Carthage

[ruski94]

I'm trying to right an AH story about how Carthage becomes the dominant Mediterranean power after the roman empire crumbled because of a giant eruption in the Phlegraean Fields but the thing is I can't find much about the culture, government, etc. All I get when I find something on the Carthaginians it's mostly about Hannibal and the Punic Wars.

[Jona Lendering]

The current synthesis is Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Miles. A good read, state of the art; yet, in the end it fails to address the real questions (more).

[Titus Marius Secundus]

Hello Nick! Now does AH mean alternative history? ..if so, great, but after the Roman empire falls? ....mid forth century to late 4th? If so, you'd be staying historically accurate until that time period, which means thanks to the Romans...no Carthaginian existed who was able to become an extreme Mediterranean power. So to make your story during the Punic wars would be a better idea, if you're not already. Best way to turn things around would be when Hannibal defeats the Roman army during the battle of Cannae... so Hannibal goes to sack Rome instead of leaving it to come back and slap him in the butty :oops: Realistically that was one of a few ways Rome could have never been what it was ad: so...hopefully this little idea will help you with your remake of history!!!!

there is also an excellent TV series from the BBC on you tube. Now I don't know what my posting rules are for this you tube thing, but it's an innocent statement so here...on you tube, type in " Hannibal- Rome's Worst Nightmare" and there is like, a 9 part video TOTALLY worth watching...along with this are many many other videos to keep your Rome addiction at bay....type somin like..." Caesar- Part one BBC" and for the republic and empire many videos. Hope this helps, have fun!

[Megas Aleksandros]

To write about how Carthage became the most powerfull Mediterranean state you have to go way back in history. You cannot start with the Punic wars, but with Phoenicia. I think the best thing you can use is Cambridge ancient history and the articles in it (especially about economy).

[Justin I]

Check out the subhead labeled VII. The Roman Republic compared with others.
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Ro...us/6*.html
It's worth getting in paperback, you can usually get a used Penguin on Amazon for one cent plus shipping.
This is an outstanding book too:
http://www.amazon.com/Carthage-Serge-Lan...1557864683

And also Aristotle:
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/a...rthage.asp

[Ghostmojo]

Glad to see a few people interested in Carthage (I am myself). I had thought about starting a thread regarding the purely military side of Carthage (i.e. Punic wars against Greeks and Romans) but I'm not sure how many takers there would be...

[barcid]

we have one already http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat.html?fu...&id=143071 :-D

[ScipioAsina]

I would heartily recommend the aforementioned Carthage: A History by the late Sergel Lancel, though it is somewhat outdated. You might also want to read Dexter Hoyos' The Carthaginians alongside Miles' Carthage Must Be Destroyed. Though I disagree with many of Hoyos' conclusions, he approaches the literary sources with a very critical eye, something which I found somewhat lacking in Miles' account; moreover, Hoyos is an excellent writer.

I, too, am greatly interested in Carthage (plus Numidia). When I get around to it, I would be more than happy to write a few articles and share my knowledge.

[Ghostmojo]

we have one already http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat.html?fu...&id=143071 :-D

So we do! Although I am not particularly personally interested in reenacting (although pleased to see the efforts of those that do) so much as discussions about general military history, armies etc.

[barcid]

All Discussion is welcome 8) ,i would say !

[Ghostmojo]

Yeh. Carthage is very important in not just the history of Rome, but also Greece. Perhaps this part of the site should be called Allies & Enemies of Greece & Rome?

[Draconis]

If you mean an event taking place before Rome became dominant in the Meditteranean, I think it would take more than an eruption to weaken Rome. Vesuvius took out Pompeii and Herculaneum, but didn't weaken Rome. BUT... around the 300s- 200s BCE when Rome was not spread all over, it could be possible that some major catastrophic event, combined with a realisation by Carthage, Macedon and the Greek city states, that this rising power will one day consume them if they do not act. They could combine, and cause real problems for Rome. Throw in dissatisfaction and unrest among Rome's Latin neighbors like the Sabines, and Possibly Rome could have been extinguished before they became powerful enough to beat all comers. THEN I cold see Rome metaphorically being strangled. That would create a power vacuum, and the Greeks being fractious as ever would go back to squabbling amongst themselves, Macedon was on the way down anyway, and Carthage with its trading empire, networking around the Mediterranean, would be likely, sans Rome, to fill the void.