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Carthage: A New History
A landmark new history of ancient Rome’s most famous rival—home of Hannibal, jewel of North Africa, and foundational power of the western Mediterranean.
For 600 years, the kingdom of Carthage dominated the western Mediterranean, rising from a small city founded in the ninth century BCE to the area’s largest, richest empire by the third. Inevitably, it clashed with Rome for supremacy over the region, in a conflict that spanned more than one century, three wars, and forty–three years of active fighting. When at last Carthage fell, the city was destroyed—and the history of the realm was subsumed by its conquerors.
In this groundbreaking new history—the first in more than a decade—rising–star ancient historian Eve MacDonald tells the essential story of the lost culture of Carthage and its forgotten people. Using brand–new archaeological analysis to uncover the facts behind the legend, MacDonald puts the story of North Africa once again at the center of Mediterranean history. Reclaimed from the Romans, this is the Carthaginian version of the dramatic tale—revealing to us that, without Carthage, there would be no Rome.
For 600 years, the kingdom of Carthage dominated the western Mediterranean, rising from a small city founded in the ninth century BCE to the area’s largest, richest empire by the third. Inevitably, it clashed with Rome for supremacy over the region, in a conflict that spanned more than one century, three wars, and forty–three years of active fighting. When at last Carthage fell, the city was destroyed—and the history of the realm was subsumed by its conquerors.
In this groundbreaking new history—the first in more than a decade—rising–star ancient historian Eve MacDonald tells the essential story of the lost culture of Carthage and its forgotten people. Using brand–new archaeological analysis to uncover the facts behind the legend, MacDonald puts the story of North Africa once again at the center of Mediterranean history. Reclaimed from the Romans, this is the Carthaginian version of the dramatic tale—revealing to us that, without Carthage, there would be no Rome.
367 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 4, 2025
I am notorious (if anyone cared that is) for liking ancient history the least of all time periods. I find the inability to tell cohesive stories for many ancient people to be a big drawback to my feeble brain. Then, there is a book like Carthage by Eve MacDonald, and I finally get it. For this particular book, at least.
MacDonald tells the story of the world power that Rome tried to erase from history. The major points are here like the Punic Wars and the scourge of Rome, Hannibal. Incidentally, these are the strongest points of the book. MacDonald weaves in archaeology, but I personally loved her willingness to say numerous times, "We really don't know what happened," and especially, "this was definitely exaggerated because that's what they did back then." MacDonald's writing style is familiar while being erudite (yes, I did have to google to double check that was the word I was going for as clearly I am not erudite myself) - (ironic self-burn!).
As I am a curmudgeon, I did have a little trouble with the early chapters. The opening salvo about Dido is quite good, but slows down a bit for me before picking up before the Punic Wars. That said, this is not my era. If you are an ancient history nerd, then I am almost positive this is a 5 star book. If you are like me, this is still well worth your time. You may even change your mind about ancient history books.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and W.W. Norton.)
MacDonald tells the story of the world power that Rome tried to erase from history. The major points are here like the Punic Wars and the scourge of Rome, Hannibal. Incidentally, these are the strongest points of the book. MacDonald weaves in archaeology, but I personally loved her willingness to say numerous times, "We really don't know what happened," and especially, "this was definitely exaggerated because that's what they did back then." MacDonald's writing style is familiar while being erudite (yes, I did have to google to double check that was the word I was going for as clearly I am not erudite myself) - (ironic self-burn!).
As I am a curmudgeon, I did have a little trouble with the early chapters. The opening salvo about Dido is quite good, but slows down a bit for me before picking up before the Punic Wars. That said, this is not my era. If you are an ancient history nerd, then I am almost positive this is a 5 star book. If you are like me, this is still well worth your time. You may even change your mind about ancient history books.
(This book was provided as an advance reader copy by NetGalley and W.W. Norton.)
August 3, 2025
Carthage has spent centuries being seen through Roman eyes, from Virgil's mythologised account of its founding to how its destruction is inextricably linked to Roman national heroes like Cato and Scipio. In this book, MacDonald seeks to fill in the blanks using the tools of modern scholarship, examining what we do know about Carthaginian culture and showcasing a vibrant empire that managed to strike fear into Roman hearts. I admired how she drew on interesting aspects of material culture to explore Carthage's history, such as explaining how the debasement of its coinage gives clues as to its economic state during war, though her account of the Punic Wars is relatively brief (albeit because I'm assuming there's a lot of existing scholarship on this matter). Having spent a lot of time recently thinking about Carthage, for what I'm going to call "personal reasons", this is a wonderfully written history that resurrects one of history's most fascinating empires.
