Battle of Mylae

Last updated

Battle of Mylae
Part of the First Punic War
The story of the greatest nations, from the dawn of history to the twentieth century - a comprehensive history, founded upon the leading authorities, including a complete chronology of the world, and (14578958927).jpg
J. S. Davis: Battle of Mylae in 260 BC (c. 1900)
Date260 BC
Location
Offshore Mylae, northern Sicily
38°13′00″N15°14′00″E / 38.2167°N 15.2333°E / 38.2167; 15.2333
Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Roman Republic Carthage
Commanders and leaders
Gaius Duilius Hannibal Gisco   Skull and Crossbones.svg
Strength
103 ships 130 ships [1]
Casualties and losses
Unknown

44 ships
10,000 men


13 ships sunk
1 septireme captured
30 quinqueremes and triremes captured
7,000 killed
3,000 captured

The Battle of Mylae took place in 260 BC during the First Punic War and was the first real naval battle between Carthage and the Roman Republic. This battle was key in the Roman victory of Mylae (present-day Milazzo) as well as Sicily itself. It also marked Rome's first naval triumph and also the first use of the corvus in battle. [2]

Contents

Prelude

Inspired by success in the battle of Agrigentum, the Romans sought to win all of Sicily, but required naval power to do so. In order to challenge the already prominent Carthaginian naval forces, Rome built a fleet of one hundred quinqueremes and twenty triremes. [3] The famous Greek historian Polybius wrote that Rome used a wrecked Carthaginian quinquereme captured at Messina as a model for the entire fleet, and that the Romans would have otherwise had no basis for design. [4] However, this may have been an exaggeration, as the Romans had also borrowed Greek quinqueremes previously in 264. [5]

Roman ships were fitted with a boarding device called the corvus, enabling enemy vessels to be boarded and seized. Corvus.svg
Roman ships were fitted with a boarding device called the corvus, enabling enemy vessels to be boarded and seized.

Rome's two consuls of 260 were Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina and Gaius Duilius. It had been decided that the former would handle the fleet and that Duilius would command the army. [6] However, Scipio's first encounter with the enemy in the Battle of the Lipari Islands led to the loss of 17 ships and an embarrassing surrender to the Carthaginians under the general Senator Boodes and the naval commander Hannibal Gisco. [7] This was the same Hannibal who had retreated after the conquest of Agrigentum, but not the famous Hannibal who would much later invade Italy during the Second Punic War. After Scipio Asina's surrender, the remaining fleet was placed in the hands of Duilius, and the foot soldiers were turned over to military tribunes. [8]

The Romans recognized their weakness in naval power and tactics, especially after the incident of the Lipari Islands. With this in mind they constructed the corvus, a plank to link ships together at sea. The inventor of the corvus is unknown, but it could have been a Syracusan, such as Archimedes. [9] This device would be attached to the prow of Roman ships on a rotating axle, so that it could be swung around; and its spiked end could then be dropped onto an enemy ship. [8] In this way the Romans could still make use of their superior soldiers by loading them across the corvus and onto enemy ships.

Battle

Location of Mylae (Milazzo) on the coast of northern Sicily Aeolian Islands map.png
Location of Mylae (Milazzo) on the coast of northern Sicily

Duilius met Hannibal off northern Mylae in 260. Polybius states that the Carthaginians had 130 ships, but does not give an exact figure for the Romans. [10] The loss of 17 ships at the Lipari Islands from a starting total of 120 ships suggests that Rome had 103 remaining. However, it is possible that this number was larger than 103, thanks to captured ships and the assistance of Roman allies. [9] The Carthaginians anticipated victory, especially because of their superior experience at sea. [10]

The corvi helped the Romans seize the first 30 Carthaginian ships that got close enough, including the Carthaginian flagship. To avoid the corvi, the Carthaginians were forced to navigate around them and approach the Romans from behind, or from the side. The corvi were usually still able to pivot and grapple most oncoming ships. [11] Once an additional 20 of the Carthaginian ships had been hooked and lost to the Romans, Hannibal retreated with his surviving ships, leaving Duilius with a clear victory. In 2008, a rostrum was found off Acqualadroni. C14 dating indicates that this rostrum could have belonged to the Carthaginian fleet. [12] Instead of following the remaining Carthaginians at sea, Duilius sailed to Sicily to retrieve control of the troops. There he saved the city of Segesta, which had been under siege from the Carthaginian infantry commander Hamilcar. [13] Modern historians have wondered at Duilius' decision not to immediately follow up with another naval attack, but Hannibal's remaining 80 ships were probably still too strong for Rome to conquer. [14]

