Empire by Inertia

This volume analyzes the Carthaginian policy towards Sicily from the earliest recorded contacts in the 6th century to the expulsion of Punic influences by the Romans in the 3rd century.

This volume analyses the Carthaginian policy towards Sicily, from the earliest recorded contacts in the 6th century to the expulsion of Punic influences by the Romans in the 3rd century.

It aims at reconstructing Carthaginian policy and strategies towards the island by looking beyond the opinions of the partisan accounts of the Greek and Roman historians, and attempting to trace the logic of the actions themselves in search of long-term regularities. The emerging picture shows how the Carthaginians struggled with the “Sicilian question” on their part, and that far from embracing a truly expansionist policy, Carthage was in fact drawn deeper and deeper into the affairs of the island and motivated mostly by the account of gains and losses.

This volume provides a valuable resource for students and scholars working on Carthage, Greek Sicily, and the Roman expansion into southern Italy.