8 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Battle of the Egadi Islands: Rome’s deadly weapons discovered off Sicily

Underwater archaeologists from the Soprintendenza del Mare Regione Siciliana, RPM Nautical Foundation, and the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites (SDSS), two bronze warships rams and military equipment were unearthed at the site of the Battle of the Egadi Islands (241 BC).

The Battle of the Egadi Islands (also known as the Battle of the Aegates) took place on March 10, 241 B.C., off the western coast of the island of Sicily, between the ancient Roman and Carthaginian naval fleets. The fight between the two fleets comprised over 500 ships and resulted in a resounding Roman victory. It was also the final battle of the 23-year-long First Punic War.

The Roman triumph not only gave Rome its first foreign territory (Sicily) and dominance of the Central Mediterranean, but it also laid the stage for two Punic Wars to follow.

Two bronze warship rams were discovered during the 2021 season, increasing the total number of bronze warship rams discovered to 25. Only two warship rams were known to have survived from Antiquity prior to this study, putting these maritime armaments among the most uncommon items that have survived from ancient Mediterranean civilization.

 Hundreds of lead slinger bullets, employed as fatal projectiles in warfare, many bronze helmets and cheek-pieces, and Roman and Hellenistic Greek coins were discovered during this year’s campaign.

Diver with ancient ram discovery, Sicily, Italy. Photo by Mario Arena
Diver with ancient ram discovery, Sicily, Italy. Photo by Mario Arena

The research also discovered a massive merchant shipwreck in the same location, shipping amphorae made in Lusitania (modern Portugal) and Baetica (Spain) in the first half of the fourth century AD.

Ongoing underwater studies of the combat site are being carried out from the Hercules research vessel, which is equipped with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to map the seafloor and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to investigate submerged objects. The survey area is 270 km2, with the main fighting area spanning 12 km2.

The bronze rams and armor were the pinnacles of technology at the time of their creation, revealing information about Roman and Carthaginian capabilities in the mid-3rd century BC.

Dr. Peter Campbell (RPMNF/Cranfield University) remarked regarding the year’s discoveries, “This season’s discoveries provide a rare glimpse into life and death during the 3rd century BC. The results also speak to the value of collaborative research when working in the challenging environment of great depth and a site of this enormous scale.”

RPM Nautical Foundation

Cover Photo: The 200kg bronze battering rams were used to destroy Carthaginian ships. RPM NAUTICAL FOUNDATION

Related Articles

More than 1,300 prehistoric burial mounds in western Azerbaijan systematically surveyed for the first time

2 January 2025

2 January 2025

Over 1,300 archaeological sites in Azerbaijan were systematically surveyed and documented in two field campaigns in 2021 and 2023 by...

Mysterious and Life-size camel carvings have been found in Saudi Arabian desert

4 October 2023

4 October 2023

Archaeologists have found life-size camel carvings on a rock near the southern border of Saudi Arabia’s Nafud desert. The Neolithic...

Archaeologists Uncover 4,800-Year-Old Bronze Age Tombs in Başur Höyük, Türkiye, Where Teenage Girls Were Ritually Sacrificed

30 March 2025

30 March 2025

As the first civilizations began to emerge in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, significant transformations in social structure, economy, and culture took...

Medieval subterranean corridors found by accident in northeast Iran

1 October 2022

1 October 2022

The workers working on a routine road construction project near Shahr-e Belqeys (City of Belqeys) in northeast Iran made an...

3,000-Year-Old Iron Age Statuette Discovered in Italian Lake, With Fingerprints of Maker

17 August 2024

17 August 2024

During work in Lake Bolsena, a volcanic lake in central Italy, at the submerged archaeological site of Gran Carro, a ...

Petalodus shark teeth found for the first time in China

29 August 2021

29 August 2021

A 290 million-year-old fossil of a shark with petal-shaped teeth has been discovered in China. Seven well-preserved Petalodus teeth were...

Sacred Hill of Moon God Sin “Sogmatar”

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

Sogmatar, Şanlıurfa is 53 kilometers from Harran. It is located in Yağmurlu village, where there are important springs in the...

New study reveals unique characteristics and complex origins of late Bronze Age swords discovered in the Balearic Islands

25 November 2024

25 November 2024

A recent study uncovered a wealth of new information regarding the production, material makeup, and cultural significance of Late Bronze...

In Cyprus, an important early Christian site has been discovered

12 September 2021

12 September 2021

An important Christian settlement was discovered with mosaics bearing clear inscriptions in Greek during the excavations carried out by the...

A new magnetic survey of the ancient Assyrian capital of Khorsabad has revealed a 127-room villa twice the size of the U.S. White House

26 December 2024

26 December 2024

Archaeologists in northern Iraq have conducted an extensive magnetic survey using an exhaustive magnetic survey at Khorsabad, once the ancient...

A massive Rune stone found under a kitchen floor in Denmark declared treasure

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A couple in Denmark discovered a massive rune stone weighing approximately 900 kilograms during a home renovation project that planned...

A Christian monastery, possibly pre-dating Islam, found in UAE

6 November 2022

6 November 2022

A Christian monastery has been discovered on the island of Siniyah off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE),...

Persian-era plaster walls were discovered during excavations at Zeyve Höyük in central Turkey

2 August 2022

2 August 2022

This year’s excavations at Porsuk-Zeyve Höyük (Zeyve Mound) near the Porsuk village of the Ulukışla district of Niğde, located in...

Could the Kerkenes Settlement be Gordion the Second?

1 August 2022

1 August 2022

Although the settlement on the Kerkenes mountain, located within the borders of Sorgun district of Yozgat, has been known and...

Archaeologists uncovered a second mosaic in Rutland Roman villa in England

29 November 2022

29 November 2022

Archaeologists report they have uncovered a second mosaic at the site of the 2020 mosaic discovery at the Roman villa...