August 28, 2025
Everyone knows the story of Hannibal crossing the Alps with his elephants but ancient Carthage was so much more than that. It was a power that dominated the western Mediterranean for six centuries before it fell to Rome.
Starting with the Phoenicians of the early Iron Age this book reclaims the story of Carthage from the Romans. History is told by the victors but archaeological evidence is now showing us the true story behind the legend.
The only piece of Carthaginian literature that the Romans preserved from its libraries after their destruction of the city was the text of a man named Mago who wrote about agricultural techniques,how to cultivate the best wine and innovations to help plants thrive The Romans took all the Carthaginian technology and land to build their power base. It is no wild claim to state that without Carthage,there would have been no Roman Empire.
Starting with the Phoenicians of the early Iron Age this book reclaims the story of Carthage from the Romans. History is told by the victors but archaeological evidence is now showing us the true story behind the legend.
The only piece of Carthaginian literature that the Romans preserved from its libraries after their destruction of the city was the text of a man named Mago who wrote about agricultural techniques,how to cultivate the best wine and innovations to help plants thrive The Romans took all the Carthaginian technology and land to build their power base. It is no wild claim to state that without Carthage,there would have been no Roman Empire.
Read
January 30, 2026DNF.
In no way a bad book, but with so many other books on my TBR pile, I simply lost interest in reading it.
In no way a bad book, but with so many other books on my TBR pile, I simply lost interest in reading it.
September 17, 2025
I haven't read a book solely on Carthaginian history before, and this is a great one to start with i found. It covers the entire story of cathage with a little extra either side. It introduced me to new figures, such as Agothoclese of Syracuse, who i want to read more about. Its a very captivating read and not one I wanted to put down. Overall I would 100% recommend this to anyone, those who haven't or have already read about the history of Carthage, as this was a great read.
5/5
5/5
August 25, 2025
3,5 stars;
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
In "Carthage: A New History," Eve MacDonald sets out to recover a civilization known primarily through the testimony of its executioners. Rather than rehash the familiar story—Carthage as Rome’s cunning, morally suspect rival— MacDonald asks a more complicated question: what can be said about Carthage when we stop taking Roman hostility at face value and instead combine hostile literary sources with two decades of archaeological and scientific research?
The book traces Carthage’s history from its Phoenician foundations to its destruction in 146 BCE, but its real subject is not chronology. MacDonald argues that Carthage was not a marginal antagonist in Rome’s rise but one of the foundational cultures of the western Mediterranean. Rome did not merely defeat Carthage; it inherited and repurposed many of its economic systems, maritime practices, and imperial assumptions. This is framed as a corrective to a historiography shaped almost entirely by Roman survival.
MacDonald is strongest when archaeology does the work Roman texts cannot. Coinage debasement during the First Punic War reveals economic strain more vividly than any moralizing account by Polybius—the silver content drops, the inflation is measurable, and the desperation becomes concrete rather than rhetorical. DNA and isotope analysis from mass graves complicate simplistic notions of “mercenary armies” and instead point to a highly mobile, interconnected Mediterranean world. Her treatment of the Tophet—a sanctuary containing thousands of urns with cremated infant remains that Romans claimed proved child sacrifice—is careful and restrained: she resists both Roman sensationalism and modern wishful thinking, accepting ambiguity where the evidence demands it.
The writing stays accessible without condescension. MacDonald uses well-known individuals such as Dido, Hamilcar, Hannibal, and Sophonisba as entry points into broader political and social structures rather than heroic centerpieces. War fills the latter half, but trade, agriculture, religion, and civic governance remain present forces, not scenery. Carthage emerges as a society shaped by negotiation between oligarchic elites, popular assemblies, and powerful generals, a balance that was often productive and occasionally disastrous.
