The rising might of the Roman Republic was about to clash with the centuries-old power of Carthage, the greatest naval power the western Mediterranean had ever known.

The Battle of Cape Ecnomus in 256 BC remains the largest naval battle in history, by the number of men involved. 300,000 fought in 680 ships for dominance.

Part of the First Punic War, the battle would eventually lead to the rise of one of the world's greatest Empires, and the extinction of another.

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