The three Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage (264-241, 218-201 and 149-146) were among the most significant and bitterly contested wars of the Classical period. The second war famously pitted the Romans against the genius of Hannibal Barca, whose invasion of Italy brought Rome to the brink of destruction, until the equal genius of Scipio Africanus proved his nemesis. Ultimately it was Carthage that was destroyed and Rome went on to dominate the Mediterranean region. Philip Matyszak studies over twenty battles from these epic conflicts, including some of the most famous battles in history, such as Cannae (216 BC) and Zama (201 BC), including naval battles as well as sieges and field battles. Thoroughly researched but written in a lively narrative style, each account gives the strategic context of the battle, analyses the forces involved, their deployments and the course of the fighting before considering its aftermath. Dozens of clear tactical maps make the action easy to follow. AUTHOR: Philip 'Maty' Matyszak holds a doctorate from St John's College, University of Oxford, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. The author of over twenty books, he specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome but has also written two historical novels. Maty saw combat as a conscript in the Rhodesian army and served with the Territorial Army in Britain. These days he splits his time between writing in his home in Canada's Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University's Institute of Continuing Education. 30 b/w illustrations
