Gaius Duilius

Won Rome its first naval battle at Mylae in 260 BC, against a Carthaginian fleet with centuries of seafaring behind it. Rome's answer to inexperience was the corvus, a boarding bridge that let legionaries fight a land battle on water — a state converting its actual advantage into a domain it did not understand. He was granted a columna rostrata in the Forum, the first naval monument in Roman history.

• Lived: 290 BCE – 220 BCE
• Nationality: roman
• Roles: admiral, naval_commander, politician