Salammbo

Salammbo is a historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. It is set in Carthage immediately before and during the Mercenary Revolt. Flaubert's principal source was Book I of Polybius's Histories. The novel Salammbo (published in 1862) interweaves historical and fictional characters. The action takes place before and during the Mercenary Revolt, an uprising of mercenaries in the employ of Carthage in the 3rd century BC. Salammbo is the story of the siege of Carthage in 240-237 BCE by mercenaries who had not been paid for their help in fighting the Romans. It is also the story of the love of Matho, one of the mercenaries, for Salammbo, the daughter of Hamilcar, chief magistrate of Carthage, and priestess of the city's moon goddess.