RomanArmyTalk

Hello to everybody!

The day 20 of August 2011 was recovered this ram from the sea of Levanzo (one of the Egadi Islands) related to the naval battle of march 241 BC.

The Finds from 1st Punic War in Sicilian sea have already been discussed in RAT http://www.romanarmytalk.com/rat.html?fu...410#303498


Here's a few photos of the ram during and after the restoration (made by the Labs of the Trapani’s Soprintendenza) with some shots of the relief inscription and the nike.

I hope it can be useful

Very Best!

S.M.

Thanks for posting.
This was quite a period for the development of the Roman Naval forces.

Thanks a lot, Stefano, really beautiful pictures! What does the inscription mean?

Ciao Eduardo!
I'am not an epigraphist, but the transliteration could be:

C(aio) Paperio Ti(beri) F(ilius) /
M(arco) Popvlicio L(uci) F(ilius) Q(uaestoria) P(otestate)


Gaius Julius Caesar wrote:

This was quite a period for the development of the Roman Naval forces.

Indeed , I was thinking about posting it the moment I had these

A few years ago, only one or two ancient rams were known. How many do we have today?

1. Athlit ram
2. Sea of Levanzo (this ram)
.
.
.
???

Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I know only in the Egadi isles 6 rams has been found:
1 – 15 June 2004 (police confiscation)
2 – 26 June 2008
3 – 18 August 2010
4 - 6 September 2010
5 - May 2011
6 - 24 August 2011

And 1 in Acqualadroni near Messina (Sicily) - September 2008

Speaking on Roman Naval forces, I think it is also useful to remember the bronze wild boar-head “above – ram” found in 1597 in the Genova harbor, today in the Royal Armory of Turin (Piedmont).

Ref. P. Venturoli “Arma virumque cano : le armi preistoriche e classiche dell'Armeria reale di Torino” [Turin] : U. Allemandi, 2002.


[attachment=3935]armeriaTorino.jpg[/attachment]


[attachment=3936]denario48-49a.C.jpg[/attachment]

Were they held onto the prow with over-sized rivets?

Quote:Correct me if I am wrong, but as far as I know only in the Egadi isles 6 rams has been found

7 rams: http://www.rpmnautical.org/ramsgallery.html

Quote:1 – 15 June 2004 (police confiscation)
2 – 26 June 2008
3 – 18 August 2010
4 - 6 September 2010
5 - May 2011
6 - 24 August 2011

1. 2004
2. Catherine D - June 2008
3. Vincenzo T (Punic inscription) - 18 August (discovered) and 6 September (lifted) 2010
4. Claude D (Latin inscription) - May (discovered) and 20 August (lifted) 2011
5. Rachael R - May 2011
6. Cecè P (Latin inscription) - 24 August 2011
7. 17 November 2011 (fishing boat catch): http://it.paperblog.com/sette-rostri-pro...ia-755008/

Quote:A few years ago, only one or two ancient rams were known. How many do we have today?

1. Athlit ram
2. Sea of Levanzo (this ram)
.
.
.
???

1. Athlit ram
2. Piraeus ram
3. Bremerhaven ram
4. Fitzwilliam ram (προεμβόλιον?), now named "Belgammel ram" (Museum of Libya, Tripoli)
5. Turin ram (προεμβόλιον?)
6. Canellopoulos ram (προεμβόλιον?)
7. Fragment of a ram from Octavian's Campsite Memorial in Nikopolis (Archaeological museum of Ioannina)
8. Messina (Acqualadroni) ram
9. 7 Egadi Islands rams

Another new ram featuring an inscription was also confiscated recently around Christmas of last year.

Quote:Another new ram featuring an inscription was also confiscated recently around Christmas of last year.

Any photos of this ram yet? How many rams Ildar listed do feature an inscription?

The acqualadroni ram was dated by Standford University (CA - Dott. P. Franck) 14C analysis and dated 360- 190 b.C.

Quote:Were they held onto the prow with over-sized rivets?

I don't know if there is any evidence, but I would think that breakaway wooden pegs would make more sense. If your ram got stuck, you wouldn't want to be dragged down by a sinking ship. Better to lose the ram.

Quote:1. 2004
2. Catherine D - June 2008
3. Vincenzo T (Punic inscription) - 18 August (discovered) and 6 September (lifted) 2010
4. Claude D (Latin inscription) - May (discovered) and 20 August (lifted) 2011
5. Rachael R - May 2011
6. Cecè P (Latin inscription) - 24 August 2011
7. 17 November 2011 (fishing boat catch): http://it.paperblog.com/sette-rostri-pro...ia-755008/

8. 10-11 June 2012
9. 19 June 2012



Links:
http://www.regione.sicilia.it/benicultur...2012_1.htm
http://www.regione.sicilia.it/benicultur...a/news.htm

The rams three tier construction has me imagining ancient naval architects conducting dry land tests on simulated ship sides with the ram on a beam swung on ropes from a height to find the most effective ram design for breaking ship hulls while still allowing for easy extraction.