Carthage Must Be Destroyed

Carthage Must be Destroyed:
The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization

According to the dust jacket on the hardcover version of this book Richard Miles is a lecturer in the Faculty of Classics at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge. But since the publication of this book, he has moved to Australia, and now he teaches classics and ancient history at the University of Sydney.

His book about Carthage begins with a prelude (“The Last Days of Carthage”), an introduction (“Recovering Carthage”), and a chronological table which covers almost a millennium (from 969 BC to 19 BC).

The main text is divided into fifteen chapters which follow a chronological line from the beginning of the Phoenician civilisation to the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC and beyond: Punic names, language and religion continued to be used in North Africa (and Sardinia) long after Carthage was destroyed, as Miles points out in his last chapter (page 371).

[The word “Phoenician” refers to the civilisation which had its origin in an area which corresponds roughly to present-day Lebanon, while the word “Punic” refers to the sister civilisation which had its origin in Carthage in present-day Tunisia.]

At the end of the book there are notes with references and additional information, a bibliography, and an index.

 

What about illustrations? There are 26 photos in colour and 16 maps in black-and-white.

This book is based on solid research, ancient sources as well as modern scholarship. Most ancient writers, such as the Greek Polybius and the Roman Livy (in Latin: Livius), were pro-Roman. Some ancient writers were pro-Carthaginian, for instance Philinus of Acragas and Silenus of Caleacte, but, as Miles explains in his introduction, “their work has survived only in sparse fragments” (page 16).

Archaeological evidence is also included. Let me give you a few examples:

(1) The Punic tophet (a sacred enclosure for child sacrifice) in Carthage is presented on pp. 70-71. Illustration # 7 shows a stele from this place, while # 8 gives a general view of the area.

(2) The Punic town Kerkouane in Tunisia is presented on pp. 78-80.

(3) The funerary monument in Thugga (modern Dougga) in Tunisia is presented on page 329.

(4) The Punic mausoleum in Sabratha in Libya is presented on pp. 19-21. Illustration # 18 is a picture of this beautiful monument.

(5) Coins are mentioned frequently. Illustration # 17 is a Roman silver coin issued around 275-260 BC, while # 20 is a Carthaginian silver coin issued in Spain around 230 BC.

This is a great book. I have almost nothing to complain about, but I have to mention a few points which bother me:

(a) On page 190 the word “maniples” is explained as “divisions of legions made up of about 120 men.” This is not true. The smallest unit of a Roman legion was a century (in Latin: CENTURIA) consisting of 80 men. Two of these units make one maniple consisting of 160 men.

(b) On pp. 308-310 we hear about Syphax, king of western Numidia. Miles says Syphax supported Carthage at the end of the second Punic war. But he does not tell us that Syphax had supported Rome during the first part of this war (218-206). And we are never told what happened to him. He was captured near Cirta and transported to Rome, where he was paraded as a prisoner in Scipio’s triumph. He died in Tibur (modern Tivoli) ca. 201 BC.

(c) On page 315 we hear about Masinissa, a prince and later king of eastern Numidia. Miles calls him a Roman ally. But he does not tell us that Masinissa had fought for the Carthaginians in Spain for several years (211-206). In 206 he decided to switch sides, and from that time he supported the Romans until his death in 148 BC.

(d) On page 309 we hear about Sophonisba (sometimes spelled Sophoniba), daughter of the Carthaginian commander Hasdrubal Gisco. Miles says her father had her married to Syphax to build a political alliance. But he does not tell us that Sophonisba had been betrothed to Masinissa before 206. When Masinissa switched sides, Hasdrubal decided to give her to Syphax instead. And we are never told what happened to her. When she was captured, Masinissa married her to protect her. When Scipio refused to accept this solution, Masinissa gave her some poison which she drank in order to avoid Roman captivity.

[See Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, book 30, chapters 12-15.]

(e) On page 370 we hear about an inscription (part Punic part Latin) in Leptis Magna in Libya. Miles says it was set up to commemorate the construction of “a public building” completed in 8 BC. The expenses were paid by a local benefactor whose name he gives as Hannibal Tapapius Rufus. This text is # 319 in the standard collection Inscriptions of Roman Tripolitania, published as a book in 1952 and since 2009 available as a database on the internet (but not mentioned by Miles). The public building is the market (in Latin: MACELLUM), which was completed in 8 or 9 BC. The Latin text gives the first name of the benefactor as Annobal.

Miles adds that the benefactor describes himself as ‘Lover of Concord’ (in Latin: AMATOR CONCORDIAE). But this title is not found in # 319. It is from the dedication of the local theatre which was completed in AD 1 or 2 and which was also paid by Annobal (# 321, 322 and 323). Miles has confused the dedication of the market, written in large letters on 31 large blocks, with the dedication of the theatre, written with smaller letters on one small block.

Apart from these comments, I have nothing to complain about. This book is well written, it is accessible to the general reader; it is well documented, the specialist can check the sources for the statements and opinions presented in it. Therefore it is highly recommended.

* * *

 

Richard Miles,

Carthage Must be Destroyed:

The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization,

hardcover 2010, paperback 2011, 521 pages

 

* * *