Within the framework of the activities of the Soprintendenza del Mare of Sicily, a bronze ram was recovered just north of the Straits of Messina, in the area of Acqualadroni. This paper discusses technical and iconographic features of the ram and compares them with others found in Sicily, Piraeus, Tuscany and Athlit. The study shows the Acqualadroni ram has more analogies with the latter, although it also has unique features. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the ram was used on a warship dating from the mid 2nd century BC. It is therefore possible that the Acqualadroni ram was lost during the Naulochos battle (36 BC) or during the Civil Wars that gave rise to the rule of Octavian.
The Acqualadroni Ram Recovered Near the Strait of Messina, Sicily: dimensions, timbers, iconography and historical context / Buccellato, CECILIA ALBANA; Tusa, Sebastiano. - In: THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NAUTICAL ARCHAEOLOGY. - ISSN 1057-2414. - 42:2(2013), pp. 76-86. [10.1111/1095-9270.12002]
The Acqualadroni Ram Recovered Near the Strait of Messina, Sicily: dimensions, timbers, iconography and historical context
Cecilia Albana BuccellatoPrimo
Membro del Collaboration Group
;
2013
Abstract
Within the framework of the activities of the Soprintendenza del Mare of Sicily, a bronze ram was recovered just north of the Straits of Messina, in the area of Acqualadroni. This paper discusses technical and iconographic features of the ram and compares them with others found in Sicily, Piraeus, Tuscany and Athlit. The study shows the Acqualadroni ram has more analogies with the latter, although it also has unique features. Radiocarbon dating suggests that the ram was used on a warship dating from the mid 2nd century BC. It is therefore possible that the Acqualadroni ram was lost during the Naulochos battle (36 BC) or during the Civil Wars that gave rise to the rule of Octavian.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
