Helmet from Naval War in the Egadi Islands (jan 1, 241 BC – jan 1, 241 BC)

Description:

The helmet pictured was fished out of the ocean near the Aegadian (Edagi) Islands by a project with a goal of researching Classical naval battles. This helmet in particular was likely used in the Egadi battle between Carthage and Rome. While the helmet is a Roman helmet and not a Carthigian helmet, we can still glean information from it that is supported by other sources, mainly Polybius’ stories. One such conclusion that we can draw from the two sources is that the reparations paid to Rome by Carthage for this battle was significant. The intact helmet (and other findings by the same project, such as numerous sunken ships) suggests that there were a non-trivial number of casualties and damage done to Rome’s fleet, even if the war ended in a decisive victory for Rome. Having to pay these reparations crippled Carthage’s economy and eventually led to their downfall.

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