This was the era when the West and the East came together again in a bloody battle - this time republican Rome, which was already dreaming of an empire, and the mighty Carthage, which laid claim to dominance in the ecumene. This was an era when history was made, when such outstanding commanders as Hamilcar Barca, Hannibal, Fabius Cunctator and Scipio, nicknamed Africanus for their achievements, fought, suffered defeats and won. This was the era when Rome was on the verge of collapse, having been defeated at Lake Trasimene and at Cannae, and yet managed to resist and dealt a crushing blow to the triumphant enemy. This is the era of the Punic Wars, brought to life in the pages of David Anthony Durham's monumental novel.