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Anyone know a good source for Scipio?


Scipio.

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Hey, I'm writing a . . . novel . . . on Scipio Africanus, and I was wondering if there is any good source (preferably modern) on him. I have Greater Than Napoleon, but it seems kind of old and I don't know if it's still accurate. Plus, it seems pretty vague in some areas. Are there any books or anything on him? Thanks in advance. ;)

 

I don't even know if this is in the right forum . . . ;)

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Hey, I'm writing a . . . novel . . . on Scipio Africanus, and I was wondering if there is any good source (preferably modern) on him. I have Greater Than Napoleon, but it seems kind of old and I don't know if it's still accurate. Plus, it seems pretty vague in some areas. Are there any books or anything on him? Thanks in advance. ;)

 

I don't even know if this is in the right forum . . . ;)

 

 

A fairly easy one. Initially, I wouldn't read any modern authorities, since they all too often argue with each other! If you are writing a novel, I'd stick to the ancient sources, the best of which is 'The Rise of the Roman Empire' (Penguin Classics) by Polybius, F. W. Walbank, and Ian Scott-Kilvert (Paperback - Feb 28, 1980) which is available on Amazon etc, usually for only a few pounds/dollars.

 

Secondly, get hold of 'The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal' (Penguin Classics) by Titus Livius Livy and Aubrey De Selincourt (Paperback - Jul 30, 1965), again usually cheap and easy to get hold of.

 

If you are wanting real detail, the above are also available in the 'Loeb Classical Library' series. Although far more expensive, they do give a lot more detail, including the Latin from which they are translated: if you have the need, you can even try translating it yourself!!

 

For other material, try 'The Punic Wars' by Adrian Goldsworthy (Paperback - May 28, 2002), which will give you a good idea of the background as well as a bibliography for extra reading.

 

Good luck with the Book!! ;)

Edited by sonic
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  • 1 month later...

You also might want to collect some commentaries on the articular sources for better understanding and use.

 

F. W. WALBANK published a major three-volume study on Polybius that is used very often. As for Livy, I dont know of any for books XXI-XXX. There are a number of other fragments that you might wish to use. Most of them are in the bibliographies of books and studies on this period: check out Adrian Goldworthy's Punic Wars/Fall of Carthage and J. F. Lazenby, the two scholars I have the most liking for.

 

You might also wish to look up Hannibal's Legacy by Arnold Joseph Toynbee for a look at the psychological effects of the Punic Wars. This is a massive two-volume piece but I think it can be very helpful.

 

Unfortunately there are not many bio's of Scipio available right now, Lindell Hart's Greater then Napoleon is the most popular one, but its also rather antiquated. If you look around certain libraries you might find Scipio Africanus: soldier and politician by Scullard.

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