Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265-146 BC

Osprey Men at Arms #121

by Terence Wise, Richard Hook (Illustrator)

The epic conflict between Rome and Carthage remains one of the most compelling stories of military history. The wars included such legendary events as the crossing of the Alps by Hannibal, and the Battle of Cannae. Terence Wise's fine text details the armies of both sides of the wars, including the many different allied troops employed by the Carthaginians; Numidians, Celts, Spanish and others who helped make the army one of the most colourful and cosmopolitan of its day. The text is accompanied by numerous illustrations and photographs, including eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook.

Genres: History, Military History, Ancient History, Ancient, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, War

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 1982

About the author

Terence Wise has been a respected historical writer for more than 25 years. He passed away in August 2010.

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARMIES OF THE CARTHAGINIAN WARS 265-146 BC was a great little book about the wars in question. History books may refer to them as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Punic Wars being as the Romans referred to their enemies as Poeni or Puni.

When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Tyre some of the inhabitants escaped and settled on the coast of what is now Tunisia where they founded the city of Carthage. In time other cities were compelled to submit to Carthage. Her power grew until the city was surrounded by huge walls some 18 miles in circumference. There were three walls actually and the largest, innermost was said to house 24,000 men, 4,000 horses, and 300 elephants. There may have been one million people living in the city itself! Not all these people were the original Phoenicians but others from around the Mediterranean and from Africa itself. Rome and Carthage began bumping heads as they strived to extend their dominance throughout the region. This led to the three wars which resulted in the eventual demise of Carthage.

Besides covering the military might of both Carthage and Rome, this book gives a good if condensed history of Carthage as well. Mention is also made of the various allies such as the Celts, Samnites, Lucanians, Libyans, Numidians, Iberians, Greeks, and Spanish warriors. By the way, those sword-smiths in Spain made the best swords for their iron was of the highest quality and their techniques of manufacture unmatched. It was said that to test such a blade the sword was grasped by the handle and point and bent down over one's head till it touched both shoulders. When released it sprung back to its original shape. Such a blade could easily cut through a helmet and body armor.

As with others throughout history, the rich provided their own horses, armor and weapons. The poor were the slingers, who were more effective than period bowmen. Sling bullets were stone or lead. Some of the Celts fought in the nude and relied on speed and dexterity to overcome opponents. The thing was at times they were more interested in taking the head of their dead opponent instead of fighting another live one. After Hannibal's great victories Roman chain mail, which weighed some 20 pounds, was passed out to his troops.

This book is a great starting point to learn about the Carthaginian Wars. Maps, color plates, and plenty of illustrations are provided.

[Myke Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Armies of the Carthaginian Wars is a solid survey of both the Roman and Carthaginian Order-of-Battle, ranging over the major belligerents on both sides, from the Liby-Punic Carthaginian citizens to the their Latin, Celtic and Iberian allies. On the Roman side, it delves into the functional divisions in the Republic Roman military: Velites, Hastati, Principes and Triarii.

The focus is mostly on arms, equipment, formations and tactics, with little attention paid to the people under all that gear as later titles in Osprey's Warrior line of books have done. For this, it is less satisfying than other Osprey titles I've read, but remains an incredibly valuable resource for writers doing researching, wargamers striving for accuracy, or just casual readers who want to get a solid idea of what these fighting men might have looked like.

As always, Osprey books empower everyone by enabling non-scholars to access history in a real, immediate and intimate way, and for that, they are incredibly valuable.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a classic title from the middle of the Osprey Men At Arms Series, and a real strong addition to the Gamer/Modeller/Military History Enthusiasts' canon. I recal that before this arrived in 1982, one was often relying on the Wargames Research Group books, whose pictures were nowhere near as compelling. It features the classic format with a short history, then articles on all the players, with a colour section of wonderful lifelike illustration of the "uniforms" or typical clothing of the conflicts, with a rich description section at the end, illuminating the colour plates further. This one for such a pivotal ancient period series of struggles, the wars that made Republican Rome dominant in the Mediterranean, and created the setting for the Civil Wars that would end the Republic forever.

I really enjoyed the history section, as I realised my previous study of the war had been deficient on the Carthaginian side(doesn't everyone have a 400+ casting early republican/hellenistic army in 15mm?). Terence Wise, a known quantity in the study of Ancient warfare, packs a lot of information into a short history section. Then we are on to the Romans with their early manipular legions of Hastati, Princeps, and Triari, the three level formations that was so much more flexible than the previously dominant phalanx. Wise gives you a real feel for the ancient world as a living thing- not just dry dusty ideas. I was left wishing perhaps that Carthage had won, or at least survived, but I guess I do appreciate the roads, aqueducts, and languages we have as a result of the Roman victory. Wise gives us a better look at the Carthaginians, with their roots in the Lebanon, and their extensive Empire in the Southern and Central Med, than many more epic tomes I have read before.

This is a great book for the younger reader, as the strong colour section really brings this 2000 year old conflict to life, and the text is very straightforward. The Modeller/Gamer/Military History Enthusiast is really happy with this book, as it fills in a lot of gaps, and helps enormously with Army/Diorama/Scenario development for all groups. I've played this period a bit myself and learned a lot from this book. A strong rec for those into the period of Ancient Warfare- and a cracking read for the novice.

[Vladimiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solido libro della Osprey, anche se un po' vecchiotto (1982). Il merito è che non si perde in questione storiografiche accessorie, ma divulga abbastanza bene l'argomento. Su alcune cose forse le ultime ricerche hanno superato alcune delle affermazioni del libro (ad esempio, l'armamento falangitico per la fanteria cartaginese). Molto efficace nel delineare la natura dell'esercito cartaginese, multietnico e multiculturale, sempre temibile quando ben comandato, ma rivoltoso e riottoso quando ciò non accadeva.
Parta romana nella norma e forse un po' stretta. Buoni disegni, ma non eccezionali (intendo come fonti usate).

[Timothy Gretler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved and collected these Osprey books as a kid. Don't know if I ever really read one all the way through though. Interesting background on the armies involved in the Carthaginian Wars; their armor, clothing, weapons and to a lesser extent their tactics. Love the color plates in the middle, that to me is the best part of these books. Well done Mr. Wise and Mr. Hook.

[Robert Hepple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1982, 'Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265-146 BC' is number 121 in the popular Osprey Men-At-Arms series of military histories. This rather short volume gives a basic overview of the armies in the title, with a large chunk of pages devoted to full page artworks. Good so far as it goes, but if you are really that interested then you need to look further afield.

[Mark Dunstan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little book - with some very detailed and wonderful illustrations. The reading is light however, but this remains one of the best books on the armies of Carthage available.