An extraordinarily well-preserved Roman helmet dating back to the First Punic War was discovered by deep-sea divers off the coast of the Aegadian Islands, Sicily officials said.
The bronze “Montefortino” helmet, complete with both cheekpieces intact, is one of the most beautiful and complete ever found, government officials said in a September 5 news release.
The ancient helmet was found buried in the seabed in the area where the Battle of the Aegadian Islands took place in 241 B.C., during the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage,according to officials.
The First Punic War, lasting from 264–241 B.C., fought for control over Sicily and Corsica, leading to the collapse of the Carthaginian, or Punic, empire, according to Britannica.
Thirty other heavily encrusted artifacts were recovered from the seabed, including swords, javelins and spears that were used in the battle, according to the release.
The archaeological recovery mission was completed by the Society for the Documentation of Submerged Sites, under the supervision of the Superintendency of the Sea and the support of the Marine Protected Area, the Municipality of Favignana and the Port Authority, officials said.
By LAUREN LIEBHABER/McClatchy News
Lauren Liebhaber covers international science news with a focus on taxonomy and archaeology at McClatchy. She holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University and a master’s degree from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Previously, she worked as a data journalist at Stacker.
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