towards military matters. Indeed, it is evident that they had a distinct approach to warfare, possibly due to their focus on trade. The Phoenician colonial enterprise had primarily commercial objectives and took great care to avoid arousing…

One of the main reasons why the story of Carthage is so important to the story of Rome is because Carthage was its own empire large enough and strong enough to rival Rome. Carthage was originally a Phoenician colony, but while it inherited many of the characteristics of the Phoenicians, it developed its own personality…