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The Romans found the wars between Rome and Carthage so fascinating that during the following centuries, several Roman authors were inspired to write about them. The most famous work on this theme is the epic poem Punica, by the poet Silius Italicus.
Historical works
Our main historical source on the Punic Wars are Polybius’ Histories. The author was a Greek, born around 200 BCE, who was sent as a hostage to Rome in 167. His interest lies in the period during which Rome became a major power. Unlike the Roman historians, Polybius’ perspective is largely neutral between Carthage and Rome.
Another source is the Roman historian Titus Livius (Livy), who wrote about the history of Rome since its foundation.
The first Latin epics
The first Roman poets were inspired by Greek epic poetry. However, before Virgil, their works were but pale imitations of Homer.
The oldest Latin epic, Bellum Punicum, was written by Naevius (270-201). The author is a direct witness to the events: he served as a soldier in the First Punic War and lived through the Second Punic War in his old age. His work combines Roman history with a mythical background. This poem is lost.
Another poet, Ennius (239-169), wrote the Annals, an epic in 18 books, that covers Roman history, from the fall of Troy to the time of its writing. Books 7-9 are about the Punic Wars. This epic is also lost, only fragments are still available.
The master of Latin epic poetry is obviously Virgil. We already wrote a detailed article on the references to the Punic Wars in his Aeneid.
Punica, by Silius Italicus
A later epic was written specifically about the Punic Wars: the Punica, by the Roman senator Silius Italicus (26-101). The Punica are the longest Latin-language poem still available today, with its over 12.000 lines. Long lost, is was rediscovered in 1417.
This epic poem, in 17 books, has as its theme the Second Punic War, and concentrates mostly on the fighting between Hannibal and Scipio. Its plot largely follows Livy’s historical narrative, but it develops and embellishes themes that Livy only mentions shortly. At the poetic level, its main inspiration is Virgil.
The poem opens on Dido‘s betrayal, her suicide and her curse on all of Aeneas’ descendants, themes we are already familiar with from the Aeneid. Then, Hannibal is introduced as the instrument of her vengeance. In book 3, Hannibal crosses the Alps. In the following books, he fights the Romans in Italy. In books 15-17, Scipio lands in Spain, conquers Carthago Nova, makes an alliance with Massinissa, and then inflicts the Carthaginian troops a final defeat at the Battle of Zama. The whole war is presented as the will of the gods to test the Romans’ virtue.
This epic is both historical and mythical. Scipio is presented as the son of Jupiter, who, like Odysseus in the Odyssey and Aeneas in the Aeneid, descends to the underworld to receive a prophecy about his future. Several characters are probably not historical, but were rather created to parallel characters of the Aeneid. For example, the Libyan princess Asbyte, an ally of Hannibal, is probably inspired from Camilla, a female warrior in the Aeneid, as well as from the myth of the Libyan Amazons.
While the Carthaginians are the enemies of Rome, they are still described with much nobility. Hannibal’s vengeance for the betrayal of his ancestor Dido is shown as legitimate. Hannibal, like Achilles in the Iliad and Aeneas in the Aeneid, receives a shield depicting scenes from Carthaginian history. However, unlike Achilles’ and Aeneas’ shield, his shield is not a gift of the gods, but from a human ally.
The Punica can be read online in English on this page.
