Salammbô is a historical novel written by Gustave Flaubert, first published in 1862. The narrative is set in the ancient city of Carthage, located in modern-day Tunisia, during the period immediately preceding and encompassing the Mercenary War.
Flaubert based his work primarily on Book I of the Histories by the Greek historian Polybius. Following its initial publication, the novel gained significant popularity and was later translated into English by Eleanor Marx in 1886. This translation introduced the work to the English-speaking world, where it became a bestseller and sparked renewed interest in the historical conflicts between the Roman Republic and the North African Phoenician outpost of Carthage.