The book’s limitations are real, and MacDonald acknowledges them without apology. The absence of Carthaginian voices forces a degree of inference that sometimes leans heavily on suspicion of Roman motives. Readers hoping for a fully reconstructed “Carthaginian perspective” will find that the sources’ silence remains stubbornly intact. Still, this is less a flaw than a condition of the subject itself, and MacDonald rarely overstates what the evidence can bear.
Ultimately, the book doesn’t overturn Rome’s victory—that’s impossible—but it does break Rome’s monopoly on interpretation. MacDonald does not ask readers to admire Carthage uncritically. She asks them to recognize how much of Mediterranean history has been narrowed by conquest—how the economic networks, the shipbuilding innovations, the political experiments have all been filtered through Roman memory. In doing so, she restores Carthage from its historical role as a foil to a serious civilization whose loss diminished the story Rome went on to tell unilaterally.
This review is of an advance reader’s edition provided by NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company.
The book traces Carthage’s history from its Phoenician foundations to its destruction in 146 BCE, but its real subject is not chronology. MacDonald argues that Carthage was not a marginal antagonist in Rome’s rise but one of the foundational cultures of the western Mediterranean. Rome did not merely defeat Carthage; it inherited and repurposed many of its economic systems, maritime practices, and imperial assumptions. This is framed as a corrective to a historiography shaped almost entirely by Roman survival.
MacDonald is strongest when archaeology does the work Roman texts cannot. Coinage debasement during the First Punic War reveals economic strain more vividly than any moralizing account by Polybius—the silver content drops, the inflation is measurable, and the desperation becomes concrete rather than rhetorical. DNA and isotope analysis from mass graves complicate simplistic notions of “mercenary armies” and instead point to a highly mobile, interconnected Mediterranean world. Her treatment of the Tophet—a sanctuary containing thousands of urns with cremated infant remains that Romans claimed proved child sacrifice—is careful and restrained: she resists both Roman sensationalism and modern wishful thinking, accepting ambiguity where the evidence demands it.
The writing stays accessible without condescension. MacDonald uses well-known individuals such as Dido, Hamilcar, Hannibal, and Sophonisba as entry points into broader political and social structures rather than heroic centerpieces. War fills the latter half, but trade, agriculture, religion, and civic governance remain present forces, not scenery. Carthage emerges as a society shaped by negotiation between oligarchic elites, popular assemblies, and powerful generals, a balance that was often productive and occasionally disastrous.
The book’s limitations are real, and MacDonald acknowledges them without apology. The absence of Carthaginian voices forces a degree of inference that sometimes leans heavily on suspicion of Roman motives. Readers hoping for a fully reconstructed “Carthaginian perspective” will find that the sources’ silence remains stubbornly intact. Still, this is less a flaw than a condition of the subject itself, and MacDonald rarely overstates what the evidence can bear.
Ultimately, the book doesn’t overturn Rome’s victory—that’s impossible—but it does break Rome’s monopoly on interpretation. MacDonald does not ask readers to admire Carthage uncritically. She asks them to recognize how much of Mediterranean history has been narrowed by conquest—how the economic networks, the shipbuilding innovations, the political experiments have all been filtered through Roman memory. In doing so, she restores Carthage from its historical role as a foil to a serious civilization whose loss diminished the story Rome went on to tell unilaterally.
This review is of an advance reader’s edition provided by NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company.
January 26, 2026
Carthage: A New History, by Eve MacDonald, is an attempt to reclaim the story of Carthage for the Carthaginians, wrestling it away from Rome, the victor in the several wars between the two powers and thus, as the saying goes, the one who got to write the history. Her aim, she tells us, “is to reveal, as much as is possible, what the Romans tried to make us forget: that Carthage has always been one of the foundational culture s of the ancient western Mediterranean.” If MacDonald doesn’t fully succeed in wholly finding the voice of Carthage, it’s not due to any lack on her part but simply due to the lack of non-Roman or Greek sources available to historians. That said, the book does succeed in many ways, and the attempt is both valiant and important.
While as noted much of historical record remains Roman-centric, MacDonald tells us that “ongoing studies, excavations, and research from across the Mediterranean have begun to provide a foundation for the real story of Carthage that takes us beyond the Roman story.” Some of that new research and methodology, for instance, include new underwater findings of an ancient naval battle or the use of strontium analysis to show the populations interacting during the time period covered and how the city (and its enemies) was far more multicultural/cosmopolitan than previously assumed.
