A Punic War ship

Roman Republic c.3rd century BCE

The First Punic War was the first of three wars fought between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian Empire. It broke out in 264 BCE when Carthage intervened in a dispute between the cities of Messina and Syracause on the island of Sicily, a Carthaginian province. Rome got involved on behalf of Messina while Carthage supported Syracause, triggering a bitter war for control over Sicily that lasted over 20 years.

While Carthage had a powerful navy that dominated the waves, it was the first time that Rome was required to build one. It was said by Polybius, a Greek historian, that the Romans did not know how to build warships and so they looked to a Carthaginian ship – a quinquereme – that had washed ashore. In just a few weeks, they built a fleet of 100 quinqueremes (as well as 20 triremes) based on this ship.

The Romans finally scored their first naval victory at the Battle of Mylae in 260 BCE, during which they managed to destroy or capture 44 Carthaginian ships. Even though other vessels were used, the quinquereme became the main warship used by the Romans during the Punic Wars. These ships were evolved over time and Rome’s eventually emerged victorious, with the Punic Wars culminating in the destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE.

The quinquereme helped the Romans gain supremacy over the Mediterranean and played a major role in their naval battles for centuries. However, these ships were ultimately superseded by smaller ones after the Battle of Actium in 31 BCE, a naval battle that took place at the end of the Roman Republic. We have chosen to look at an example of an early version of the quinquereme, although it is worth noting that particular details of the ship still remain unclear.