Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265-146 BC (Men at Arms Series, 121) (Paperback)

~ Terence Wise (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator) "Outbreak of 1st Punic War between Rome and Carthage over control of Sicily..." (more)
Key Phrases: gladius hispanicus, manipular formation, ten maniples, Punic War, Museo Arqueologico Nacional, Scipio Africanus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The epic conflict between Rome and Carthage remains one of the most compelling stories of military history. The wars included such legendary events as the crossing of the Alps by Hannibal, and the Battle of Cannae. Terence Wise's fine text details the armies of both sides of the wars, including the many different allied troops employed by the Carthaginians; Numidians, Celts, Spanish and others who helped make the army one of the most colourful and cosmopolitan of its day. The text is accompanied by numerous illustrations and photographs, including eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook. Campaign 36 and Men-at-Arms 121 are also available in a single volume special edition as ‘Hannibal’s War with Rome’.

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing; illustrated edition edition (March 25, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0850454301
• ISBN-13: 978-0850454307
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #305,883 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of the forces of the Carthaginian Wars, April 4, 2006

By	Red Harvest (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This title is somewhat dated, originally published in 1982; however it provides a decent overview of the Carthaginian and Roman forces that engaged one another in the Punic wars. Terence Wise' text is organized, informative, and reads well.

Richard Hook's plates are superbly rendered: crisp, colorful, and well proportioned. The depictions include Roman, Numidian, Carthaginian/Liby-Phoenician, Iberian, Celtic, and various Italian allied forces. The faces and eyes are some of the most realistic among Osprey's ancient warfare titles. One quibble is that the skin-tone/hair color of too many of the plates are perhaps too Anglo-Saxon rather than Mediterranean in appearance.
(To better understand the forces available to Hannibal one should consider augmenting this work with Osprey's "Rome's Enemies 4: Spanish Armies" by Martinez/McBride. It has some more accurate representations of Iberian forces.)

In summary, I recommend this book as a fine starting point for anyone studying the Punic Wars.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good instructive about the Cathaginian Wars., January 9, 2007

By	R. Segovia Macaya "Chileno Lector" (Santiago de Chile) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I puirchased this Item, I hope that book clear my ideas about the most caracteristical element in the punic army: The Elephants. In this book the autor wrote about this magnificents warbeasts but he not includes drawings or images about the original concept of the carthaginian war elephant. Nevertheless, the autor, in the description of the carthaginian army elements, clarify the formations, armor and weapons used by the africans, included the elephants tactics and the concept of the carthaginian war elephant.
This book also deal with the republican roman army and the formation of the "republican legion", included the percentage of auxiliary troop and the evolution during the war.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of Armies of the Carthaginian Wars 265-146 BC, July 8, 2000

By A Customer

I found this book to be an informative and a highly readable study of the armies of the Carthaginian Wars. It provided useful information on the organisation, weapons, tactics and uniforms of both the Roman and Carthaginian armies. The colour plates, maps, photographs and illustrations were excellent and supplemented the main body of text very well. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone who is interested in this period of Ancient History. The more serious student of the Carthaginian Wars would probably want to do further study beyond this book, but overall I would say this book is excellent.