Aftermath

Success at Mylae allowed the Romans to pursue Hannibal to Sardinia, where the Romans again destroyed a large part of the Carthaginian fleet. At this point Hannibal was arrested by his own men back in Carthage and crucified for his incompetence. [11] As for Duilius, a rostral column, or victory column, was raised with an inscription in his honor in the Forum. The remnants of this inscription were found at Rome and are now kept in the Capitoline Museum. The inscription reports that during the Battle of Mylae Duilius captured 31 ships, sunk 13 more, and took booty of gold and silver worth at least 2,100,000 sesterces. [15] Upon returning home Duilius received Rome’s first naval triumph, which the inscription boasts was the first triumph to include native free-born Carthaginians. [15] He also built a Temple of Janus in the Forum Holitorium, some of which can still be seen in the walls of the church of San Nicola in Carcere. [2] Despite his success, Duilius never held another office of high command, [16] although he became censor in 258 BC.

Cultural depictions

In T. S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land, Part I, "The Burial of the Dead" ends with the following passage:

There I saw one I knew, and called him, crying:
Stetson! You who were with me in the ships at Mylae.
That corpse you planted last year in your garden:
Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?
Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?
Oh, keep the dog far hence, that's friend to men,
Or with his nails, he'll dig it up again.
You! hypocrite lecteur!—mon semblable,—mon frère!

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Punic War</span> 264–241 BC war between Rome and Carthage

The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. For 23 years, in the longest continuous conflict and greatest naval war of antiquity, the two powers struggled for supremacy. The war was fought primarily on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and its surrounding waters, and also in North Africa. After immense losses on both sides, the Carthaginians were defeated and Rome gained territory from Carthage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punic Wars</span> Wars between Rome and Carthage, 264 to 146 BC

The Punic Wars were a series of wars between 264 and 146 BC fought between the Roman Republic and Ancient Carthage. Three wars took place, on both land and sea, across the western Mediterranean region and involved a total of forty-three years of warfare. The Punic Wars are also considered to include the four-year-long revolt against Carthage which started in 241 BC. Each war involved immense materiel and human losses on both sides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Punic War</span> War between Rome and Carthage, 218 to 201 BC

The Second Punic War was the second of three wars fought between Carthage and Rome, the two main powers of the western Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC. For 17 years the two states struggled for supremacy, primarily in Italy and Iberia, but also on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia and, towards the end of the war, in North Africa. After immense materiel and human losses on both sides, the Carthaginians were once again defeated. Macedonia, Syracuse and several Numidian kingdoms were drawn into the fighting, and Iberian and Gallic forces fought on both sides. There were three main military theatres during the war: Italy, where Hannibal defeated the Roman legions repeatedly, with occasional subsidiary campaigns in Sicily, Sardinia and Greece; Iberia, where Hasdrubal, a younger brother of Hannibal, defended the Carthaginian colonial cities with mixed success before moving into Italy; and Africa, where Rome finally won the war.

Year 260 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asina and Duilius. The denomination 260 BC for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.

The Battle of Zama was fought in 202 BC in what is now Tunisia between a Roman army commanded by Scipio Africanus and a Carthaginian army commanded by Hannibal. The battle was part of the Second Punic War and resulted in such a severe defeat for the Carthaginians that they capitulated, while Hannibal was forced into exile. The Roman army of approximately 30,000 men was outnumbered by the Carthaginians who fielded either 40,000 or 50,000; the Romans were stronger in cavalry, but the Carthaginians had 80 war elephants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Lipari Islands</span> Battle between Carthage and the Roman Republic during the First Punic War

