Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization by Richard Miles - A book review

Carthage was where modern day Tunisia is now. The story of Carthage spans 800 years from around 950 B.C. to 146 B.C. when during the Third Punic War and the Battle of Carthage, the city was destroyed by the Romans. This is what the reader is expected to know before they start the book.

Richard Miles is a superb researcher but the subject matter, Carthage, doesn't exactly have all the pieces that one can put together.

When Rome finally destroyed Carthage, they literally wiped it off the map. They destroyed all of the buildings. They destroyed the temples. They destroyed the statues. Worst of all for modern society, the Romans destroyed the great library of Carthage.

The Carthaginians were Punic and the Romans made the word Punic an ethnic slur. They rewrote history and justified the destruction of Carthage by spreading stories that the Carthaginians were treacherous and devious.

It's through these Roman stories and very few archaeological remains that Miles must piece together the book. He does an excellent job but after reading it, you can't help but be upset that so much of the story has been lost. I want more.

Carthage came first. Miles traces their early beginnings to them becoming a sea power and a major trading port. You get a feel for just how ancient their society was when you are well into the book before the fledgling Roman Republic enters the scene.

Sardinia, Sicily, most of northern Africa and much of modern day Spain were under Carthaginian control. It was inevitable that they would one day clash with Rome.

In fact, they clashed a few times. Early battles involved Sicily. It's obvious why Rome wanted the territory. It was close and in the center of the then known world.

After the first Punic War, the Romans realized they needed to become a sea power and boy did they. Once the Romans set their minds to controlling the Mediterranean sea Carthage simply had to be destroyed.

I won't attempt to summarize any further because ancient Mediterranean history isn't exactly my expertise. I'll just finish with some comments.

The book gives me more questions than answers. I know the Greeks also vilified Carthage. There was no love lost in their ancient texts either. I think Miles may have went too far making Carthage look too innocent. What do I know, though?

I would recommend the book. It's an epic story. Miles gives a great account of the great general Hannibal and his journey with his army and his elephants across Spain, the Alps and into Italy, all the way to the doorsteps of Rome itself. It's an incredible story to read and that's enough for me.

If you want to buy it, here's the link.