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3rd century BC
Roman
commander who won a major naval victory over the Carthaginians during
the First Punic War (264�241). As consul in 260, Duilius was in charge
of the army in Sicily when he was assigned to command Rome's newly
created fleet. Realizing that his forces lacked skill in naval warfare,
he decided that they must fight under conditions as similar as possible
to those of a land engagement. Hence, he invented boarding bridges
fitted with grappling irons (corvi). With these devices he decisively
defeated the Carthaginian fleet off Mylae on the north coast of Sicily.
He celebrated a triumph at Rome that was the first naval triumph in
Roman history. In 258 Duilius was censor.
Gaius
Duilius was the first of all Roman leaders to triumph for a naval
victory. For this reason (according to Livy) he was granted a perpetual
honour - that a wax torch should be borne before him and a flautist
should make music when he returned from dining out. |
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