MacDonald highlights several aspects of Carthaginian life that may surprise people who only know the city from the brief mention in a high school or college history class as the “loser” of the Punic Wars. One is placing it firmly in its context as a North African city, not simply as a matter of geography but in terms of culture and diplomatic and trading relations (which also moves away from how it’s often treated as an isolated, singular city-state). Interestingly, MacDonald also explores what was once thought to be mere Roman propaganda — child sacrifice within Carthage — and finds that archaeology and DNA have mostly proven it to be true, though she places it in more full and fascinating context.
Much of the book is taken up by the Punic Wars, to little surprise given the results and its impact, as well as the accordant dearth of non-Roman sources and the non-existence of Carthage’s own histories and literature. For me, the military details were a bit much, but if you enjoy military history than you’ll applaud the detail, and in any case, it’s hard to fault a historian for being detailed. So one’s mileage will vary. Following Carthage’s defeat, MacDonald gives a sense of Carthage’s enduring legacy in the world, such as the way its language continued for some time, as well as how Carthage and Rome became touchstone for British/Western imperialism and colonialism.
As mentioned at the start, MacDonald is clearly hampered by sourcing issues; it’s just impossible to avoid the Greek/Roman histories and their obvious biases, but newer discoveries, better technology, and a more open eye, as well as MacDonald’s own empathic viewpoint, goes a long way to make up for the problem. Recommended for anyone with an interest in classical/ancient history.
While as noted much of historical record remains Roman-centric, MacDonald tells us that “ongoing studies, excavations, and research from across the Mediterranean have begun to provide a foundation for the real story of Carthage that takes us beyond the Roman story.” Some of that new research and methodology, for instance, include new underwater findings of an ancient naval battle or the use of strontium analysis to show the populations interacting during the time period covered and how the city (and its enemies) was far more multicultural/cosmopolitan than previously assumed.
MacDonald highlights several aspects of Carthaginian life that may surprise people who only know the city from the brief mention in a high school or college history class as the “loser” of the Punic Wars. One is placing it firmly in its context as a North African city, not simply as a matter of geography but in terms of culture and diplomatic and trading relations (which also moves away from how it’s often treated as an isolated, singular city-state). Interestingly, MacDonald also explores what was once thought to be mere Roman propaganda — child sacrifice within Carthage — and finds that archaeology and DNA have mostly proven it to be true, though she places it in more full and fascinating context.
Much of the book is taken up by the Punic Wars, to little surprise given the results and its impact, as well as the accordant dearth of non-Roman sources and the non-existence of Carthage’s own histories and literature. For me, the military details were a bit much, but if you enjoy military history than you’ll applaud the detail, and in any case, it’s hard to fault a historian for being detailed. So one’s mileage will vary. Following Carthage’s defeat, MacDonald gives a sense of Carthage’s enduring legacy in the world, such as the way its language continued for some time, as well as how Carthage and Rome became touchstone for British/Western imperialism and colonialism.
As mentioned at the start, MacDonald is clearly hampered by sourcing issues; it’s just impossible to avoid the Greek/Roman histories and their obvious biases, but newer discoveries, better technology, and a more open eye, as well as MacDonald’s own empathic viewpoint, goes a long way to make up for the problem. Recommended for anyone with an interest in classical/ancient history.
November 11, 2025
Eve Macdonald's Carthage: A New History of an Ancient Empire is an electrifying reclamation of a civilisation long distorted by history's victors.
Macdonald gathers the scattered remnants of Carthaginian history fragments preserved almost entirely through the pens of hostile Roman writers-and confronts the propaganda, contradictions, and moral self-justifications within those accounts. She dismantles the simplistic narrative that Carthage was a threatening empire that "had to be destroyed," revealing instead a complex, multicultural, and technologically sophisticated civilisation that thrived along the North African coast.
She frames Carthage's story between two powerful female figures: its founding queen and the women who made the city's final, unthinkable sacrifices as Rome closed in.
Through Macdonald's lens, Carthage is no longer a shadow cast by Rome but a vibrant cultural force in its own right.
At the heart of the book lie the Punic Wars-three devastating conflicts that expose centuries of trauma, imperial aggression, and political manoeuvring. Macdonald's approach is strikingly balanced: the Carthaginians are not the villains of someone else's heroic epic, but human beings-ambitious, terrified, resilient, flawed.
