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Hannibal ante portasHannibal ante portas (book)

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Hardcover Print: $43.13

This is a collection of short stories focusing on the Second Punic War, better known as "Hannibal's War". An introduction outlines the historical context, while the stories narrate through the eyes of direct witnesses various episodes, from the Battle of Cannae to the Battle of Zama. The book is lavishly decorated with colour illustrations, both in in the form of full-page images and vignettes.

Hannibal ante portas PaperbackHannibal ante portas Paperback (book)

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This is a collection of short stories focusing on the Second Punic War, better known as "Hannibal's War". An introduction outlines the historical context, while the stories narrate through the eyes of direct witnesses various episodes, from the Battle of Cannae to the Battle of Zama.

"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Hannibal"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Hannibal (artwork)

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Illustration for the Introduction to the volume "Hannibal ante portas!". Artist's impression of Hannibal while crossing the Alps: young and vigurous, fiercely determined to fight Rome. The fur he wears serves not only as a pragmatic indicator of situation, but is also symbolic of his representation in the minds of the Romans: a barbarian, a savage ally of the savage Gauls.

"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Traditions"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Traditions (artwork)

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Illustration for the short story "The Other Cannae" in the volume "Hannibal ante portas!". It represents the main character, navigating mentally between the three written traditions represented visually as a Latin papyrus, a Greek parchment and a Carthaginian (funerary) inscription.

"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Death Riders"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Death Riders (artwork)

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Illustration for the short story "Ex ossibus" in the volume "Hannibal ante portas!". It represents graphically the dream Gnaeus, the main character, has before a major confrontation with the Carthaginians. It combines the common image of the Apocalyptic riders with monstrous motifs borrowed from Greek and Roman mythology: wings from the Sphynx, snake in stead of hair from the Medusa and so on.

"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: The horse"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: The horse (artwork)

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Illustration for the short story "They shouldn't have killed the horses" in the volume "Hannibal ante portas!". It represents the main character, the former stable boy of Hannibal - now at a venerable age - rememorating a traumatic event: the killing of the horses when Hannibal abandoned Italy in order to return to Africa and confront there his nemesis, Scipio. The event is ominous, for the horse figured prominently on Carthaginian coinage. Thus, by killing the symbol of his native city, Hannibal is anticipating the fate of his compatriots.

"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Hannibal before Zama"Hannibal ante portas!" Artwork: Hannibal before Zama (artwork)

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Illustration for the short story "Of lions and wolves" in the volume "Hannibal ante portas!". It represents Hannibal in his old days, weathered and disillusioned, haunted by the memory of his fallen comrades and soldiers. The dead leaf is symbolic of his situation: although all hope of life has abandoned it, the rigid nervures still maintain its outward shape. Its unavoidable rigidity is its greatest flaw, for it invites the corollary of brittleness. The tragic condition of Hannibal is only enhanced by his cold understanding of his situation and his fate.

Voyage through Hellenistic PontusVoyage through Hellenistic Pontus (calendar)

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The calendar shows images representative of the Hellenistic Kingdom of Pontus, from landscapes of significance (Amaseia - March; the wide Chiliokomon plain - May; the gulf of Amisos - June; remnants of the outer wall of Sinope - August; inner wall of Sinope - September) to objects of art - including here coins - from local museums (coin hoard from Sinope - January; terracotta portrait of Herakles/Mithradates V [doubtful] from Sinope - February; lions hunting a stag from Sinope - April; miniature fronton from Sinope - July; bust of soldier from Sinope - October; coin portrait of Zeus from Amaseia - November). The calendar ends fittingly with the shadow of Rome, represented by the eagle - a relief now held in the Samsun (former Amisos) Museum.