Archaeologists have recovered an extremely well-preserved Roman bronze helmet from the seabed off Sicily’s Egadi Islands, where the decisive Battle of the Aegates took place in 241 BCE. Last August’s salvage was a Montefortino-type helmet with fully preserved cheek guards—an astonishing preservation after more than two millennia underwater.
The recovered helmet, showing exceptional preservation. Credit: Sicily’s Superintendency of the Sea
The Battle of the Aegates, which occurred on 10 March 241 BCE, ended the First Punic War, a 23-year struggle between Carthage and Rome for control of the western Mediterranean. The Roman triumph forced Carthage to surrender, pay heavy reparations, and give up Sicily, which was Rome’s first overseas province. The battle marked the beginning of Rome’s dominance in the region.
The Montefortino helmet, dating from the 4th century BCE to the early Imperial period, was practical and easy to mᴀss-produce. Its rounded bronze bowl, central knob, flared rim, and neck guard were effective and durable. Complete examples with cheek pieces intact are extremely rare, even though many fragments have been unearthed before, and so this discovery is especially significant.
The recovery of the helmet is part of a project led by Sicily’s Superintendency of the Sea in collaboration with professional divers, maritime archaeologists, and international partners. As part of over 15 years of survey work around the Egadi Islands, the following stunning array of artifacts has been collected: more than 30 helmets, 27 bronze naval rams originally fixed to warship prows, swords, spears, javelins, pottery, and coins. Taken together, they form an unrivaled archaeological record of the First Punic War’s epic battle.
A Montefortino-type helmet, 4th century BCE, on display at the Sperlonga Archaeology Museum. Credit: Sailko / CC BY 3.0
New imaging technologies have added still more information. CT scans in Trapani revealed the shapes of encrusted weapons without damaging their surfaces. Conservation treatments also cleaned a previously discovered naval ram inscribed with the name of a Roman official, Servius Sulpicius, providing some rare evidence of military administration during the war.
Other finds highlight the multi-layered history of the seabed. From a 5th-century CE shipwreck known as the “fish shoal,” divers recovered a substantial bronze handle, proof that the seas remained crossroads for trade and warfare for centuries after the Punic Wars.
Experts observe that the Egadi helmet is one of the most complete Montefortino examples ever discovered. Its preservation shows the buffering capacity of Sicily’s marine environment and provides a material link with the soldiers who took part in the war.
The discoveries underscore the role of Sicily as a guardian of Mediterranean heritage. International cooperation, with support from the RPM Nautical Foundation and private benefactors, has made such projects possible. The seabed of the Egadi is today one of the world’s key underwater archaeological areas, preserving the memory of a battle that shaped the fate of Rome and, indirectly, the history of the ancient world.
More information: Regione Siciliana
