by John Stack
‘What do you think?’ Atticus asked as he noticed Septimus was looking directly at the transports.
‘About the invasion?’ Septimus asked. He paused for a second. ‘I think we’re facing the fight of our lives.’
Atticus nodded and looked to the sea ahead, filled with the ships of Rome; the Classis Romanus and twenty thousand men of the legions, the unfettered might of the Republic. Beyond the horizon lay the brooding shore of Africa, stronghold of the Punici, their ancient homeland and Atticus realised that Septimus was right. The Carthaginians had been beaten but they were far from conquered and the ferocity they applied in Sicily was but a shadow of the viciousness they would wield with their backs to the walls of Carthage.
HISTORICAL NOTE
The Battle of Cape Ecnomus took place in 256 BC off the south coast of Sicily when a Carthaginian fleet engaged a Roman fleet poised to sail south to invade North Africa. The number of ships and men involved are truly staggering, with Polybius stating that 35 °Carthaginian ships faced 330 Roman, with upwards of 250,000 men engaged in battle. Modern scholars have challenged these figures but nevertheless their estimates have only reduced the size of each fleet by about 100 ships which still allows for Ecnomus to be ranked as one of the largest naval battles in history.
The Roman fleet was commanded by Marcius Atilius Regulus and Lucius Manlius Vulso (Longus) while the Carthaginians were commanded by Hanno (who actually led one of the flanks) and a commander named Hamilcar. (Not Hamilcar Barca as I have written. Again Barca has been brought into the conflict earlier than recorded for narrative purposes.)
The deployments of the two fleets are similar to those described, with the Romans sailing in a triangular formation and the two consuls sailing at the apex of a spearhead while the transport ships were towed in line abreast at the rear. The Carthaginians sailed in line abreast formation with the flanks (particularly the landward) advanced, their simple plan being to draw in and then engage the Roman spearhead in the centre while flanking the main force to attack the more vulnerable transport ships.
Initially the Carthaginian plan worked, with their centre withdrawing in the face of the Roman spearhead until a significant gap had opened between it and the Roman transport ships. They then re-engaged, holding down the Roman centre while their flanks attacked. The Roman galleys towing the transport ships (primarily carrying horses) cut their tethers and engaged the flanks, the battle in essence breaking into separate actions.
The decisive moment came when the Carthaginian centre disengaged and fled, allowing the Roman spearhead to turn and sail to the assistance of the beleaguered rearguard and like many battles, the Carthaginians suffered their greatest number of casualties near the end of battle as their formations collapsed in retreat. In all, the Carthaginians loss 94 galleys, 64 captured and 30 sunk while the Romans lost 24 galleys, a decisive win.
At Ecnomus, as at Mylae, the corvus played a vital part with the Carthaginians failing to find an effective tactic to counter the simple boarding device.
The majority of galleys in both fleets were quinqueremes, the smaller galleys becoming less important in the order of battle, and Polybius reports that the consuls of Rome sailed in two sexiremes, or ‘sixes’. Given this change it seemed fitting that Ecnomus would be the last battle for the Aquila.
Immediately after the battle the Roman fleet sailed to the Sicilian coast to rest and regroup although they did not delay long. Victory at Ecnomus had driven the Carthaginian fleet to their home waters off Africa and the Romans were eager to follow. What lies ahead, however, will shake the very foundations of the Roman Republic.
The enemy fleet are far from beaten and to their backs is the city of Carthage, an impenetrable fortress that has not fallen in 500 years. The war will rage on with Atticus and Septimus in the vanguard, not realising that their greatest defeat lies ahead, a loss that is unequalled in history.
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