Book Reviews

Hannibal by Patrick N. Hunt is the story of a Carthaginian military genius who was one of the most influential players in Roman history, though he is only popularly remembered as the man with the elephants that crossed the Alps. Because of...

Marc Van De Mieroop's A History of the Ancient Near East is a superb book for students and general readers alike. Its crisp, clear narrative keeps the material lively while covering all of the important points. The third edition improves...

Many times when a reader picks up a book pertaining to a certain event or object in history, it is from one point of view that has either been influenced or created from other ideas to form one concise thought. It is only in other books from...

The author starts by giving an overview of who the Vandals were, what they did, the sources we have regarding them, and their origins. He then begins to tell their story. He starts in the mid-fourth century with the Germanic tribes being...

In Lords of Asian Minor, Annick Payne and Jorit Wintjes provide a wonderfully clear and accessible introduction to the Lydians. Through the succinct exploration and presentation of five major aspects of ancient Lydia, the reader is left with...

The Roman Barbarian Wars: The Era of Roman Conquest by Ludwig Heinrich Dyck is not a historical novel, but an exhaustive study on one of the most interesting topics of the Roman Era: the Roman conquests. And, in particular, the Barbarian...

Bettany Hughes has a real flare for description. In reconstructing the life of one of the world's most elusive figures, she creates an image of Socrates' world that's so evocative you can almost touch it. Starting with the day of Socrates'...

The Carthaginians were obliterated by the Romans in the Third Punic War, and their history has, ever since, suffered for it. Even their name has largely been replaced by the brutal sounding 'Punic', from the Latin punicus. In the last decade...

Thomas Scanlon presents the reader with a narrative of Classical Greece that offers both eloquence, structure, and may serve as essential reading for students, a comprehensive review for academics, and a timely reminder for strategists that...

The Phoenicians were one of the most influential ancient Mediterranean cultures, and so it is surprising how few general history books there are on the market which cover this fascinating civilization. In addition, of the few books generally...