Review of Hannibal’s Oath: The Life and Wars of Rome’s Greatest Enemy

The story of Hannibal’s brilliant campaigns in Rome is one of the most famous and dramatic in military history and it has been oft told. Nearly all that we know about him is contained in the works of just a few Roman historians, and after so many years new information is very rarely discovered. Historian John Prevas acknowledges this in his new book Hannibal’s Oath: The Life and Wars of Rome’s Greatest Enemy, which was provided to Discerning History for review. All historians are working from the same material, but Hannibal’s Oath provides an interesting version of the story that readers would do well to consider.

Prevas insightfully brings out some aspects of the story that other authors graze over that shed new light on the man and his battles. He also has spent time in Europe visiting the sights that he mentions, and so speaks from first hand knowledge wherever possible. The book is not very long, and sometimes it feels as if he moves quickly over certain events that would be well worth dwelling on. One somewhat strange example of this is the one referenced by the title – Hannibal’s Oath, referring to the time as a boy when Hannibal’s father had him swear that he would never be a friend of the Romans.

Prevas does not use extensive quotes from the ancient sources, rarely quoting more than a phrase here or there. While some may prefer that, I enjoy occasionally hearing directly from the historians on which all of our knowledge is based.

This book, while acknowledging Hannibal’s brilliance and military skills, is definitely a negative assessment of the man. It is based on the principle that “great men, those who make history and even change its course, are invariable the most evil.”¹ It attempts to show that in many ways Hannibal was a “colossal failure.”² While you may not agree with all of his assessments, it is still a useful perspective to hear and evaluate.

In summary, if you are looking for a short, readable and insightful account of Hannibal, this may be the book for you. This book may not be suitable for younger readers, as it deals with some quite unsavory aspects of Carthaginian culture.

We are giving away a copy of Hannibal’s Oath, see this post for details!

1. Hannibal’s Oath: The Life and Wars of Rome’s Greatest Enemy by John Prevas (Boston: Da Capo Press, 2017) p. 241.
2. Ibid, p. 238.