Set in Carthage during the 3rd century BC immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt which took place shortly after the First Punic War. It's a tale of war between Rome and Carthage and in many ways, the novel is an exercise in the sensual, the violent -- the exotic. And that may explain why...

Set in Carthage during the 3rd century BC immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt which took place shortly after the First Punic War. It's a tale of war between Rome and Carthage and in many ways, the novel is an exercise in the sensual, the violent -- the exotic. And that may explain why, despite the fact that the French appreciate this novel as a classic, it is today practically unknown today among English-speakers. Because the lot of us are a bunch of puritanical fuddy-duddies! Be the first on your block to read Salammbô today!