Her treatment of Hannibal is the strongest example of this. Stripped of the monstrous mythology imposed by Roman historians, he emerges as a man: brilliant, burdened, propelled into a lifelong war to avenge a homeland he scarcely remembered. We witness the collapse of the Barcid legacy, the deaths of allies who followed him to the bitter end, and Hannibal's lonely exile, still fighting against corruption, still resisting Rome until he chooses suicide rather than surrender.
And yet, Macdonald does something rarer still: she extends the same humanity to Hannibal's enemies.
The Scipio lineage, Rome's celebrated military dynasty and Hannibal's generational adversaries, is treated with nuance and respect. They are not portrayed as caricatures of imperial cruelty, but as noble and complex figures locked in an unforgiving cycle of duty and destiny. The emotional crescendo arrives when Scipio Aemilianus, grandson of Hannibal's great rival, leads the final assault that will wipe Carthage from the earth. Macdonald's writing is devastating. The man who destroys Carthage weeps as it falls mourning the very enemy Rome demanded he annihilate.
In that moment, the tragedy of Carthage becomes universal: not a triumph of empire, but a requiem for everything lost when only the conqueror's story survives.
This is not merely a history book it is a resurrection.
Macdonald gathers the scattered remnants of Carthaginian history fragments preserved almost entirely through the pens of hostile Roman writers-and confronts the propaganda, contradictions, and moral self-justifications within those accounts. She dismantles the simplistic narrative that Carthage was a threatening empire that "had to be destroyed," revealing instead a complex, multicultural, and technologically sophisticated civilisation that thrived along the North African coast.
She frames Carthage's story between two powerful female figures: its founding queen and the women who made the city's final, unthinkable sacrifices as Rome closed in.
Through Macdonald's lens, Carthage is no longer a shadow cast by Rome but a vibrant cultural force in its own right.
At the heart of the book lie the Punic Wars-three devastating conflicts that expose centuries of trauma, imperial aggression, and political manoeuvring. Macdonald's approach is strikingly balanced: the Carthaginians are not the villains of someone else's heroic epic, but human beings-ambitious, terrified, resilient, flawed.
Her treatment of Hannibal is the strongest example of this. Stripped of the monstrous mythology imposed by Roman historians, he emerges as a man: brilliant, burdened, propelled into a lifelong war to avenge a homeland he scarcely remembered. We witness the collapse of the Barcid legacy, the deaths of allies who followed him to the bitter end, and Hannibal's lonely exile, still fighting against corruption, still resisting Rome until he chooses suicide rather than surrender.
And yet, Macdonald does something rarer still: she extends the same humanity to Hannibal's enemies.
The Scipio lineage, Rome's celebrated military dynasty and Hannibal's generational adversaries, is treated with nuance and respect. They are not portrayed as caricatures of imperial cruelty, but as noble and complex figures locked in an unforgiving cycle of duty and destiny. The emotional crescendo arrives when Scipio Aemilianus, grandson of Hannibal's great rival, leads the final assault that will wipe Carthage from the earth. Macdonald's writing is devastating. The man who destroys Carthage weeps as it falls mourning the very enemy Rome demanded he annihilate.
In that moment, the tragedy of Carthage becomes universal: not a triumph of empire, but a requiem for everything lost when only the conqueror's story survives.
This is not merely a history book it is a resurrection.
October 9, 2025
Carthage: A New History of an Ancient Empire is an excellent, accessible book on the history of Carthage. Some very nice details that I often find omitted are that it discusses our sources and how that impacts our understanding, it includes up to date academic journals (as it should), and its editing (chapters, layout etc.) is excellent.
So who is this for? It's so accessible I'd say I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to learn or get more context for the Punic Wars or Antiquity in general. You certainly don't need to be an academic or a history buff, it's that well written, but as someone who is a bit of a Carthagophile, I found it very enjoyable, especially the parts on sources and the scholarly information that had been included and put in context. I'm gutted for Eve that the genetic research showing that the Carthaginians were more closely related to the Greeks than the Phoenicians (https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158...) didn't make it in time for publishing, otherwise I'm sure this would've been included in the section about Carthage's multiethnic section, featuring Hannibal the Rhodian.
