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Mr. Miles has skilfully fused the works of ancient historians such as Polybius and Livy, a wide range of modern studies and recent archaeological research to create a convincing and enthralling narrative (The Economist )
Richard Miles's Carthage Must be Destroyed is a refreshing addition to the debate (Philip Parker Financial Times )
This is a lively and compelling, chronological account of Carthage from its Phoenician foundation to its reception in Emperor Augustus's Rome (Paul Cartledge Literary Review )
Richard Miles tells this story with tremendous élan, combining the best of modern scholarship with narrative pace and energy. It is a superb achievement, a model for all such endeavours. He is even better on the little-known background to this tale (Peter Jones Telegraph )
The dramatic story of these events is set out in gripping detail (The Scotsman )
A fine, sweeping survey of the rise and fall of an empire and a glimpse into the diversity of the ancient world ... Richard Miles is ... concerned with the wider context ... and his book is all the more valuable for that (Wall Street Journal )
Richard Miles's Carthage Must be Destroyed is a refreshing addition to the debate (Philip Parker Financial Times )
This is a lively and compelling, chronological account of Carthage from its Phoenician foundation to its reception in Emperor Augustus's Rome (Paul Cartledge Literary Review )
Richard Miles tells this story with tremendous élan, combining the best of modern scholarship with narrative pace and energy. It is a superb achievement, a model for all such endeavours. He is even better on the little-known background to this tale (Peter Jones Telegraph )
The dramatic story of these events is set out in gripping detail (The Scotsman )
A fine, sweeping survey of the rise and fall of an empire and a glimpse into the diversity of the ancient world ... Richard Miles is ... concerned with the wider context ... and his book is all the more valuable for that (Wall Street Journal )
Product Description
The story of Carthage is one of the great epics of the Ancient World. And yet, thanks to the ruthlessness and brutality of the Roman destruction of the city under Scipio in 146 BC, we know relatively little about the city: its foundation, its expansion, its way of life, its literature and gods. Carthage has to all intents and purposes been driven to the margins of history. A tale of battles and empire-building, of bitter rivalry and destruction - and a great civilisation whose role in shaping European culture and history has, until now, been largely ignored.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
83 of 84 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
We all know that Cato was very insistent that Carthage must be destroyed, and that he got his way; but speaking for myself I had very little idea of why he was so bothered about it - or indeed who the citizens of Carthage were (apart from Hannibal and his elephants). This book is a terrific way of filling in those gaps, and I commend it very warmly to anyone with an interest in ancient history.
I was a little hesitant about it, despite its excellent review in the Lit Rev - the combination of the woeful mask on the cover and the knowledge that Richard Miles is a copper bottomed academic raised slight worries that it would be a heavy read. However such worries were ill founded. This is a superbly clearly and engagingly written book which wears its very considerable scholarship commendably lightly. It is also an absolute masterclass in how to deal with a history of the losing side, when sources are all slanted against you. Miles describes the effect over the years of the Rome/Carthage hostility as being like getting one side of a conversation, which is an admirably clear way of describing it! He then uses his sources scrupulously to recreate as fair a picture as can be hoped for of the Carthaginian epoch.
The story which he tells takes us from the origins of Carthage as an outpost of Tyre, through its social and religious roots and its growth to a major power in the Mediterranean, and its gradual weakening and ultimate destruction by Rome. It is a story crammed full of interest - the relative flexibility of religious belief, and its adaptation to political ends, the differing political structures in the Mediterranean and their influence on the genesis of the various cities, the economic cycles which drove Carthage's position and later its moves to expand, and how these can be traced in the archaeology. And of course we have the story of the Barcid generals, of whom we have all heard, and about whom many (like me) know next to nothing other than what we read in Livy! Those who think "spin" is a recent invention will be surprised to find that both Hamilcar and Hannibal were masters of the art....
One grouch which the Lit Rev had with the book is that Miles is very plainly a huge enthusiast for his subject. The reviewer there felt that the result was a slight "overselling" of the significance of Carthage. I beg to differ. The enthusiasm (which is manifest) is a terrific thing - it carries one over subjects which would in other hands seems rather dull and brings the picture which is so painstakingly pieced together to life. If the result is arguably to overstate the importance of Carthage (and I am not qualified to judge on this one!) I think that is only fair by way of an attempt to redress the balance after centuries in the shadows.
