Mastering the West

<p>To say the Punic Wars (264-146 BC) were a turning-point in world history is a vast understatement. These vicious battles pitted two flourishing Mediterranean powers against one another leaving one an unrivaled giant and the other a literal pile of ash. To later observers a collision between these civilizations seemed inevitable and yet to the Romans and Carthaginians at the time war erupted seemingly out of nowhere and was expected to be a short and trivial skirmish.</p><p><em>Mastering the West </em>offers a superlative narrative of all three wars as they are generally divided while treating a full range of themes: the antagonists' military naval economic and demographic resources and strategic opportunities; the political structures of both republics; questions of leadership and the contributions of leaders like Hannibal Fabius the Delayer Scipio Africanus Masinissa and Scipio Aemilianus; and the postwar impact of the conflicts on the participants and victims. Dexter Hoyos a leading expert of the period treats the two great powers evenly without forgetting the important roles played by Syracuse Macedon and especially Numidia. Written with verve in a clear accessible style with a range of illustrations and newly-commissioned maps <em>Mastering the West</em> is sure to restructure our understanding of this critical period in ancient history.</p>