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(Image credit: Sicilian Region)
A bonanza of metal artifacts, consisting of a bronze Roman military helmet in an “extraordinary state of preservation,” has actually been recuperated from the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, scientists state.
The helmet was most likely lost in the Fight of the Egadi Islands (likewise referred to as the Aegates Islands)in the First Punic War in 241 B.C.
In August 2024, a group of scuba divers from the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites found the helmet, together with about 30 other metal artifacts, while examining the location where the ancient fight happened, according to an equated declaration released Sept. 5 by the Sicilian Regionthe local federal government of Sicily.”The ‘Montefortino’ helmet is one of the most beautiful and complete ever recovered,” Francesco Paolo Scarpinatolocal councillor for cultural heritage, stated in the declaration.
This design of helmet was presented to the Romans by the Celts and was a popular armor option from the 4th century B.C. through the very first century A.D. Notably, the Montefortino-style helmet has a little knob on the leading where plumes were connected. It likewise had a predicting expense, like a modern-day baseball hat, and hinged cheek plates. A minimum of 6 other helmets have actually been recuperated from the Egadi Islands and are likewise believed to be connected with the Punic War fight.
On March 10, 241 B.C., the ancient city-state of Carthage (situated in modern-day Tunis, Tunisia) and Rome participated in the Battle of the Aegates, the Latin name for the islands off the west coast of Sicily. According to the ancient historian Polybiusalthough the Carthaginians surpassed the Roman army, the Romans were much better skilled and beat them. As an outcome, Carthage gave up Sicily, and the First Punic War concerned an end after 23 years.
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In 2015, a Roman “rostrum” — a marine damaging ram that would have been connected to the bow of a warship– was likewise cleaned up and studied. This exposed a brand-new engraving connecting the ram with Gaius Sulpicius Gallus, a Roman magistrate throughout the First Punic War.
When scientists utilized CT scans to examine the approximately 30 freshly found metal artifacts covered in rust, they determined swords, spears and javelins that they think were utilized in the 241 B.C. fight. The metal items might have wound up in the sea after a Roman ship was caught by the Carthaginians.
Numerous Montefortino helmets were formerly found in addition to marine damaging rams near the Egadi Islands. Archaeologist William Murray informed Live Science in 2019 that the Carthaginian soldiers who recorded a Roman ship might have rejected heavy devices overboard in a vain effort to get away the Roman navy. Another possibility, according to Murray, is that the Carthaginians utilized mercenaries from Gaul and Iberia, who are likewise understood to have actually used Montefortino helmets.
“This was the most common type of helmet at that time,” Jeffrey Royalan independent archaeologist who was not associated with the brand-new research study however who has actually discovered numerous comparable helmets from the Battle of the Aegates, informed Live Science in an e-mail. “The great thing about this one is it seems the cheek pieces were found with it; most of ours were scattered,” Royal stated.
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Kristina Killgrove is a personnel author at Live Science with a concentrate on archaeology and paleoanthropology news. Her short articles have actually likewise appeared in places such as Forbes, Smithsonian, and Mental Floss. Kristina holds a Ph.D. in biological sociology and an M.A. in classical archaeology from the University of North Carolina, along with a B.A. in Latin from the University of Virginia, and she was previously a university teacher and scientist. She has actually gotten awards from the Society for American Archaeology and the American Anthropological Association for her science composing.
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