Welcome back to another episode of ancient warfare answers.

I'm Murray, the Assistant Editor, and this is Jasper, the editor of Ancient Warfare.

We have another question from one of our listeners.

I've gone with Jasper's listeners as opposed to my own ancient warfare enthusiast.

But this one is, did the Romans downplay their Navy before the First Punic War?

Did they?

Did they, though?

I think he's asking about Polybius.

Because the whole story of the Romans didn't do anything, that's, again, this is all about perception.

The idea is, first Punic war breaks out and the

Romans go, the sea. What's the sea thing you're talking about? We've only been fighting on land.

And then they suddenly built an enormous fleet and put the boarding... In very fast time.

Yes, in 60 days they built 100 ships or something.

And put the boarding bridge on it and everybody goes,

oh, the boarding bridge is just...

It's presented as the Romans turn everything into a land battle,

so therefore you make a boarding bridge, clonk,

therefore your naval battle has now become a land battle. There's this, and that comes back time

and again, and it's always, you know, the Athenian fleet of the 5th century is held up as

the example, the epitome of naval warfare in the ancient

world, where you have these sleek, fast triremes zipping about, ramming each other and doing

various, you know, sailing around and ramming other ships in the rear, or sailing just streaking

...