WERE ROMAN SHIPS CREWED BY SLAVES?
In the 1959 film Ben Hur, the hero’s low point comes as a slave chained by his feet on a Roman ship and forced to row. While an enduring scene, this gives the wrong impression. Oarsmen tended to be free men - sure, from the dregs of society, but they would be paid for their services. The Romans only manned their ships with slaves in times of emergency, such as during the Second Punic War with Carthage (218-201 BC).
While the Romans were known more for their land armies, the Roman Republic’s navy played a vital role during the First Punic War (264-241 BC). Later, a sea battle, Actium in 31 BC, was central to Augustus becoming the first emperor of the Roman Empire era.