WARSHIPS OF THE FIRST PUNIC WAR: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION AND CONTRIBUTORY RECONSTRUCTION OF THE EGADI 10 WARSHIP FROM THE BATTLE OF THE EGADI ISLANDS (241 B.C.)

Abstract

Oared warships dominated the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age down to the development of cannon. Purpose-built warships were specifically designed to withstand the stresses of ramming tactics and high intensity impacts. Propelled by the oars of skilled rowing crews, squadrons of these ships could work in unison to outmaneuver and attack enemy ships. In 241 B.C. off the northwestern coast of Sicily, a Roman fleet of fast ramming warships intercepted a Carthaginian warship convoy attempting to relieve Hamilcar Barca's besieged troops atop Mount Eryx (modern day Erice). The ensuing naval battle led to the ultimate defeat of the Carthaginian forces and an end to the First Punic War (264-241 B.C.). Over the course of the past 12 years, the Egadi Islands Archaeological Site has been under investigation producing new insights into the warships that once patrolled the wine dark sea. The ongoing archaeological investigation has located Carthaginian helmets, hundreds of amphora, and 11 rams that sank during the course of the battle. This research uses the recovered Egadi 10 ram to attempt a conjectural reconstruction of a warship that took part in the battle. It analyzes historical accounts of naval engagements during the First Punic War in order to produce a narrative of warship innovation throughout the course of the war. It employs experimental three-dimensional reconstructions in the Rhinoceros and Orca 3D software based on archaeological evidence in order to determine basic hull dimensions and fundamental characteristics of the Egadi 10 warship's design. Finally, it compares the resulting reconstruction to Polybius' accounts of the warships that sank at the site.