In 241 BCE , one of the most decisive battles in ancient Mediterranean chronicle take station off the coast of Sicily , as the come forth Roman Empire defeated its boisterous rival Carthage during the Battle of the Aegates . Having expend the past 20 years scouring the seafloor in search of sunken shadow of this larger-than-life confrontation , researcher have now reveal a bronze banging tup that would have been used by theRoman navyto destroy enemy ship .
Announcing the find in astatement , the Superintendence of the Sea of the Sicilian Region explain that the relic was found at a deepness of or so 80 meters ( 262 base ) , in a stretch of ocean between the island of Levanzo and Favignana , which lie off the west coast of Sicily . The Roman maritime artillery was then recovered using “ advanced cat’s-paw ” onboard the research watercraft , Hercules .
According to the Superintendence , clobber rams of this variety were “ pernicious weapons of destruction which , when applied to the fore of warship , earmark enemy ships to be rammed and subsequently sink . ” Over the preceding two decades , 27 similar rostrums have been found in the same stint of piddle , along with 30 Roman Catholic helmets and two swords .
Plenty of sea life has made its home on the battering ram.Image credit: Image credit: Soprintendenza del Mare
archaeologist are now deport an in - deepness analysis of the ancient weapon , which boast a decorative relief depicting a Roman military helmet on its front . However , because of the big amount of sea life story covering the surface of the bronze rostrum , it has not yet been possible to identify any inscriptions .
The Battle of the Aegates marked the ending of the first of thePunic Wars , which were fought between the Romans and theCarthaginiansbetween 264 and 146 BC . The latter had been the dominant force out in the westerly Mediterranean for thousands of old age prior to these conflicts , yet as Rome ’s influence began to spread across what is now Italy , unrest on the island of Sicily provided the electric arc for one of the most meaning turning points in story .
The Roman victory in the Battle of the Aegates – which was fight down on and around the islands to the Dame Rebecca West of Sicily – was a major blow to Carthage , which never manage to regain the upper hand and was at long last dismantled follow the Third Punic War . It was this victory that enable Rome to emerge as the major force in the part , subsequently exposit its empire in all directions .
annotate on the late uncovering in a statement sent to IFLScience , regional councilor for cultural heritage Francesco Paolo Scarpinato said that “ the seabed of the Aegates … is always a precious source of info to impart further knowledge on the naval conflict between the Roman and Carthaginian fleets . ”
Summarizing the implication of this neighborhood , he described the waters between Levanzo and Favignana as “ the field of operations of the battle which show the Roman domination of the Mediterranean " .