The Battle of the Lipari Islands or Battle of Lipara was a naval encounter fought in 260 BC during the First Punic War. A squadron of 20 Carthaginian ships commanded by Boödes surprised 17 Roman ships under the senior consul for the year Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio in Lipara Harbour. The inexperienced Romans made a poor showing, with all 17 of their ships captured, along with their commander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Cape Ecnomus</span> Naval Battle of the First Punic War; Possibly the largest in history

The Battle of Cape Ecnomus or Eknomos was a naval battle, fought off southern Sicily, in 256 BC, between the fleets of Carthage and the Roman Republic, during the First Punic War. The Carthaginian fleet was commanded by Hanno and Hamilcar; the Roman fleet jointly by the consuls for the year, Marcus Atilius Regulus and Lucius Manlius Vulso Longus. It resulted in a clear victory for the Romans.

Hannibal Gisco was a Carthaginian military commander in charge of both land armies and naval fleets during the First Punic War against Rome. His efforts proved ultimately unsuccessful and his eventual defeat in battle led to his downfall and execution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaius Duilius</span> Third Century BCE Roman general and statesman, consul in 260 BCE with Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina

Gaius Duilius was a Roman general and statesman. As consul in 260 BC, during the First Punic War, he won Rome's first ever victory at sea by defeating the Carthaginians at the Battle of Mylae. He later served as censor in 258, and was appointed dictator to hold elections in 231, but never held another command.

The naval Battle of Drepana took place in 249 BC during the First Punic War near Drepana in western Sicily, between a Carthaginian fleet under Adherbal and a Roman fleet commanded by Publius Claudius Pulcher.

The Battle of the Aegates was a naval battle fought on 10 March 241 BC between the fleets of Carthage and Rome during the First Punic War. It took place among the Aegates Islands, off the western coast of the island of Sicily. The Carthaginians were commanded by Hanno, and the Romans were under the overall authority of Gaius Lutatius Catulus, but Quintus Valerius Falto commanded during the battle. It was the final and deciding battle of the 23-year-long First Punic War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasdrubal Barca</span> Carthaginian general (245–207 BC)

Hasdrubal Barca, a latinization of ʿAzrubaʿal son of Hamilcar Barca, was a Carthaginian general in the Second Punic War. He was the brother of Hannibal and Mago Barca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of the Bagradas River (255 BC)</span> Battle of the First Punic War

The Battle of the Bagradas River, also known as the Battle of Tunis, was a victory by a Carthaginian army led by Xanthippus over a Roman army led by Marcus Atilius Regulus in the spring of 255 BC, nine years into the First Punic War. The previous year, the newly constructed Roman navy established naval superiority over Carthage. The Romans used this advantage to invade Carthage's homeland, which roughly aligned with modern-day Tunisia in North Africa. After landing on the Cape Bon Peninsula and conducting a successful campaign, the fleet returned to Sicily, leaving Regulus with 15,500 men to hold the lodgement in Africa over the winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Adys</span> 256 BC battle of the First Punic War

The battle of Adys took place in late 256 BC during the First Punic War between a Carthaginian army jointly commanded by Bostar, Hamilcar and Hasdrubal and a Roman army led by Marcus Atilius Regulus. Earlier in the year, the new Roman navy had established naval superiority and used this advantage to invade the Carthaginian homeland, which roughly aligned with modern Tunisia in North Africa. After landing on the Cape Bon Peninsula and conducting a successful campaign, the fleet returned to Sicily, leaving Regulus with 15,500 men to hold the lodgement in Africa over the winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Cissa</span> 218 BC battle in Spain, part of the Second Punic War

The Battle of Cissa was part of the Second Punic War. It was fought in the fall of 218 BC, near the Celtic town of Tarraco in north-eastern Iberia. A Roman army under Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus defeated an outnumbered Carthaginian army under Hanno, thus gaining control of the territory north of the Ebro River that Hannibal had just subdued a few months prior in the summer of 218 BC. This was the first battle that the Romans had ever fought in Iberia. It allowed the Romans to establish a secure base among friendly Iberian tribes, and due to the eventual success of the Scipio brothers in Spain, Hannibal looked for but never received reinforcements from Spain during the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ebro River</span> 217 BC naval battle between the Romans and the Carthaginians

