The North African Stones Speak

by Paul MacKendrick

Continuing his explorations of life in the Roman provinces, Paul MacKendrick surveys the rich and varied culture that spread from the eastern borders of modern Libya to the Atlantic. He focuses on the ascent of Roman hegemony in the African world, beginning with the romantic and sanguinary rise and fall of Punic Carthage, Rome's ancient enemy, and lasting through centuries of imperial rule until the Vandal invasion of Africa and the decline of the empire.

246 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. Really beautiful descriptions of the monumentalization and urbanization of Roman North Africa. Aside from that, the book is incredibly dated with odd writing at places. Some of the archeological data is also outdated.

[James T · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book, albeit not an easy read. The author's deep research and knowledge manifest themselves in detailed descriptions of numerous historic sites in North Africa, with a primary (but not exclusive) focus on Roman works. All told, the quantity of information set forth is mind boggling.

For me, the read involved considerable effort; this was precisely because of how much knowledge the author added to the relatively little I possessed before opening its cover. For example, the maps included in the book were reasonably good, but by themselves did not suffice to locate all the sites discussed. Hence, resort to on-line maps seemed essential. Further, the liberal (and unavoidable) use of architectural terminology routinely sent me to on-line dictionaries and other sources. I found that a slow pace of reading, limited to a chapter or two here or there, helped me treat most of the material with something approaching the depth that it deserved.

This is a reference to which I plan to return again. Moreover, it has whet my appetite to learn more about (among other things) the geographic area covered, the historical context, and the architectural concepts involved. Perhaps the book is mildly dated -- indeed, the author referred to excavations that were underway even as he wrote -- but to me that argues simply for seeking some newer material to supplement the contents of this wonderful work.