Hannibal

“Eve MacDonald has written one of the best biographies of Hannibal, at once readable and scholarly.”—Andrew Erskine, author of Roman Imperialism 'Who was Hannibal? What motivated his epic struggle against Rome? And how has history remembered him? Eve MacDonald’s book does not just tell the story of Hannibal; it offers an acute analysis of the evidence documenting his fascinating life and times.' - Kathryn Tempest, author of Cicero: Politics and Persuasion in Ancient Rome 'Eve MacDonald has produced a real page-turner in this lucid account of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general whose invasion of Italy brought republican Rome almost to her knees. She has succeeded brilliantly in unpicking the military and naval drama of the First and Second Punic Wars, giving the reader an acute sense not just of what Hellenistic warfare was like with all its brutality but also of what was at stake for both Carthage and Rome as they wrestled for hegemony in the western Mediterranean. Her command of the ancient evidence is authoritative and she gives proper weight to the problems, but she always keeps a tight grip on the narrative thread. A truly illuminating read.' - Antony Spawforth, co-author ofThe Oxford Classical Dictionary