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Arms and armour
9
in the Egadi islands, near Trapani (on
the north-western coast of the region)
(1) and this one in Messina. This data
shows how all the recent Sicilian dis-
coveries shed new light on an almost
completely unknown feature of naval
warfare in Greek and Roman times.
I must also stress that, before 2008,
the most remarkable bronze rostrum
found was the Athlit ram, weighing in
excess of 450kg and measuring over
2m in length.
This piece was probably a Cypriot
production and was intended for a ves-
sel of the Ptolemaic fleet between the
end of the 3rd and the first half of the
2nd century BC. The Acqualadroni
ram is the closest to the Israeli exam-
ple, both in size and in state of con-
servation, but two peculiar features
probably make it the most precious
ever found.
Firstly, the bronze structure, result-
ing from a unitary casting, still pre-
serves original relief decorations on
both lateral sides; each one presents
a tri-form head decorated with three
ornamental blades (probably daggers)
ending at the opposite extremity with
an elegant hilt (3); whereas the Athlit
11
34
10
9. Front view of the ram reliefs represent a trident, a cap, an (the head is 85cm long with rosette
rostrum found near eagle’s head and a caduceus.
Levanzo in June 2008.
10. ‘Shadow of the Even more exceptional is the pres-
rams’; the impressive ence of large wooden fragments,
series of anchor- belonging to the galley prow itself (a
shaped cuttings of the considerable part of the bow, still fas-
Antony’s ships on the tened to the back of the ram by fix-
Octavian memorial at ing hinges), and to the enemy’s ship
Nicopolis. Photograph rammed during the battle (which got
from the author’s jammed into the head of the rostrum
collection. after the crash) (8).
11. The rostrum seized
in Trapani by the All the Sicilian rams (apart from
Carabinieri in 2004. the seized one) have another aspect in
common with the Israeli example, as
they can still be referred to a certain
maritime archaeological site. This ini-
tially led the archaeologists to assume
that the Acqualadroni ram was likely
to have belonged to a ship involved in
the battle of Naulochus, in confirma-
tion that the conflict took place exactly
where it had been supposed before.
Such an assumption could have
solved a long-debated issue, but no
further remains of a wreck (apart from
fragments of lead ingots and sheets of
the boat coating) have been found at
the site, so the ram was probably out
of context. Moreover, the latest radio-
carbon dates of the wooden fragments
definitely contradict the first supposed
chronology; the rostrum is now dated
over two centuries before, 360-190 BC.
This does not clash with the possibil-
ity that Pompey’s fleet was defeated not
far from Acqualadroni, as other evi-
dence can still support this argument -
a shipwreck found at Capo Rasocolmo
has revealed coins dated 43-36 BC and
glandes missiles (bronze or lead bullets
hurled by slings, used both in land and
in sea battles); but the ram had nothing
to do with all this.
The new chronology means that the
rostrum was lost in another earlier
naval battle, probably during the First
or the Second Punic War (264-241 BC
and 218-201 BC); therefore it could
add further evidence to the 3rd cen-
tury naval bronze rams found in the
waters of Trapani in recent years. The
first one, still in optimal conditions
reliefs on each side and a Latin inscrip-
tion) was sized in Trapani in 2004 by
the Carabinieri of Nucleo di Tutela del
Patrimonio Culturale (11); many clues
suggest it had emerged form the seabed
around the island of Levanzo (Egadi).
Three more examples were later
found in the waters of Levanzo between
2008 and 2011, thanks to the joint
project of the Sicilian Soprintendenza
del Mare and the USA RPM Nautical
Foundation. The rostrum (9) found in
June 2008 was only partially preserved
and is 65cm long, but the latest two are
in excellent condition. The first was
found, in September 2010, lying on one
side at a depth of around 80m (5), also
bears a Punic inscription; the second, a
Latin inscription.
A methodical survey of the sea-
bed among the islands of Levanzo,
Favignana and Marettimo has led
to the identification of the site of the
10 March 241 BC battle of the Egadi,
at the end of the First Punic War.
Such concentrations of the same rare
typology of finds in a localised area
may definitely prove that the engage-
ment location has been identified. It
can now be assumed that the battle
which assigned the final victory to the
Roman consul Caius Lutatius Catulus
over the Carthaginian fleet took place
about 5km north-west at Capo Grosso
in Levanzo.
Continuing studies of the excep-
tional finds and discoveries made in
the Sicilian waters are expected to fur-
ther expand our knowledge of ancient
warfare in the Mediterranean Sea. n
Dario Calomino, an independent
researcher, is grateful to the Guardia
Costiera of Messina, Marcello Mento
(Gazzetta del Sud) and Dr Roberto
Motta for the photographs of the
Acqualadroni rostrum and to the
Regione Siciliana – Soprintendenza
del Mare for the photographs of the
Egadi rostra.
Minerva November/December 2011