Antilius had his right foot propped up on the platform in the bow of the trireme. He felt the gentle rolling of the ship as it floated over each wave, and he heard the slap of the oars as they splashed into the water in rhythm from all three levels of the ship. He let out a sigh, wondered about his wife and children at home, and returned his attention to the work at hand.
Antilius commanded this Roman trireme. They had embarked from Latium, the region south of Rome, to engage the Carthaginians who controlled the port of Messana on Trinacrium, the Roman’s name for Sikania. Other boats led by Roman generals Stario and Philippus were following closely and, together with smaller, swifter craft, they represented the leading edge of another Roman assault on the Carthaginian control of the islan