Now I'm going to nitpick a bit. It's natural to compare it to Richard Miles' Carthage Must Be Destroyed. Eve MacDonald's writing is considerably less dense and an easier read, at the expense of some detail. I would've loved to have had some more info on the native peoples of Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain and their interactions with the Phoenicians. While it might be slightly outside the scope of this book, as this is a book on Carthage, not the Phoenicians, it's context I wish had been included.
I would also have appreciated more maps, though that wasn't an issue for me personally, as I know the battles of the Trebia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae, and Zama by heart, but for a book I feel is very accessible to newer readers, it's something I wish was there for them. These are small things, and are things I'd love to see included in a 2nd edition or paperback.
As a small observation, I would recommend reading The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan after this. Eve touches on the populism and break down of customs and norms in Rome during the Third Punic Wars, and Mike Duncan picks up with Scipio Aemilianus in Carthage. It's a perfect way of continuing the story!
All in all, I'd recommend this over Carthage Must Be Destroyed. It's up to date, better written, and more accessible. I loved it and I'm lending my copy to my dad now. Eve's book has reminded me I really hope we find Sosylus' chronicles in the papyrus rolls of Herculaneum!
So who is this for? It's so accessible I'd say I'd recommend it for anyone wanting to learn or get more context for the Punic Wars or Antiquity in general. You certainly don't need to be an academic or a history buff, it's that well written, but as someone who is a bit of a Carthagophile, I found it very enjoyable, especially the parts on sources and the scholarly information that had been included and put in context. I'm gutted for Eve that the genetic research showing that the Carthaginians were more closely related to the Greeks than the Phoenicians (https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158...) didn't make it in time for publishing, otherwise I'm sure this would've been included in the section about Carthage's multiethnic section, featuring Hannibal the Rhodian.
Now I'm going to nitpick a bit. It's natural to compare it to Richard Miles' Carthage Must Be Destroyed. Eve MacDonald's writing is considerably less dense and an easier read, at the expense of some detail. I would've loved to have had some more info on the native peoples of Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain and their interactions with the Phoenicians. While it might be slightly outside the scope of this book, as this is a book on Carthage, not the Phoenicians, it's context I wish had been included.
I would also have appreciated more maps, though that wasn't an issue for me personally, as I know the battles of the Trebia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae, and Zama by heart, but for a book I feel is very accessible to newer readers, it's something I wish was there for them. These are small things, and are things I'd love to see included in a 2nd edition or paperback.
As a small observation, I would recommend reading The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan after this. Eve touches on the populism and break down of customs and norms in Rome during the Third Punic Wars, and Mike Duncan picks up with Scipio Aemilianus in Carthage. It's a perfect way of continuing the story!
All in all, I'd recommend this over Carthage Must Be Destroyed. It's up to date, better written, and more accessible. I loved it and I'm lending my copy to my dad now. Eve's book has reminded me I really hope we find Sosylus' chronicles in the papyrus rolls of Herculaneum!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(3.5 stars)
When history is written by the winners, it can mean the losers are all but erased- and that is what happened with Carthage. Anything anyone today knows about the city comes to us from Roman eyes. So this book, trying to find the Carthage that isn't told to us through Roman propaganda, is a fascinating and much needed book for the history shelves.
From the city's founding as a Phoenecian outpost to its destruction by Rome hundreds of years later, Eve McDonald takes readers through the development of a city, a people, and a mega-power whose existence rivaled (and threatened) Rome's desire to dominate the Mediterranean. She critically examines both ancient sources and modern archaeological discoveries to evaluate how different events, trade, sieges, and the wars with Rome would have effected the Carthaginians. I found her explaination of the changes in the power structures across the Mediterranean over time, and how Alexander the Great essentially changed the game for everyone, quite interesting.
The chapters on the Punic Wars were, for me, the clearest and best written. Maybe because there's the most evidence in the historical sources for her to work with. McDonald is never afraid to admit when there is simply not enough information for scholars to do more than some educated guesswork on something, which I admire. By the end of the book I was pretty solidly on Carthage's side and wishing more reasonable treatied could have worked- but apparently that's not what was going on in this time.
