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It is too easily accepted that Rome developed a navy in 260 BC
a) Romans not nearly as land-bound as people would have you think
(1) Duumviri navales as of conquest of Campania in 311 for 10-ship coast guard
(2) 1st Roman silver coin cf. 300 had a warship prow on it, although it unintentionally (?!) resembled an Egyptian drachma
(3) Seven ships sunk in Gulf of Taranto
(4) Had conquered seafaring Greeks of Southern Italy
b) Age of Immense Naval Innovation
Roman Trireme
(1) Naval arms race in the Hellenistic East
(2) Availability of Engineers?
(3) Availability of Naval Mercenaries
(4) Roman amicitia with Ptolemy II in 273
(a) Ptolemy II possessed the most powerful fleet the ancient world ever saw
(b) His arms race had fits and starts, plenty of times for the Romans
to hire an engineer and adapt the corvus from his larger vessels
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