Salaambo

Salammbo is a historical novel by Gustave Flaubert. Set in ancient Carthage, the vivid plot bursts with exoticism, high drama and bloody violence. We join war-torn Carthage in the 3rd century B.C., as the city is on the cusp of the Mercenaries' Revolt. Uncertainty pervades the once-great capital, whose finances are in disarray as a result of the lengthy Punic Wars. As it cannot pay or fulfill promises made to mercenaries it hired, the mercenaries turn on the city, intenting to claim their dues by force. The main character is Matho, a Libyan mercenary who leads his own company in an assault against the city of Carthage. He has his eyes set not merely on gold but on a strikingly beautiful woman named Salaambo, who is the daughter of Hamilcar, one of the city's leading generals. However, Salaambo proves more than just a mere beauty. She seeks to confound Matho, whose wits are blinded with lust, by stealing back the Zaïmph - a sacred, jewel-encrusted veil said to protect Carthage and its people.