Appian, The Punic Wars

Appian of Alexandria (c.95-c.165): one of the most underestimated of all Greek historians, author of a Roman History in twenty-four books.

His account of the Punic Wars is fortunately among these better preserved parts. The modern reader will be surprised to learn about its contents, because the conflict we know as the First Punic War is absent (Appian calls it the Sicilian War), and the historian has treated the Spanish and Italian parts of what is now known as the Second Punic War in his books on the Spanish Wars and Hannibalic War. What Appian offers is a description of all Roman military operations in Africa from the final phase of the war against Hannibal until the final pacification by the emperor Augustus. There is an appendix on the Numidian Wars.

The translation was made by Horace White; notes by Jona Lendering.

There are two systems to divide the Punic Wars: in 136 sections or 20 chapters. On these webpages, the text is divided into sections; the following table shows the division into chapters.

1

Preliminaries

§1: Origins of Carthage
§2: Outline of Carthaginian history

First Punic War

§3: First Punic War
§4: Death of Xanthippus and Regulus
§5: The Mercenary War

2

The Second Punic War

§6: War in Spain
§7: Debate about Scipio's invasion of Africa
§8: Scipio's bodyguard
§9: Carthaginian countermeasures
§10: Hasdrubal, Syphax, Massinissa, and Sophonisba
§11: Massinissa prepares for war
§12: Massinissa's war against Syphax and Carthage

3 §13: Scipio crosses to Africa
§14: Skirmish at Utica
§15: Sack of Locha
§16: Siege of Utica
§17: Negotiations of Syphax
§18: Syphax takes Tholon
4 §19: Speech of Scipio
§20: Speech of Scipio
§21: Scipio attacks the camp of Hasdrubal
§22: Retreat of Syphax
§23: Consequences of the attack
§24: Scipio advances against Carthage
§25: Indecisive naval engagement
5 §26: Massinissa defeats Syphax
§27: Syphax and Sophonisba
§28: Death of Sophonisba
§29: Plan to burn Scipio's camp
§30: End of the siege of Utica
6 §31: Negotiations
§32: Scipio's peace propasal
§33: Hannibals' first actions in Africa
§34: The Carthaginians violate the armistice
§35: Return of the Carthaginian envoys
§36: Scipio blockades Carthage
§37: Hannibal proposes a second armistice
7 §38: Riots in Carthage
§39: Second armistice broken
§40: Hannibal prepares for battle
§41: Scipio prepares for battle
§42: Speeches of Scipio and Hannibal
§43: Battle of Zama: fight against the elephants
§44: Battle of Zama
§45: Battle of Zama: duel of Scipio and Hannibal
§46: Battle of Zama: duel of Massinissa and Hannibal
§47: Hannibal's flight
8 §48: Spoils of the Victory
§49: Carthaginian embassy to Scipio
§50: Speech of Hasdrubal Eriphus
§51: Speech of Hasdrubal Eriphus
§52: Speech of Hasdrubal Eriphus
§53: Speech of Scipio
§54: Speech of Scipio: peace conditions
9 §55: Hannibal advises peace
§56: Envoys to Rome
§57: Debate in the Senate: a call for moderation
§58: Debate in the Senate: a call for moderation
§59: Debate in the Senate: a call for moderation
§60: Debate in the Senate: a call for moderation
§61: Debate in the Senate: a call for moderation
§62: Debate in the Senate: a call for harshness
§63: Debate in the Senate: a call for harshness
§64: Debate in the Senate: a call for harshness
§65: Scipio's peace treaty ratified
§66: Scipio's triumph
10

The entr'acte

§67: Massinissa's depredations
§68: Carthage's conflict with Massinissa
§69: Cato visits Carthage
§70: War with Massinissa
§71: Scipio Aemilianus observes the battle
§72: The war continued
§73: Carthaginian army defeated

11

The Third Punic War

§74: Unclear answers by the Senate
§75: The Roman expeditionary force
§76: The declaration of war
§77: Hostages sent
§78: Speech of the Carthaginian envoys
§79: Speech of the Carthaginian envoys

12 §80: The Carthaginians surrender their weapons
§81: Censorinus asks the Carthaginians to abandon their city
§82: Hopeless position of the Carthaginians
§83: Speech of Banno
§84: Speech of Banno
§85: Speech of Banno
§86: Speech of Censorinus
§87: Speech of Censorinus
§88: Speech of Censorinus
§89: Speech of Censorinus
13 §90: Roman refusal to allow further negotiations
§91: Return of the ambassadors to Carthage
§92: Panic in Carthage
§93: Carthage resolves to fight
§94: Pause
14 §95: Topography of Carthage
§96: The two ports
§97: Unsuccessful Roman attacks
§98: Roman rams destroyed
§99: The Roman fleet burned
§100: Himilco Phameas and Scipio Aemilianus
15 §101: Increasing fame of Scipio
§102: Unsuccessful expedition against Hasdrubal
§103: Scipio saves four cohorts
§104: Burial of the dead Roman soldiers
16 §105: Death of Massinissa
§106: Necrology of Massinissa
§107: Scipio meets Phameas
§108: Treason of Phameas
§109: Scipio in Rome
§110: Piso unsuccessfully besieges Hippagreta
§111: The Carthaginians gain self-confidence
17 §112: Scipio elected consul
§113: Attack by Mancinus
§114: Scipio rescues Mancinus
§115: Condition of the Roman army
§116: Speech of Scipio
18 §117: Scipio restores discipline and takes Megara
§118: Cruelties of Hasdrubal
§119: Scipio's camp
§120: Famine in Carthage
§121: Scipio's failed attempt to close the harbor
§122: Indecisive naval engagement
§123: Fight for the quay
§124: Carthaginian counterattack
§125: The Romans occupy the quay
§126: Scipio captures Nepheris
19 §127: Scipio takes the inner harbor
§128: Street fights
§129: Destruction of the populace
§130: Surrender of the people in Byrsa
§131: Hasdrubal and his wife
§132: Scipio's tears
20

§133: The spoils
§134: Rejoicings in Rome
§135: Africa becomes a province

Aftermath

§136: Carthage rebuilt

Appendix

The Numidian War