I was a little hesitant about it, despite its excellent review in the Lit Rev - the combination of the woeful mask on the cover and the knowledge that Richard Miles is a copper bottomed academic raised slight worries that it would be a heavy read. However such worries were ill founded. This is a superbly clearly and engagingly written book which wears its very considerable scholarship commendably lightly. It is also an absolute masterclass in how to deal with a history of the losing side, when sources are all slanted against you. Miles describes the effect over the years of the Rome/Carthage hostility as being like getting one side of a conversation, which is an admirably clear way of describing it! He then uses his sources scrupulously to recreate as fair a picture as can be hoped for of the Carthaginian epoch.
The story which he tells takes us from the origins of Carthage as an outpost of Tyre, through its social and religious roots and its growth to a major power in the Mediterranean, and its gradual weakening and ultimate destruction by Rome. It is a story crammed full of interest - the relative flexibility of religious belief, and its adaptation to political ends, the differing political structures in the Mediterranean and their influence on the genesis of the various cities, the economic cycles which drove Carthage's position and later its moves to expand, and how these can be traced in the archaeology. And of course we have the story of the Barcid generals, of whom we have all heard, and about whom many (like me) know next to nothing other than what we read in Livy! Those who think "spin" is a recent invention will be surprised to find that both Hamilcar and Hannibal were masters of the art....
One grouch which the Lit Rev had with the book is that Miles is very plainly a huge enthusiast for his subject. The reviewer there felt that the result was a slight "overselling" of the significance of Carthage. I beg to differ. The enthusiasm (which is manifest) is a terrific thing - it carries one over subjects which would in other hands seems rather dull and brings the picture which is so painstakingly pieced together to life. If the result is arguably to overstate the importance of Carthage (and I am not qualified to judge on this one!) I think that is only fair by way of an attempt to redress the balance after centuries in the shadows.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Until the publication of this excellent book, the preeminent text about Carthage was the 1995 volume Carthage: A History by the French historian Serge Lancel. This, an outstanding contribution to the patchy knowledge we have of Carthage, has just been eclipsed. One might think that part of the reason for this is that Carthage Must Be Destroyed did not need to be translated (inevitably, there were some places where Lancel's text became unwieldy). It's far from that: this is a better written, easier to follow, more rounded book than Lancel's.
Miles begins with the Phoenicians, the people who founded Carthage, and goes on from there. His style is at all times enjoyable, and his arguments well presented. Apart from the obvious following of Carthage's history, he goes into great depth about subjects such as the manner in which Hannibal aped the feats of Hercules in order to show that he had divine backing, and how the Romans fought back against this religious propaganda. He also explains in depth how, from the time of the Second Punic War onwards, the Romans made it their business to portray the Carthaginians as untrustworthy, perfidious liars and cheats. This in turn allowed them to show themselves as more heroic and steadfast.
Anyone who is interested in learning the full (well, what is known) details about Carthage and its history, needs to read this book. I for one will be returning to it again and again in the future. In my opinion, leading Lancel's book is also a good idea. Another interesting text is Daily Life in Carthage at the Time of Hannibal by the academic Gilbert Charles-Picard. Although it was written in the 1960s, it has some useful information about Carthaginian culture.
Ben Kane, author of Hannibal: Enemy of Rome.
Miles begins with the Phoenicians, the people who founded Carthage, and goes on from there. His style is at all times enjoyable, and his arguments well presented. Apart from the obvious following of Carthage's history, he goes into great depth about subjects such as the manner in which Hannibal aped the feats of Hercules in order to show that he had divine backing, and how the Romans fought back against this religious propaganda. He also explains in depth how, from the time of the Second Punic War onwards, the Romans made it their business to portray the Carthaginians as untrustworthy, perfidious liars and cheats. This in turn allowed them to show themselves as more heroic and steadfast.
Anyone who is interested in learning the full (well, what is known) details about Carthage and its history, needs to read this book. I for one will be returning to it again and again in the future. In my opinion, leading Lancel's book is also a good idea. Another interesting text is Daily Life in Carthage at the Time of Hannibal by the academic Gilbert Charles-Picard. Although it was written in the 1960s, it has some useful information about Carthaginian culture.