An excellent, well-written, well-researched book for anyone who is interested in getting the story Carthage wishes it could have told us. A must-read for ancient history enthusiasts.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
When history is written by the winners, it can mean the losers are all but erased- and that is what happened with Carthage. Anything anyone today knows about the city comes to us from Roman eyes. So this book, trying to find the Carthage that isn't told to us through Roman propaganda, is a fascinating and much needed book for the history shelves.
From the city's founding as a Phoenecian outpost to its destruction by Rome hundreds of years later, Eve McDonald takes readers through the development of a city, a people, and a mega-power whose existence rivaled (and threatened) Rome's desire to dominate the Mediterranean. She critically examines both ancient sources and modern archaeological discoveries to evaluate how different events, trade, sieges, and the wars with Rome would have effected the Carthaginians. I found her explaination of the changes in the power structures across the Mediterranean over time, and how Alexander the Great essentially changed the game for everyone, quite interesting.
The chapters on the Punic Wars were, for me, the clearest and best written. Maybe because there's the most evidence in the historical sources for her to work with. McDonald is never afraid to admit when there is simply not enough information for scholars to do more than some educated guesswork on something, which I admire. By the end of the book I was pretty solidly on Carthage's side and wishing more reasonable treatied could have worked- but apparently that's not what was going on in this time.
An excellent, well-written, well-researched book for anyone who is interested in getting the story Carthage wishes it could have told us. A must-read for ancient history enthusiasts.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
January 10, 2026
This is a great new history of Carthage, Eve Macdoland takes a multi disciplinary approach looking at literature as well as archaeological evidence to understand the real Carthage and the real people and events behind the myths and characters such as Cato and Hannibal. The book traces the Carthaginians from their beginnings as ‘Phoenicians’, how and why they founded Carthage, their place as a foremost power of the Mediterranean, trading with their neighbours including the Etruscans and making early peace treaties with Rome and the wars with Rome that led ultimately to their destruction. Macdonald tries to free the Carthaginians from the Roman interpretation of them and the ‘othering’ found in Roman sources even though these are pretty much the only sources we have and I think she does a great job and this is a worthwhile read.
January 27, 2026
Carthage van Eve Macdonald biedt een breed en goed onderbouwd overzicht van de geschiedenis van Carthago. Hoewel Hannibal en de Punische Oorlogen een belangrijke plaats innemen, gaat het boek verder dan de bekende militaire conflicten. Macdonald laat zien hoe diep en langdurig de relaties tussen Rome en Carthago waren, en plaatst hun confrontaties in een bredere politieke en economische context.
Er is ruime aandacht voor Carthago als stad en als rijk, inclusief handel, zeevaart en expedities zoals die van Hanno de Zeevaarder. Door de rol van gebieden als het huidige Spanje en Sicilië en de inzet van bondgenoten uit de hele mediterrane wereld ontstaat een beeld van een grootschalige botsing tussen twee beschavingen. Het boek bouwt zorgvuldig op naar het dramatische einde van Carthago, dat de impact van dit conflict duidelijk onderstreept en ook hedendaagse relevantie heeft.
Er is ruime aandacht voor Carthago als stad en als rijk, inclusief handel, zeevaart en expedities zoals die van Hanno de Zeevaarder. Door de rol van gebieden als het huidige Spanje en Sicilië en de inzet van bondgenoten uit de hele mediterrane wereld ontstaat een beeld van een grootschalige botsing tussen twee beschavingen. Het boek bouwt zorgvuldig op naar het dramatische einde van Carthago, dat de impact van dit conflict duidelijk onderstreept en ook hedendaagse relevantie heeft.
November 2, 2025
Eve MacDonald has written a Book for the General Reader , who like me knew some of the story , and after Reading The Aeneid last Yr , this Hooked me from the Start very nuanced and Fair contextuslizing The Roman Histories of this Period , but at the same time acknowleging their value
Though a corrective it never falls into the Trap of Rome Bad Carthage good it’s Never tendentious or Partisan but placing Carthage in it’s rightful Position in the History of Great Mediterranean Cultures , I learned a lot but also corrected my onesided View of of Rome
Love the way I was Rooting for Carthage though I knew the outcome , but Eve put Carthage and all it’s achievements back Centre Stage up there with Rome
Though a corrective it never falls into the Trap of Rome Bad Carthage good it’s Never tendentious or Partisan but placing Carthage in it’s rightful Position in the History of Great Mediterranean Cultures , I learned a lot but also corrected my onesided View of of Rome
Love the way I was Rooting for Carthage though I knew the outcome , but Eve put Carthage and all it’s achievements back Centre Stage up there with Rome
October 31, 2025
A really nice narrative with nuggets I had never known before. I was particularly interested in pre-Roman Sicily and the rest of the Barcid family besides Hannibal. Often I found Eve's tone a little too conversational, and might have liked more discussion on a point or two, although I recognise the limitation both of the pop history format as well as the actual information available. Overall I will definitely come back to this for creative inspiration, I think everyone should be familiar with the tale of the Barcids. It is such a classic and brilliant tragedy it's difficult to remember as you're reading it that it largely all happened.