The Battle of Ebro River was a naval battle fought near the mouth of Ebro River in the spring of 217 BC between a Carthaginian fleet of approximately 40 quinqueremes, under the command of Himilco, and a Roman fleet of 35 ships, under Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus. Hasdrubal Barca, the Carthaginian commander in Iberia, had launched a joint expedition to destroy the Roman base north of the Ebro River. The Carthaginian naval contingent was totally defeated after a surprise attack by the Roman ships, losing 29 ships and the control of seas around Iberia. The reputation of the Romans was further enhanced in Iberia after this victory, causing rebellion among some of the Iberian tribes under Carthaginian control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Ibera</span> Battle of the Second Punic War, fought in Spain

The Battle of Ibera, also known as the Battle of Dertosa, was fought in the spring of 215 BC on the south bank of the Ebro River near the town of Ibera and was part of the Second Punic War. A Roman army, under the command of the brothers Gnaeus and Publius Scipio, defeated a similarly sized Carthaginian army under Hasdrubal Barca. The Romans, under Gnaeus Scipio, had invaded Iberia in late 218 BC and established a foothold after winning the Battle of Cissa. This lodgement, on the north-east Iberian coast, between the Ebro and the Pyrenees, blocked the route of any reinforcements from Iberia for the army of Hannibal, who had invaded Italy from Iberia earlier in the year. Hasdrubal attempted to evict the Romans in 217 BC, but this ended in defeat when the Carthaginian naval contingent was mauled at the Battle of Ebro River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Lilybaeum</span> First naval clash between the navies of Carthage and Rome during the Second Punic War

The Battle of Lilybaeum was the first clash between the navies of Carthage and Rome in 218 BC during the Second Punic War. The Carthaginians had sent 35 quinqueremes to raid Sicily, starting with Lilybaeum. The Romans, warned by Hiero of Syracuse of the coming raid, had time to intercept the Carthaginian contingent with a fleet of 20 quinqueremes and managed to capture several Carthaginian ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Rhone Crossing</span> Battle of the Second Punic War

The Battle of the Rhône Crossing was a battle during the Second Punic War in September of 218 BC. Hannibal marched on the Italian Alps, and an army of Gallic Volcae attacked the Carthaginian army on the east bank of the Rhône. The Roman army camped near Massalia. The Volcae tried to prevent the Carthaginians from crossing the Alps and invading Italy.

The Roman withdrawal from Africa was the attempt by the Roman Republic in 255 BC to rescue the survivors of their defeated expeditionary force to Carthaginian Africa during the First Punic War. A large fleet commanded by Servius Fulvius Paetinus Nobilior and Marcus Aemilius Paullus successfully evacuated the survivors after defeating an intercepting Carthaginian fleet, but was struck by a storm while returning, losing most of its ships.

References

  1. Polybius, 1:23.3
  2. 1 2 Tacitus, The Annals 2.49
  3. Polybius, The General History of Polybius, Book I, p. 24
  4. Polybius, The General History of Polybius, Book I, p. 25
  5. T.A. Dorey and D.R. Dudley, Rome against Carthage, p. 8
  6. Nigel Bagnall, The Punic Wars, p. 61
  7. Polybius, The General History of Polybius, Book I, p. 26
  8. 1 2 Polybius, The General History of Polybius, Book I, p. 27
  9. 1 2 J.F. Lazenby, The First Punic War, p. 70.
  10. 1 2 Polybius, The General History of Polybius, Book I, p. 28
  11. 1 2 Polybius, The General History of Polybius, Book I, p. 29
  12. Philippe Tisseyre, Il rostro di acqualadroni, un relitto del III a.C., in Un Mare da Mare, a cura di Angela Accardi, Assessorato Beni Culturali, Palermo 2014.
  13. Nigel Bagnall, The Punic Wars, p. 63, Philippe Tisseyre, Il rostro di acqualadroni, un relitto del III a.C., in Un Mare da Mare, a cura di Angela Accardi, Assessorato Beni Culturali, Palermo 2014.
  14. J.F. Lazenby, The First Punic War, p. 73.
  15. 1 2 Remains of Old Latin, 4:128-31.
  16. J.F. Lazenby, The First Punic War, p. 72.

Sources