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During the timeline of the First Punic War fought between Rome and Carthage (264 – 241 BC), the Carthaginians were known for their prowess in the naval field, partly due to their maritime experience in trading and overseas colonies that stretched beyond centuries. On the other hand, the Romans were considered relative newcomers to the Mediterranean sphere of influence.

In spite of this, it was the sheer ingenuity of the Roman army engineers that brought victory to the Romans in what might have been the largest naval battle in the history of mankind. We are talking about the Battle of Cape Ecnomus (in 256 BC) – which pitted around 350 Carthaginian ships (with more than 150,000 rowers and marines) against 330 Roman vessels (with around 140,000 rowers and soldiers); all the figures being according to the account of Polybius (in World History).

In a bid to nullify the enemy’s numerical advantage, the Roman army devised a mechanism known as corvus (meaning “crow” or “raven” in Latin) or harpago. This was a sort of boarding bridge that could be raised from a 12-ft high sturdy wooden pillar and then rotated in any required direction. The tip of this bridge had a heavy spike (the “corvus” itself) that clung onto the deck of the enemy ship, thus locking the two ships together.

The Roman soldiers crossed across this makeshift bridge and directly boarded the enemy ship. This naval tactic gave the Romans the upper hand since they were known for their expertise in close-quarter combat, as opposed to the Carthaginians who mainly relied on mercenaries. Unfortunately, the Corvus was seemingly abandoned in the post-255 BC era, perhaps because of its destructive effect even on Roman warships.

In any case, this is how 2nd century BC Greek historian, Polybius, described the boarding maneuvers initiated by the corvus –

Once the ravens were fixed in the planks of the enemy’s deck and grappled the ships together, if they were broadside on, they boarded from all directions but if they charged with the prow, they attacked by passing over the gangway of the raven itself two abreast. The leading pair protected the front by holding up their shields, and those who followed secured the two flanks by resting the rims of their shields on the top of the railing.

EDIT: photo addition