Photo: RPM Nautical Foundation
Before today’s super-advanced warships with sophisticated weapons and entirely new ways of conducting warfare, there were the famous military ships of the Ancient civilizations. Though less complex compared to modern naval technology, they are just as fascinating today, as the most powerful battleships at that time.
A team of international maritime archaeologists recently made an exciting discovery at the site of the Battle of the Egadi Islands (241 BC), in Sicily. Military equipment and two massive bronze warship rams were recovered from the depths of the sea. Until this discovery was made, only two other warship rams from Antiquity have been discovered, which is why these rare artifacts are so important.
The battle of the Egadi Islands is famous for establishing Rome’s victory over Carthage, during the First Punic War, for the control of Sicily. According to historians, this was a wide-scale, bloody battle, where hundreds of ships were literally ramming into each other. Nothing like today’s remotely-controlled weapons or supersonic missiles, the warships of Antiquity were fitted with massive rams, as weapons.
Archaeologists say that bronze rams, such as these recently discovered ones, and armor, were the peak of military technology at that time. In addition to these, lead bullets that were used as lethal projectiles during combat, plus bronze helmets and cheek-pieces, were also located during the 2021 campaign.
Throughout the summer, the project’s state-of-the-art research vessel, called Hercules, used a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) onboard, and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), to map the seafloor and inspect targets. These recent findings are a culmination of the years it took to survey and document the designated area off western Sicily.
The Battle of the Egadi Islands project research is conducted by the government organization Soprintendenza del Mare in Sicily, together with RPM Nautical Foundation and the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites (SDSS). The naval battle site was identified back in 2005. Since then, this ancient naval battle became one of the best documented, from an archaeological perspective.
The battle of the Egadi Islands is famous for establishing Rome’s victory over Carthage, during the First Punic War, for the control of Sicily. According to historians, this was a wide-scale, bloody battle, where hundreds of ships were literally ramming into each other. Nothing like today’s remotely-controlled weapons or supersonic missiles, the warships of Antiquity were fitted with massive rams, as weapons.
Archaeologists say that bronze rams, such as these recently discovered ones, and armor, were the peak of military technology at that time. In addition to these, lead bullets that were used as lethal projectiles during combat, plus bronze helmets and cheek-pieces, were also located during the 2021 campaign.
Throughout the summer, the project’s state-of-the-art research vessel, called Hercules, used a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) onboard, and an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), to map the seafloor and inspect targets. These recent findings are a culmination of the years it took to survey and document the designated area off western Sicily.
The Battle of the Egadi Islands project research is conducted by the government organization Soprintendenza del Mare in Sicily, together with RPM Nautical Foundation and the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites (SDSS). The naval battle site was identified back in 2005. Since then, this ancient naval battle became one of the best documented, from an archaeological perspective.
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