Talk:Roman withdrawal from Africa (255 BC)

older entries
Hi, this source might have some details on the battle and the subsequent storm. Page 149. Hanberke (talk) 12:41, 25 April 2020 (UTC)
 * 255 BC instead of 254 BC? Hanberke (talk) 12:43, 25 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Thanks. I had a look at this a while ago (page 164 in my edition) but thought it a bit flamboyant to be a RS. I think that I need to reassess that, given how little I have to go on. I am going through my sources seeing what I can squeeze out. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:43, 25 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi Hanberke. There were a couple of pieces of usable information in there, so thanks for the nudge. Any other thoughts? Gog the Mild (talk) 17:33, 25 April 2020 (UTC)


 * Hi Gog the Mild. Have you considered the year of the battle, 255 BC instead of 254 BC, and the approximate location where the Roman fleet was devastated by the storm (... it ran into a gale off Camarina, a town near the southeastern tip of Sicily...)? Infobox has "Unknown number of ships sunk", but it was 16 ships now according to Casson (Google Books link provided above) in the text (Please also note that it was 14 ships in your version of the source. Might be a typo?). Infobox has "350 ships"/quinqueremes for the Romans, but 40 more ships sortied from Aspis to join the battle. Hanberke (talk) 05:24, 26 April 2020 (UTC)


 * I've found this book with some details on the battle and the storm.

Hanberke (talk) 09:57, 26 April 2020 (UTC)
 * Battle: All we know is that the poorly-trained Carthaginians sailed too close to the coast, afraid to be encircled by the Romans, who were numerically superior. This strategy turned out to be ill-advised, for it allowed the Romans to advance in line abreast formation. The threatening boarding bridges drove many Carthaginian ships on to the shallows near the coast or fastened themselves to the decks, after which the Roman marines dealt with the crews. After this battle the Romans under siege in Clupea were evacuated without any difficulty.
 * Storm: According to Polybius, the obstinacy and lack of experience of the Roman consuls are to be blamed for this massive shipwreck. They had disregarded warnings from experienced sailors not to round the cape.

A Guthenberg source:
 * The time of year was about the beginning of the dog-days, when the Mediterranean is apt to be visited by sudden storms. The consuls, upon their passage, were warned that such a storm was at hand; but they were ignorant and rash, and continued their course. Before they could double Cape Pachynus they were caught by the[224] tempest; almost the whole fleet was wrecked or foundered; the coast of Sicily from Camarina to Pachynus was strewed with fragments of ships and bodies of men. Such was the end of the first Roman fleet (255 b.c.). (THE HISTORIANS’ HISTORY OF THE WORLD). Hanberke (talk) 12:44, 26 April 2020 (UTC)

Lede, this is a battle
Edited for encyclopedic style, identifying first was the topic "is" rather than focusing the verb on "took place". The detail on the reasons why the commanders were the commanders can be left to the body text. -- JHunterJ (talk) 13:28, 15 May 2020 (UTC)

Years inconsistent

 * the final battle of the war, fought thirteen years later. (in Battle of Cape Hermaeum)
 * Inadequate maths!


 * The war continued for a further 14 years, mostly on Sicily or the nearby waters, (in Battle of Cape Hermaeum)
 * Correct.


 * The Battle of Cape Hermaeum was a battle of the First Punic War fought in 254 BC between a... (in Battle of Cape Hermaeum)
 * What! That is just cretinous.


 * Having lost most of their fleet in the storm of 255 BC, the Romans rapidly rebuilt it, adding 220 new ships. (in First Punic War, Battle of Panormus)
 * Correct.

I had reminded this 254/255 BC issue above earlier. Hanberke (talk) 11:32, 20 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Thanks Hanberke. Sometimes I despair of myself, I really do. Early 255 BC. 14 years before the end of the war in 241 BC. All corrected and many thanks. Gog the Mild (talk) 20:33, 20 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Happy to help! Your Punic series is awesome to follow! Hanberke (talk) 22:21, 20 May 2020 (UTC)

Location(s)
It'd be wise to rename the article, but the location should also be updated/expanded in infobox. Hanberke (talk) 12:28, 7 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Good spot, thanks. And the short description. I have tweaked both. What do you think? Gog the Mild (talk) 20:31, 7 August 2020 (UTC)
 * It looks great now, cheers! Hanberke (talk) 03:27, 8 August 2020 (UTC)

Campaignbox First Punic War
Regarding the title change, do we need to update the, as well? Hanberke (talk) 13:26, 16 August 2020 (UTC)
 * IMO, no. This article fully covers the battle. There is never going to be a different article on it. And it is a vastly better target than the redirect to the Battle of Adys(!!) which existed previously. Gog the Mild (talk) 13:37, 16 August 2020 (UTC)
 * Thinking about what I have just written, I have tweaked the campaignbox so "Cape Hermaeum" points straight to the relevant section within this article. What do you think? Gog the Mild (talk) 13:42, 16 August 2020 (UTC)
 * That is it, three cheers for you :) As you are hot on the trail of the Punic Wars, you might wish to consider the red linked articles in campaignbox, too. Hanberke (talk) 14:28, 16 August 2020 (UTC)

Possible Vandalism
The first paragraph mentions the coffin of Dio Brando, a prominent manga character from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. I made an account to report this so sorry if this isn't formatted right, but it's jarring for a featured article. Is there anyone who can check if that's actually supposed to be there? LemonyLilly (talk) 13:56, 16 September 2021 (UTC)