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 | Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 10:52:44 mst
Comment ID: #1
Name: Galileo Blogs
E-mail: rayniles(at)rcniles.com
URL: http://galileoblogs.blogspot.com
This is how history should be done. Study the past to identify the principles that we can apply to the present. I cannot think of a more important subject for our present age than the one that Dr. Lewis has chosen. I look forward to reading it, and I hope it receives a wide audience. |
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| Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 13:16:29 mst
Comment ID: #2
Name: madmax
I can't wait to see what Dr. Lewis has to say about Scipio Africanus who was one of the greatest generals ever and single handedly saved Rome from Hannibal. |
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| Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 13:26:33 mst
Comment ID: #3
Name: C Andrew
E-mail: ca4papen(at)mindspring.com
madmax,
So that's why the Roman Senate didn't end up as a side dish with fava beans and a nice chianti... |
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| Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 14:03:12 mst
Comment ID: #4
Name: madmax
"So that's why the Roman Senate didn't end up as a side dish with fava beans and a nice chianti..."
Heh.
Seriously though. There is renewed interest in Africanus recently. War historian Richard Gabriel wrote an excellent book on him called 'Scipio Africaus: Rome's Greatest General'. The title tells you what Gabriel thinks about him. Lewis himself has praised Scipio highly in past lectures. Up until recently all the scholarship that existed in English on Scipio was B.H. Liddell Hart's entertaining book 'Scipio Africanus Greater Than Napolean.' But that book didn't have the highest degree of scholarship. So for us Scipio fans Dr. Lewis' book is big news.
I would love to see a 'Lord of the Rings' type movie treatment of the 2nd Punic War that glorified Scipio but Hollywood is incapable of that today. Scipio was a straight, white European male that fought for the liberty of his people. Hollywood would have nothing good to say about him and probably portray him as a homicidal maniac. But Dr. Lewis on the other hand will show the greatness of the man. |
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| Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 17:54:35 mst
Comment ID: #5
Name: C Andrew
E-mail: ca4papen(at)mindspring.com
I remember reading B.H. Liddel Hart's 'History of World War II' when I was in 6th grade. I haven't re-read it but I do have it in my library. Would you consider his work on Scipio to be worth the read?
The only other time I've heard him mentioned was in the "historical re-enactment" from the movie 'Gladiator.' I rather gathered that the outcome presented there was not historically accurate.
The histories that I've read tend to focus on Hannibal's feat in getting elephants over the Alps. And to point out the literal dead-end of a people agreeing to disarmament. The destruction of Carthage has always been a cautionary tale to me.
My (admittedly limited) understanding of the history was that the Punic wars represented the triumph of a military republic over an essentially commercial regime. Is that a fair characterization? |
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| Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 20:03:56 mst
Comment ID: #6
Name: Ryan M
For those who are not aware, Lewis gave a great speech related to this topic for the ARI Lecture Series called "The Failure of the Homeland Defense: The Lessons from History". It's because of that speech that I'm interested in this book. |
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| Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 21:20:22 mst
Comment ID: #7
Name: John David Lewis
E-mail: classicalideals(at)yahoo.com
URL: http://johndavidlewis.com
Thanks for posting this, Diana!
On Rome and Carthage: there have been many books on Hannibal, and indeed the Second Punic War was called, from ancient times, "Hannibal's War." According to Polybius, it was the valor of the Romans, and the steadfastness of Rome's constitution, which allowed Rome to defeat Carthage. Certainly Rome's position on Italy was based more on Rome's political strength than was Carthage's position. Carthage was indeed a trading empire--but we should not forget Carthage's links to the ancient near east, through its mother-city Tyre, and the influence of Tyrean religion on the Carthaginians. They crucified their defeated generals, and they certainly used religion to motivate their armies. But, who didn't?
I recommend reading Polybius himself--especially books 1 (on the First Punic War), 3 (on the Second Punic War) and 6 (on the Roman constitution) for an astute analysis. He is not neutral--he was attached to the Scipio family, and he goes to great length to discredit the supporters of the Fabius family, including the rival historian Fabius Pictor--but he is the essential starting point. There is a Penguin edition: Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire.
I reviewed the Gabriel book on Scipio: Scipio Africanus: Rome’s Greatest General (Washington: Potomac, 2008), for Michigan War Studies Review 2009.01.01. Here is the link: http://www.michiganwarstudiesreview.com/2009/20090101.asp |
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| Friday, November 20, 2009 at 10:17:57 mst
Comment ID: #8
Name: Sajid
"Hollywood would have nothing good to say about him and probably portray him as a homicidal maniac."
Really? Like William Wallace, Achilles, Hector, Leonidas, Benjamin Martin? I am sure there are many more. In fact it is really difficult to find a Hollywood movie with a historical non-white, non-European hero. Not that there is anything wrong with that either way.
A heroic Scipio Africanus script about the Punic wars would actually make for a great movie indeed and if anyone wrote a good script on him my guess is it would be snapped up by Hollywood in no time. |
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| Friday, November 20, 2009 at 20:41:12 mst
Comment ID: #9
Name: madmax
Sajid,
Fair enough. But all the movies you mentioned had many philosophic flaws. Scipio stands for a non-altruistic, non-Just-War-Theory approach to war. It is impossible, given the dominant culture, to do him justice today. But I think you're right that some better than average movie could be made of the 2nd Punic War. And the battle scenes are just screaming for a '300' style treatment. |
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