Historian Joshua R. Hall’s Carthage at War is a critical narrative of Punic military history. Between 814 and 146 BC, Carthage sought to establish economic and military dominance in the Ancient Mediterranean. Hall takes us through the history of warfare in Ancient Carthage analysing the causes and courses of military campaigns, as well as detailing the military strategies, organization, weapons and tactics of the Carthaginian armies.

Hall uses a combination of narrative and analytical style to explain how and why Carthage was able to rise to naval and military power for many centuries in the Ancient Mediterranean area until its eventual destruction in 146 BC. Also utilizing thematic and chronological approaches, Hall traces the evolution of Carthage to emigrant Phoenician (from where the name Punic is derived) settlers in North Africa. Over time, the Punic settlers developed into an economic and military power, ventured out to establish overseas colonies in the Mediterranean, and consequently sought to protect their acquisitions in the region. Taking particular interest in the military aspect of Carthage, Hall combines Ancient Greek and Roman literature alongside contemporary interpretations from European scholars to argue that the war-making capabilities of Carthaginian soldiers and generals were crucial to their rise, expansion and dominance in the Ancient Mediterranean region. Hall expertly presents a narrative that maintains historical coherence and balance. For example, he compares, cross-references and critiques Greek and Roman writers such as Diodorus Siculus, Polybius, Justin and Appian not only to reveal their strengths and shortcomings but also to provide consistent and reliable evidence on the Punic Wars. Roman and Greek authors were fond of exaggerating the number of fighting forces; Hall has identified this bias and devised the method of simply reducing the original figures of the given armies to one-tenth after carefully comparing and evaluating their sources (p. 32).

Warfare and the war-making capabilities of Carthage, the Greeks and Romans dominate the structure of the book. Throughout, readers will be entertained with accounts of small-scale battles of scouting, raiding and pillaging and the large-scale warfare of pitched and naval battles. All of the armies – Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans – presented formations that contained cavalry, infantry, navy, hoplites, bowmen, slingers and archers, elephant troops and, for Carthage, the Sacred Bands, while also engaging the services of mercenaries who were susceptible to defections. The book also depicts the deployment of military tactics such as scouting, flanking, encirclement, hurling missiles from rooftops, funnelling walls, starvation, siege warfare and the use of fortifications, among others. Siege engines and battering rams, spears, catapults, bows and arrows, among other military equipment, are captured as commonly utilized weapons in Ancient Mediterranean warfare.

This study has given serious attention to the lesser-known pre-Punic Wars, which are usually overlooked by authors and specialists in Carthaginian history. Although works by Richard Miles, Duncan Head and Dexter Hoyos explore some aspects of the Carthaginian pre-Punic Wars,Footnote ¹ they do not encompass the extensive detail that is in Carthage at War. In this book, Hall offers a thorough investigation of preparations, engagements and the outcomes of several battles fought in Carthage before and during the Punic Wars.

Although the style is clear and engaging, it must, however, be noted that the book, which the author claims to have written with the general reader in mind, may prove a little bit difficult for the lay audience to follow. It is rather technically crafted to bring fresh insights and a deeper perspective, as well as provoking responses from professional historians, especially in ancient and military history disciplines. As the author has noted, some places in the work might prove unfamiliar and difficult to understand (p. 14). However, a key to understanding the entire work might be for readers to first read about the places and stories they are familiar with before engaging with the unfamiliar. For example, readers may want to start with the Hannibalic War or the Second War with Rome in Chapter 8. Also, readers should be careful in noting the nearly identical and repeated names of Carthaginian generals, or they risk getting them mixed up. The book would also have benefited from the inclusion of images, photographs, maps and charts, which would have improved its accessibility to readers unfamiliar with the subject.