Below you'll find an annotated version of the further reading list for this chapter (p. 139).
General Texts on the Period
Beard, Mary, SPQR (London: Profile, 2016), pp. 170–84
The starting point for anyone new to the topic. An engaging and colourful introduction to the themes you will explore.
Cary, M. and H.H Scullard, A History of Rome (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 1980), 3rd ed., pp. 124–37
Classic text which will serve as an excellent reference point for anyone new to the unit.
Hornblower, Simon and Tony Spawforth, The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilisation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014)
I always recommend this excellent guide. Admittedly the most recent editions are pricey – but a perusal of online marketplaces or your local secondhand book shop will enable you to find a very affordable copy. Indispensable.
Southern, Patricia, Ancient Rome: The Republic 753–30 BC (Stroud: Amberley Publishing, 2011), pp. 97–116
A gentle introduction to the period. Accessible.
Focused Texts
Bagnell, Nigel, The Punic Wars: Rome, Carthage and the Struggle for the Mediterranean (London: Pimlico 1999)
Bagnall, Nigel, Essential Histories: The Punic Wars 264–146 BC (Oxford: Osprey, 2002)
Both of Bagnall’s books are advanced but provide some interesting and readable theories.
Daly, Gregory, Cannae: The Experience of Battle in the Second Punic War (London: Routledge 2003)
Fields, Nic, The Roman Army of the Punic Wars 264–146 BC (Oxford: Osprey, 2007)
Fields, Nic, Carthaginian Warrior 264–246 BC (Oxford: Osprey, 2010)
Both of Fields' books would suit those interested in the military aspects of the Second Punic War.
Flower, Harriet (ed.) Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World: The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), Ch. 10
Goldsworthy, Adrian, Fall of Carthage: The Punic Wars 265-146 BC (London: Orion, 2003)
A good read and accessible to most readers.
Hoyos, Dexter (ed.), Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World: A Companion to the Punic Wars (Oxford: Blackwell, 2015)
A good collection of academic articles.
Lazenby, J.F., The Second Punic War (Warminster: Aris and Phillips, 1978)
Lazenby, J.F., The First Punic War (London: University College London, 1996)
Lazenby gives a thorough assessment of both Punic wars. However, The Second Punic War is proving difficult to find in print.
Macdonald, Eve, Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life (Ceredigion: Yale 2015)
An interesting read and assessment of Hannibal Barca’s character.
Mellor, Ronald, The Roman Historians (Abingdon: Routledge, 1999)
Good contextual account of Polybius and Livy.
Sorek, Susan, Ancient Historians, (London: Bloomsbury, 2012) ch. 11: Polybius; ch. 15: Livy; ch. 22: Plutarch
Superb analysis of the three historians. Recommended.
Ancient Sources
Electronic versions can be found online.
Livy, The War with Hannibal, trans. Aubrey de Selincourt (London: Penguin 1965)
Livy, Hannibal’s War, trans. J.C Yardley (Oxford: Oxford University Press 2009)
Mellor, Ronald, The Historians of Ancient Rome: An Anthology of the Major Writings (Abingdon: Routledge, 2012)
Nepos, Cornelius, Lives of Eminent Commanders, trans. J.C Rolfe (London: Loeb, 1989)
Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire, trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert (London: Penguin, 1979)
Polybius, The Histories, trans. Robin Waterfield (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010)
All are good translations, but as ever, some passages are more accessible than others.
