Rome or Carthage: the struggle between these two great powers of the ancient world determined the course of Western civilization. This mighty clash of civilizations was fought out in Spain, the Alps, the length and breadth of Italy, and in North Africa, where the legions of Rome finally laid waste to the city of Carthage. This dramatic story, told here in full, is based on actual events and contemporary accounts. Read the real story of Hannibal and his incredible military feats, the crossing of the Alps with elephants, his fifteen-year-long rampage through Italy, the counterinvasion of Spain and Carthage by his nemesis Scipio Africanus, and of the frightful destruction and razing of Rome's greatest rival city. The Punic Wars were one of the great turning points of European history, which determined the language, culture, and direction which Europe took for the next two millennia. It is a stirring account of bravery, treachery, destruction, and ultimately victory—the essential ingredients of a struggle which eventually became legend.