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Customer Review
- Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2012This wonderful little book provides an excellent overview of Hannibal's invasion of Rome, the havoc he caused, the utter defeat of the Roman Army at the battle of Cannae, the shame and plight of the brave survivors who were treated as outcasts, and their redemption with the destruction of Carthage when the few survivors were given a second chance under Scipio.
This is a military leaning history of the conflict, but if you have studied Roman history at all (or even if you haven't) you will learn a great deal from reading this book. I for one find the discussion of tactics interesting; the unreliability of the war elephants was an interesting tidbit. But there is much more to this book than battles and tactics, and what emerges is a thorough and human history of this dark period in Rome's history.
If you are new to Roman history, you would perhaps be better off reading a general history of the Republic first, maybe something from the founding of the Republic up until Augustus, as that process would likely provide a little context for understanding the period covered in this book.
I will share one thing that initially annoyed me about the text, and that was the authors use of humor at times. Referring to the elephants as "the panzer pachyderm" for instance was a bit distracting at the onset, but later became almost endearing. Also, the authors caution not see too much of our own situation in the fall of the Roman Republic I think may be understated. It is important to look to the past for lessons about the present. It is this readers observation that virtually everything the Romans experienced towards the end of their republic we are experiencing now, from the printing of fiat currency, to the rise of the latifuna destroying the small independent farmer (witness the rise of the mega corporation destroying small businesses as a parallel). Looking to history to understand the challenges we ourselves face is completely legitimate. That said, the author is correct to caution us from taking this too far.
This is a very good book, and I strongly recommend it as I feel it would help inspire a study of the ancients in anyone who read it. As a civilization we have done ourselves untold damage by de-emphasizing the history of Western Civilization and the classics in our curricula. Rediscovering our roots can only help us be better citizens in what I believe are the waning days of our republic. It may even inspire us to understand what may be necessary to turn the tide against the seemingly inevitable decline and fall that faces us in the remainder of this century.
