In a series of brilliant victories between 218-216 BC Carthage's most successful general, Hannibal, appeared to have not only reversed outcome of the First Punic War, but brought Rome to the edge of defeat and Carthage to the brink of world domination. Yet some 14 years later Hannibal, his army and the Carthaginian state was comprehensively defeated at the hands of the greatest general of the ancient world - the Roman, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus.

These events are usually explained from the point of view of the commanding generals, and Hannibal in particular, with the battle-winning Carthaginian army, which scaled the heights of glory at Cannae, being sidelined as a mere adjunct to its general. This, however, is the first book to place that army centre stage. For despite being one of the most famous fighting forces ever to take the field, it remains one of the least studied armies in history.

This groundbreaking work seeks to rectify that by looking at the organisation, command structure and equipment of Carthage's land forces. Predominantly concerned with Hannibal and the Second Punic War, the First and Third Punic Wars are not neglected, and importantly the development of Carthage's army is placed within the context of the Hellenistic Age as a whole.