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Carthage

A new history of an ancient empire

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Brought to you by Penguin.

The empire behind the legend

Carthage was a power that dominated the western Mediterranean for almost six centuries before its fall to Rome. The history of the realm and its Carthaginians was subsumed by their conquerors and, along the way, the story of the real Carthage was lost. An ancient North African kingdom, Carthage was the home of Hannibal and of Dido, of war elephants and enormous power and wealth, of great beauty and total destruction.

In this landmark history, Eve MacDonald tells the essential story of the lost culture of Carthage and of its forgotten people, using archaeological analysis to uncover the history behind the legend. A journey that takes us the Phoenician Levant of the early Iron Age to the Atlantic and all along the coast of Africa, Carthage puts the city and the story of North Africa once again at the centre of Mediterranean history. Reclaimed from the Romans, this is the Carthaginian version of the tale, revealing to us that, without Carthage, there would be no Rome.

© Eve MacDonald 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

 Africa Ancient Archaeology Rome Ancient History Elephant War
All stars
Most relevant
what we know of Carthage is mostly from Roman eyes, and fairly biased as a result. The story is fleshed out from other direction as far as these exist.

Rooting for the Underdog

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I’ve always wanted to understand the legend and real history of Carthage and this book does it justice. It is no small feat covering the entire history of a civilisation but the reader is carried through the Carthaginian story at just the right pace and cadence for anyone being introduced to these people for the first time and wraps up by explaining how their lasting legacy still lives on and why they continue to be importent in the modern age. Would highly recommend

Everything I wanted (and needed) to know about this fabled city

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Our understanding of the Carthaginians is quite limited, so the author attempts to fill the gaps by using numerous, often tangential sources. Furthermore, the authors consistently strives to “rehabilitate” their reputation, as most of our knowledge comes from a Greek and Roman perspective, however, I believe they take it too far and lose sight of what’s most probable at points.

Largely cobbled together

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