January 15, 2026
As a fan of Rome and all her accomplishments through out their history, empire and republic I thought I had a grasp on what a Carthaginian was, could be and did. Eve Macdonald was able to introduce them to me in a way that felt like discovering an old friend is actually really talented and has never told you.
I am sitting here fascinated by a religion, culture and people that I have been reading about since my early school days. amazing!
I am sitting here fascinated by a religion, culture and people that I have been reading about since my early school days. amazing!
November 18, 2025
Really like these types of book. The author gives a rundown of history of Carthage with a critique of the sources so there is constant discussion of what can be assumed or relied upon or even discounted depending on the bias of the greek or roman offering the information. Very much a piecing together of what can be gleamed from history and myth. From the introduction you know you have a good one.
October 25, 2025
4/5
Not much to say about it. It’s the first book I’ve read specifically about Carthage and I found it to be a pretty good overview and introduction. A bit slow at first when focusing on the initial founding of the city but once it gets to the exploration and expansion phase it gets better.
Not much to say about it. It’s the first book I’ve read specifically about Carthage and I found it to be a pretty good overview and introduction. A bit slow at first when focusing on the initial founding of the city but once it gets to the exploration and expansion phase it gets better.
September 3, 2025
Great book. Easy to read. Highly recommend
October 3, 2025
A bit thinner than I expected and with not enough new stuff of interest
October 12, 2025
Excellent
November 1, 2025
New perspectives on ancient Carthage for the point of view of the Carthaginians rather than the Romans, based on the archaeology and stripping away the later Roman propaganda. Fascinating read
Review of advance copy received from StoryGraph
I never knew I needed a book that challenged Roman perspectives on Carthage...I really needed it
Want to read
January 26, 2026[led here by blurb in Smithsonian]
December 29, 2025
An excellent run-through of the history of this underrated ancient city. The traditional literature is backed up by recent archeological discoveries to give us a broader picture of what went down. I loved the Sicilian connection, but nothing was more exciting than Hannibal’s antics, unsurprisingly.
January 23, 2026
В книгата си, "
Carthage: A New History
", канадският археолог Ийв Макдоналд ни превежда през бурната, близо седемвековна история на прочутия Картаген. От финикийска колония, основана (в края на IXв. пр.н.е.) от митичната Дидона (ако можем да се доверим на лиричните брътвежи на Вергилий), през властелин на западното Средиземноморие, Пуническите войни (на които, очаквано, е посветена солидна част от книгата), до печалния край на града, през 146г. пр.н.е.
Това, което знаех за Картагенската цивилизация, се изчерпва с Ханибал и едрогабаритната му армия от хоботни-алпинисти. Рядко се говори за Картаген, извън контекста на съперничеството му с Рим и това е една от причините за появата на тази книга. С нея, Макдоналд желае да даде глас на картагенците, без постоянно да се осланя на думите на хора, за които същите тези картагенци, винаги са били "другият", "неприятелят", "врагът". Дали успява, не знам, но Ийв Макдоналд, безспорно, е увлекателен разказвач.
Това, което знаех за Картагенската цивилизация, се изчерпва с Ханибал и едрогабаритната му армия от хоботни-алпинисти. Рядко се говори за Картаген, извън контекста на съперничеството му с Рим и това е една от причините за появата на тази книга. С нея, Макдоналд желае да даде глас на картагенците, без постоянно да се осланя на думите на хора, за които същите тези картагенци, винаги са били "другият", "неприятелят", "врагът". Дали успява, не знам, но Ийв Макдоналд, безспорно, е увлекателен разказвач.
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