Raffaele D’Amato / Giuseppe Rava
overview
The birth of the mighty Roman Navy was anchored in the Romans' extraordinary ability to absorb and perfect the technology of other states and empires. This is the story of the design, development and operation of the Republican Roman warship in the age of the conquest of the Mediterranean, from the first Roman naval adventure of 394 BC and the Punic Wars, to Pompey's operations against the Cilician Pirates and Caesar's victorious naval campaigns in Armorica, concluding with the consolidation of the Mediterranean Sea as Mare Nostrum with the battle of Actium in 31 BC. Archaeological photography, including those of exciting new finds, such as the Roman warship rosta (rams) found in the Aegates Islands, accompany lavish artistic reconstructions in illustrating the ships of the first Roman navy.
contents
Introduction/ Chronology/ Historical background/ The origin of the Roman navy/ The evolution of the Roman fleet/ The ships (The Aphraktai; The Biremes; The Triremes; The Quadriremes; The Quinquiremes; The Sambuca; The Hemiola; The Liburna; The Oneraria; Structure and construction; Armament and decoration)/ Fighting on the sea (Roman naval tactics; Employment in siege war)/ Campaigns (The first Punic wars; Pompey and the Cilician Pirates; Caesar in Gaul; The naval wars of Octavianus and Agrippa)/ Bibliography/ Index