Ben Kane, author of Hannibal: Enemy of Rome.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As the other reviews have suggested this is an excellent book, a concise presentation of the society that came close to obliterating an emerging Rome three centuries before the birth of Christ. The scale (battles that numerically dwarf those of World War One and exceed them in savagery, on land and sea), the strategic complexity and audacity of the characters, the unanswered questions and "what ifs" - it just doesn't get any more epic. This is why I find historical fiction a tepid substitute for historical fact.
I came to Richard Miles' book having read Adrian Goldsworthy "The Punic Wars". Published in 2000 it is well-focused military history but left me contextually curious. I also enjoyed "Hannibal - Rome's Worst Nightmare" the BBC 2006 dramatised documentary centred on the Italian campaign. For some reason this DVD is only sold by Amazon Germany.
Military campaigning aside, I wanted to understand more about Carthage, its political and economic base, their belief systems and religion and this is what Miles presents along with the Carthage at war. He writes well, dispels the Roman inspired negative stereotypes " mendacious, greedy, untrustworthy, cruel, arrogant and irreligious" (the pot calling the kettle black?). I found his explanation of political power and religious belief fascinating and equally how Carthage was a collation of interests not the monolithic entity we tend to assume. Overall this book is an object lesson in illustrating that academic credibility is not compromised by the fluency of his story telling. A very good book, I will re read it.
I came to Richard Miles' book having read Adrian Goldsworthy "The Punic Wars". Published in 2000 it is well-focused military history but left me contextually curious. I also enjoyed "Hannibal - Rome's Worst Nightmare" the BBC 2006 dramatised documentary centred on the Italian campaign. For some reason this DVD is only sold by Amazon Germany.
Military campaigning aside, I wanted to understand more about Carthage, its political and economic base, their belief systems and religion and this is what Miles presents along with the Carthage at war. He writes well, dispels the Roman inspired negative stereotypes " mendacious, greedy, untrustworthy, cruel, arrogant and irreligious" (the pot calling the kettle black?). I found his explanation of political power and religious belief fascinating and equally how Carthage was a collation of interests not the monolithic entity we tend to assume. Overall this book is an object lesson in illustrating that academic credibility is not compromised by the fluency of his story telling. A very good book, I will re read it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very decent
Very decent book on Carthage - a state whose history we largely know in an amount that the victorious Romans considered enough for us to know. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Denis Peskov
A great, if incomplete, history of a destroyed empire
Ancient Western history intrigues me, and any study of Roman history from before the time of Augustus and the Empire has always included the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. Read more
Published 1 month ago by David Roy
Explaining why it HAD to GO and much more besides...
This book is certaily a masterpiece of scholarship but it also shows how history can be told in a fascinating way without being academic. Read more
Published 5 months ago by JPS
I wouldn't bother
The books reads like an old fashioned teacher lecturing you - it was monotone and lacked passion. I gave up after only a few chapters and sold it on.
Published 11 months ago by mrogers
RAIDERS & TRADERS
'Carthago delenda est'~ When the Romans devastated Carthage at the end of the Third Punic War they also obliterated much of the city's history. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jane-Anne Shaw, MA
A definitive history of Carthage
The Mediterranean is perhaps one of the most diverse regions of the world rivalled only by South East Asia. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Amrit
Holiday appreciation
I visited Carthage on holiday and wanted to know why it had been destroyed. I was reluctant at first to read ancient history but found this book facinating and it filled out a lot... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Marie Hackett
An excellent account of Carthage
Richard Miles has produced a real gem in "Carthage Must Be Destroyed". The book is a fairly prodigious effort, defying conventional ancient periodization to provide a complete... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Kuma
A heavy going, great work.
This is a great work which taught me a great deal about a subject I had a limited knowledge of. I did struggle with his style of writing though, is it just me? Read more
Published 16 months ago by Keith, York
Important addition
I found this most interesting, perhaps, like other non specialists, I have regarded Carthage as a somewhat minor appendage to Roman history - or a mention in a dictionary of... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Dr. Philip A. Shand
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