War at Sea in the Second Punic War
by Christa Steinby
Abstract: Steinby provides an account of the Second Punic War which shows that whilst there were relatively few direct naval engagements in the Second Punic War, events at sea should not be marginalised in accounts of this conflict. The picture of Roman dominance of the sea following the Carthaginian navy’s defeat at the Battle of Ebro, she argues, has been exaggerated because the Carthaginian navy was active elsewhere following this; Hannibal’s arrival in Italy via the Alps prevented the focusing of Roman efforts on the total destruction of the Carthaginian navy on the African coast, allowing disparate contingents of Carthaginian boats to harass the Romans during the war. Steinby shows that the naval theatre was important in ways which do not relate directly to seaborne combat, with Carthaginian reinforcements to Hannibal’s armies post-Cannae sent by boat and embassies from Macedon, Syracuse and elsewhere reaching the Carthaginian general in the same way. During the Roman siege of Syracuse which followed, Roman vessels were again used to enforce a blockade on the city. Ultimately, although Roman success at sea was generally the rule in direct engagements, Steinby shows that the nimble Carthaginian fleet was a constant thorn in the side of the Romans, ultimately acting as a check on Roman plans to invade Africa and appearing to protract the conflict, to the frustration of Rome, long after Carthaginian efforts on land had faltered. She hints that it was probably for this reason that the 202BC Peace of Zama mandated the substantial shrinking of the Carthaginian navy, with Livy claiming that hundreds of vessels were burnt at sea in line with this agreement.
Academic Journal Article in: Ancient Society, 2004, Vol. 34 (2004). pp. 77-114.
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