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Carthage Must Be Destroyed

The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization

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Carthage Must Be Destroyed

By: Richard Miles
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
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About this listen

An epic history of a doomed civilization and a lost empire. The devastating struggle to the death between the Carthaginians and the Romans was one of the defining dramas of the ancient world. In an epic series of land and sea battles, both sides came close to victory before the Carthaginians finally succumbed and their capital city, history, and culture were almost utterly erased.

Drawing on a wealth of new archaeological research, Richard Miles vividly brings to life this lost empire-from its origins among the Phoenician settlements of Lebanon to its apotheosis as the greatest seapower in the Mediterranean. And at the heart of the history of Carthage lies the extraordinary figure of Hannibal-the scourge of Rome and one of the greatest military leaders, but a man who also unwittingly led his people to catastrophe. The first full-scale history of Carthage in decades, Carthage Must Be Destroyed reintroduces modern listeners to the larger-than-life historical players and the ancient glory of this almost forgotten civilization.

©2011 Richard Miles (P)2011 Gildan Media Corp Africa Ancient Rome World Ancient History Military Middle Ages Italy Middle East Mythology Ancient Greece

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The book covers the whole history of Carthage from it's foundation to it's destruction.  All the major events are covered, but if you want a more comprehensive account of the Punic wars and Hannibal, you will find better books on the market.  I like the accounts of lesser know events such as the battle for Sicily  with the Greeks, and the Mercenary Wars.    The problem for any history of Carthage is that virtually all the sources are Roman or Greek, which are hostile, and getting a deep understand of how the Carthaginian thought and operated are difficult. The author discusses the problem of the bias in source material, which I'm a fan of.

As a scholar the author looks to emphasis the  role of the divine in motivating ancient peoples, not just the political and economic.  Heracles is constantly referred to as the ideal template for a conquering hero, but some of the subtles of how this related to the actions of the ancients was lost on me at times.

This history has both depth and is accessible, and I loved the final lines that said that when the Romans needed to be reminded how great they were they thought of the Punic Wars.

History by the victors

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This is a fabulous book and a fantastic story. It is a version of the other side. Too often we only here about Rome and Hannibal. There is a whole lot more. The move from the Levant, the overriding economic reasons and the battles of Sicily as well as Spain shows what a close run thing this was! How different would the world have looked if "African" Carthage had won.

Carthago delenda est

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A brilliant intro into the history of Carthage and its relationship to Rome. The last chapter is 10/10 and leads you into thinking about Carthages lasting prestige throughout the rest of antiquity !

A sweeping history

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I've listened to this a few times now and have really enjoyed both the narrative and the narration. Some audiobooks are hard to listen to because they get bogged down in too much detail to soon or are pedantic in their description of events. Neither ate a problem here - pacing is excellent, narrator does a great job bringing the characters personalities to life and explaining the geopolitical forces as they ebb/flow. Easy to learn when history is presented as compellingly as this!

Really enjoyable listen, with right level of detail to maintain pace!

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So the topic and the information is very good. Everything flows quite well, with lots of information about the Phoenicians and the foundation of Carthage, all through the lens of the syncretic cultures and religions of the Mediterranean. When the book deals with culture, it's at its strongest, especially when dealing with Greek and Roman propaganda directed at the Phoenicians and Carthaginians.

What drags it down is the uninspiring copy/paste of Livy and Polybius when covering the Second Punic War. I would have loved to have heard even more about the sources, even though it is covered relatively well.

The real issue is the narrator. He is God-awful. His voice is unengaging and flat. A pet peeve is his pronounciation. Ihave extremely rarely heard Scipio pronounced "Sippy-oh." His general lack of knowledge when it comes to the pronunciation of famous people and places from antiquity is astounding.

Interesting topic, bad narration

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