Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
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A Naval Battle Decides The Land War!
We are in the final phase of the so-called "First Punic War", the struggle of the Romans and the Carthaginians for supremacy in the Mediterranean region!
The island of Sicily - on the Roman doorstep, so to speak - is occupied by Carthaginian troops under Hamilkar Barkas ...
... which is slowly but surely getting stronger as reinforcements are brought in from home via the Mediterranean!
The Roman Republic, which has so far held up fairly well on land, whistle militarily in 241 BC. CE on the last hole!
The state finances are in tatters, the war coffers are empty, the soldiers can hardly be equipped anymore. In addition, Sicily lies like a bar between Rome and Carthage - so you cannot take the war into the enemy's country.
In addition, Carthage has a strong fleet, manned by excellent sailors - the Romans' performance at sea, on the other hand, is downright pathetic!
In this situation, the Roman Senate decides to build a new fleet anyway. However, this armada is not financed by the Republic, but by rich private individuals, who each bear the costs for the construction of a quinquereme (a "five rower", i.e. the rowers sit on five decks one above the other!)...:
In order not only to have to appeal to the patriotism of the rich private financiers, the Senate promises them full reimbursement of the costs plus a fat premium - payable after a victory over Carthage!
So the Senate distributes the bear's skin before it even kills it!
200 Quinqueremen come together - quite a fleet!
In Carthage, too, people are now weary of the war, only the prospect of a hoped-for victory by Hamilkar Barkas had kept the country going!
However, when news of the Roman naval construction reached Carthage, they quickly upgraded - and 260 ships were launched, smaller (triremes/three-rowers), but more resistant than those of the Romans - and better manoeuvrable...:
The disadvantage of the Carthaginian Armada, which fell in early March 241 BC goes to sea for Sicily: The naval construction had taken up the last resources of Carthage, for transport ships there was no longer any capacity, so supplies for the land army have to be stowed on the warships, which makes them significantly more cumbersome!
Their greatest disadvantage, however, is the commander to whom the Carthaginian council has put the fleet under his authority: his name is Hanno, he is called "the great" in history books, he bears the odium of the loser because two naval battles - that of Agrigento (261 BC) and who lost to the Romans at Cape Ecnomus (256 BC)!
Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of him - that's what he COULD have looked like, but I'm not sure....:
His people don't trust him!
The Romans, as already mentioned, are significantly inferior seamen to the Carthaginians, but they made an invention (and installed it on their ships) that enabled them to get out of a naval battle in which ships "shaved off" each other's oars, rammed or shot each other on fire to make a land battle:
That's the famous Corvus (which means "raven" or "wall hook")!
The "Corvus" was a boarding bridge with a long spike at the front end...:
A Roman captain had only to bring his ship alongside an enemy galley (which, in the eyes of the Carthaginians, was nothing more than a failed attempt to "shave off" the oars), then the "Corvus" was swung out and brought down with force on the enemy deck - the thorn held the enemy ship immovable - and over this bridge the armored Roman soldiers could march over to the Carthaginian ship, so to speak, in step and with a sound of music - and massacre its crew, which consisted of unarmored and only lightly armed sailors, at will!
Let's make it short: The Roman Senate also sent the newly built fleet towards Sicily as soon as it received word that the Carthaginians were leaving.
On board was one of the two acting consuls, Gaius Lutatius Catulus...
...who was supported by the praetor Quintus Valerius Falto.
On March 10, 241 BC both squadrons met at the Aegatic Islands, west of Sicily...
...and the Romans won superiorly!!
More than half of the Carthaginian fleet was captured or sunk, the rest fled.
With this naval battle, the land war was also decided!
Without the means to build a new fleet or reinforce land forces, Carthage gave up the fight and signed a peace treaty with Rome, ending the First Punic War and ceding Sicily to the Romans - who surrendered three years later, not quite according to contract, but who pays attention to such small details, even Sardinia and Corsica attacked.
The Carthaginians - very honorably - did not cut their failed sea commander Hanno a head short! On their side, he was instrumental in negotiating the said peace treaty
And the man was obviously capable of learning!
He emerged from the darkness of history one more time when, in 215 B.C. CE the 2nd Punic War (THE Hanibal War!) broke out.
According to the Roman historian Livy, he was one of the few who spoke out against war!
"Hanno spoke before the [Carthaginian] senate as the only one for peace and all listeners were silent. […] By the gods, the judging witnesses of the treaties, he implored them not to start a war against Rome. He had admonished them and warned them early enough not to send Hamilcar's offspring [=Hannibal] to the army."
