The History Room
Archaeologists find surprising artifacts from major Roman – Carthaginian naval battle
Carthage was on campaign in Sicily and was attempting to resupply its forces, when Roman naval units engaged them.
The finds suggest that Carthage reused captured Roman warships during the battle and that Carthaginian sailors may have thrown cargo overboard in a desperate attempt to help their ships escape the Romans.
According to historical records, the naval battle occurred on March 10, 241 B.C., near the Aegates Islands, not far from Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea. In the battle, a Carthaginian fleet that had been trying to bring supplies to one of Carthage's armies in Sicily was intercepted by the Roman navy, which proceeded to destroy much of the fleet. The victory was so resounding that Carthage was forced to sue for peace, agreeing to terms that favored Rome.
Over the last decade, underwater archaeologists have been surveying the battle site, finding the remains of bronze rams, metal helmets and pottery containers. The 2018 season alone resulted in the discovery of six rams as well as several helmets and pottery vessels.
Carthage fought with Roman ships
Carthage seems to have fought the battle with a fleet that partly consisted of captured Roman ships. "Of the 19 securely known rams from this area, I believe 11 of them are securely identified as Roman rams," said team member William Murray, a professor of Greek history at the University of South Florida. Additionally, the type of design on many of the helmets found at the site is one that archaeologists call "Montefortino." The helmet design was so popular with the Romans that they decorated some of their rams with images of the helmets.
The discovery of numerous Roman rams and Montefortino-type helmets leaves archaeologists with a dilemma. "You would expect that the Carthaginians, who lost the battle, would have suffered the most casualties," said Murray, noting that you would also "expect that most of the warship rams would belong to Carthaginian-manned warships."
Carthage likely used ships that they had captured from the Romans in a previous naval battle, said Murray, who added that historical records say that in one battle, which occurred several years before the Aegates Islands battle, Carthage captured 93 Roman ships.
Reply With Quote
