Ancient Battle's Roman Battering Ram Retrieved by Deep-sea Submarine
Jaw-dropping Find: Ancient Roman Battering Ram Unearthed from the Mediterranean Depths
Get ready to dive into history, folks! A thrilling discovery has been made by a cultural heritage group in Italy. They've recovered an ancient Roman battering ram, or rostrum, from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea. This bad boy was part of a Roman warship that saw action in the Battle of the Aegates, a pivotal naval battle fought between Rome and Carthage in 241 BCE, marking the end of the first Punic War after a grueling 23 years of conflict.
The daring dive team, coordinated by Sicily's Department of Cultural Heritage's Superintendence of the Sea, teamed up with the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites to reach the seabed at approximately 80 meters (262 feet) depth. The research vessel, Hercules, played a crucial role in identifying and retrieving this exquisite piece of history.
Now, here's where it gets interesting - the crew found the rostrum in a stretch of the Mediterranean between Levanzo and Favignana, small islands west of Sicily, where archaeological surveys have been ongoing for two decades. If you're wondering what happened to the ram, it's now safe on Favignana's land, with initial examination revealing intricate ornamental relief featuring a helmet and feathers.
Not simply a one-hit wonder, the team reported that 27 rostra have been found since the early 2000s, with their primary purpose being, you guessed it, ramming enemy ships to create massive holes and sink them. Aside from this formidable weapon of war, recent archaeological surveys have unearthed other relics of ancient warfare, such as Roman helmets, swords, and a plethora of amphorae.
The Mediterranean waters near Sicily and Tunisia have been a bustling maritime corridor during the Roman Empire, as recent archaeological findings suggest. In 2020, a UNESCO-coordinated mission discovered three ancient shipwrecks off the treacherous Keith Reef between Sicily and Tunisia, one dating back to between 200 BCE and 100 BCE. Research teams studied three other Roman wreckage off the Italian coast, with two being 1st-century merchant vessels and one dating to the 1st-century BCE.
The newly recovered rostrum, however, is older than these wrecks and offers a stunning glimpse into an ancient battle, as well as the fierce naval conflicts that shaped the ancient world. The Battle of the Aegates nearly ended the Carthaginian fleet, leading to Roman supremacy on the Mediterranean. Between these fascinating discoveries and the three Punic Wars fought between Rome and Carthage, there's no denying the Mediterranean region's rich historical tapestry!
- In the future, the public might learn more about ancient warfare as further research and documentation continue, potentially uncovering more Roman warships akin to the one that bore the recovered rostrum.
- As technology advances, underwater explorers may discover even more intricate details about the design and ornamentation of artifacts like the feathered-helmeted rostrum of the ancient Roman warship, adding to our understanding of the grandeur of the Roman Empire.
- The science of archaeology has prospered with discoveries like the rostrum, which prove instrumental in painting a comprehensive picture of the intricate maritime history and superintendence of the Mediterranean's shipping during the Roman era, particularly near Sicily and Tunisia.
- The future of underwater cultural heritage preservation in Sicily lies not only in the diligent supervision of the Department of Cultural Heritage's Superintendence of the Sea but also in collaborations with organizations such as the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites, ensuring vessels and artifacts are retrieved with care, preserving them for future generations.