Source: Livius: Book XXI/10.2
We are in the final phase of the so-called "First Punic War", the struggle of the Romans and the Carthaginians for supremacy in the Mediterranean region!
The island of Sicily - on the Roman doorstep, so to speak - is occupied by Carthaginian troops under Hamilkar Barkas ...
... which is slowly but surely getting stronger as reinforcements are brought in from home via the Mediterranean!
The Roman Republic, which has so far held up fairly well on land, whistle militarily in 241 BC. CE on the last hole!
The state finances are in tatters, the war coffers are empty, the soldiers can hardly be equipped anymore. In addition, Sicily lies like a bar between Rome and Carthage - so you cannot take the war into the enemy's country.
In addition, Carthage has a strong fleet, manned by excellent sailors - the Romans' performance at sea, on the other hand, is downright pathetic!
In this situation, the Roman Senate decides to build a new fleet anyway. However, this armada is not financed by the Republic, but by rich private individuals, who each bear the costs for the construction of a quinquereme (a "five rower", i.e. the rowers sit on five decks one above the other!)...:
In order not only to have to appeal to the patriotism of the rich private financiers, the Senate promises them full reimbursement of the costs plus a fat premium - payable after a victory over Carthage!
So the Senate distributes the bear's skin before it even kills it!
200 Quinqueremen come together - quite a fleet!
In Carthage, too, people are now weary of the war, only the prospect of a hoped-for victory by Hamilkar Barkas had kept the country going!
However, when news of the Roman naval construction reached Carthage, they quickly upgraded - and 260 ships were launched, smaller (triremes/three-rowers), but more resistant than those of the Romans - and better manoeuvrable...:
The disadvantage of the Carthaginian Armada, which fell in early March 241 BC goes to sea for Sicily: The naval construction had taken up the last resources of Carthage, for transport ships there was no longer any capacity, so supplies for the land army have to be stowed on the warships, which makes them significantly more cumbersome!
Their greatest disadvantage, however, is the commander to whom the Carthaginian council has put the fleet under his authority: his name is Hanno, he is called "the great" in history books, he bears the odium of the loser because two naval battles - that of Agrigento (261 BC) and who lost to the Romans at Cape Ecnomus (256 BC)!
Unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of him - that's what he COULD have looked like, but I'm not sure....:
His people don't trust him!
The Romans, as already mentioned, are significantly inferior seamen to the Carthaginians, but they made an invention (and installed it on their ships) that enabled them to get out of a naval battle in which ships "shaved off" each other's oars, rammed or shot each other on fire to make a land battle:
That's the famous Corvus (which means "raven" or "wall hook")!
The "Corvus" was a boarding bridge with a long spike at the front end...:
A Roman captain had only to bring his ship alongside an enemy galley (which, in the eyes of the Carthaginians, was nothing more than a failed attempt to "shave off" the oars), then the "Corvus" was swung out and brought down with force on the enemy deck - the thorn held the enemy ship immovable - and over this bridge the armored Roman soldiers could march over to the Carthaginian ship, so to speak, in step and with a sound of music - and massacre its crew, which consisted of unarmored and only lightly armed sailors, at will!
Let's make it short: The Roman Senate also sent the newly built fleet towards Sicily as soon as it received word that the Carthaginians were leaving.
On board was one of the two acting consuls, Gaius Lutatius Catulus...
...who was supported by the praetor Quintus Valerius Falto.
On March 10, 241 BC both squadrons met at the Aegatic Islands, west of Sicily...
...and the Romans won superiorly!!
More than half of the Carthaginian fleet was captured or sunk, the rest fled.
With this naval battle, the land war was also decided!
Without the means to build a new fleet or reinforce land forces, Carthage gave up the fight and signed a peace treaty with Rome, ending the First Punic War and ceding Sicily to the Romans - who surrendered three years later, not quite according to contract, but who pays attention to such small details, even Sardinia and Corsica attacked.
The Carthaginians - very honorably - did not cut their failed sea commander Hanno a head short! On their side, he was instrumental in negotiating the said peace treaty
And the man was obviously capable of learning!
He emerged from the darkness of history one more time when, in 215 B.C. CE the 2nd Punic War (THE Hanibal War!) broke out.
According to the Roman historian Livy, he was one of the few who spoke out against war!
"Hanno spoke before the [Carthaginian] senate as the only one for peace and all listeners were silent. […] By the gods, the judging witnesses of the treaties, he implored them not to start a war against Rome. He had admonished them and warned them early enough not to send Hamilcar's offspring [=Hannibal] to the army."
Source: Livius: Book XXI/10.2
