A fascinating and true study of Hannibal, one of ancient Rome’s greatest enemies, a brilliant general and, according to John Prevas, a “larger-than-life action hero from the past.”
Prevas did the translations from period and later documents, historical research and traveled to the places where Hannibal went, to create one of the most insightful, non-fiction examinations of Hannibal that I’ve ever read.
It all started with Hannibal’s father, Hamilcar. “Hamilcar was furious at what he saw as Roman bad faith, but powerless to intervene at the moment, he chose to bide his time and find another way to even the score.” loc 290, ebook.
Spoiler alert (if you don’t know ancient history): Hamilcar had a bunch of kids and made them swear to destroy Rome. The boys, he groomed as warriors; the girls, he married off advantageously to help his sons.
“As the rituals neared completion, Hamilcar called for Hannibal, then only nine years of age, to join him at the altar. There, the young boy begged his father to take him to Spain, and Hamilcar consented on the condition that Hannibal pledge to the god he would always be an enemy to Rome and to anyone who stood with Rome.” loc 323, ebook. No pressure or anything.
The Barcas, Hamilcar’s family, create a foothold in Spain. It is from there, that Hannibal will eventually attack the Romans by, famously, crossing the Alps- with elephants in tow.
Anything to do with Hannibal’s elephants were my favorite parts of this book. “The elephants were often plied with wine before battle to stimulate their aggression, and while the wine might have done that to some degree, it also seems to have contributed to their tendency to panic and then rampage during the mayhem of the fighting.” loc 713, ebook.
Drunk, rampaging elephants! It doesn’t get much more dramatic than that.
Though written more like a textbook than a historical fiction (which is my favorite way to learn about history), I still learned a lot from Hannibal’s Oath and enjoyed it.
Recommended for classic majors, elephant lovers and fans of ancient history.
Reminder: the short quotations I cited in this review may change in the final printed version. Thank you to NetGalley and Da Capo Press for a free advance reader’s copy of this book.
Thanks for reading!
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