Subscribe now for full access and no adverts
Underwater excavations around the Aegadian Islands, off the north-west coast of Sicily, have discovered a 2,200-year-old bronze helmet of the ‘Montefortino’ type.
This style of Roman helmet, which has a conical shape with a knob on top, a flared rim, and a protective neck-guard, was favoured by the Roman army between the 4th century BC and the 1st century AD. The discovery was made in the area where the Battle of the Aegates Islands occurred in 241 BC, during the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage, and is believed to be associated with this conflict. Other Montefortino helmets connected to the Punic Wars have previously been discovered around the Aegadian Islands, but this example is exceptionally well preserved, even including the cheek guards of the helmet. Francesco Paolo Scarpinato, the Councillor for Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, describes it as ‘one of the most beautiful and complete ever recovered’.
Meanwhile, conservation work on around 30 heavily corroded metal objects that were found in the same area has revealed them to be swords, spears, and javelins. These are also connected to the Battle of the Aegates.
Reflecting on the recent research, which was carried out by the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites (SDSS, https://sdss.blue) under the supervision of the Superintendence of the Sea, Scarpinato commented, ‘These findings not only enrich the historical knowledge of the battle of 241 BC, but strengthen the image of our island as the custodian of a unique cultural heritage in the world’.
Text: Amy Brunskill / Image: Regione Sicilia
