A Monstrous Time
As opposed to the symbolic use of the aphlaston held by Neptune on RRC 511/3a, the aphlaston brandished by Scylla on RRC 511/4a is representative of specific naval victory over Octavian. Between 42 and 36 BC, Sextus Pompeius’ and Octavian’s forces engaged in five major naval battles, four of which were decisive victories for Sextus. In 42 BC, Octavian dispatched Quintus Salvidienus Rufus and his fleet to engage with Sextus in the straits of Messana, specifically near the promontory of Scyllaeum. A notoriously difficult section of sea, Scyllaeum was understood to be the mythic location of the monstrous Scylla and Charybdis. Perched high in a cave, Scylla would pluck and devour sailors from the decks of ships with her twelve long legs. Opposite Scylla on the straits of Messana lay Charybdis, a giant whirlpool which would suck in and expel the waters and all that sailed on them. [1] It is here on this strait where Sextus Pompeius and Q. Salvidienus Rufus clashed and the Battle of Rhegium occurred. However, Sextus’ fleet was far better equipped and experienced, and although the fleet incurred some damage, Salvidienus’ fleet suffered far more greatly and retreated.
The ships of Pompeius, being lighter and manned by better sailors, excelled in swiftness and skill, while those of the Romans, being of great tonnage and size, laboured heavily.
App. B. Civ. 4.85
After this victory for Sextus, Octavian did not have the resources or ability to launch another attack against Sextus until nearly five years later, after the breakdown of the short-lived Treaty of Misenum. The Battle of Cumae in 38 BC saw the second major naval engagement between Sextus Pompeius and Octavian, and again this took place largely on the straits of Messana, near Scyllaeum. It was during this clash that a storm began, which decimated Octavian’s fleet, once again resulting in a sound victory for Sextus. The level of damage against Octavian’s forces for the second time was so extreme that Sextus began to recognise himself as the son of Neptune in his iconography, which is further explored here.
There is little definitive surviving information accounting for the year 37 BC, but it is understood that Octavian entrusted the rebuilding of his fleet and naval forces to his friend and strategic advisor Agrippa. By 36 BC, Agrippa had succeeded in rebuilding a formidable fleet for Octavian with soldiers trained specifically for sea battles, which they had been unprepared for previously. Beginning in August of 36 BC, Agrippa, on behalf of Octavian, launched his offensive against Sextus at the Battle of Mylae. This failed to achieve any significant advance, and two days later both sides reengaged at the Battle of Tauromenium, once again in the strait of Messana. Although Agrippa had a larger and more advanced fleet, Sextus’ forces were far more skilled and succeeded in destroying over 50 war galleys of the new fleet. Once again, Sextus had won a victory over Octavian and Agrippa, this time at Tauromenium. However, the victory would not last, and at the Battle of Naulochus two week later, Agrippa returned with Octavian’s remaining fleet and destroyed what was left of Sextus’ forces. Sextus abandoned Sicily, fleeing to Mitylene in Asia Minor, where he was assassinated less than a year later in 35 BC. [2]
The Pompeian ships were shorter and lighter, and better adapted to blocking and darting about. Those of Octavian were larger and heavier, and, consequently, slower yet stronger to give blows and not be so easily damaged. The Pompeian crews were better sailors than those of Octavian, but the latter were stronger.
App. B. Civ. 5.106
Although Sextus eventually was beaten by Caesarean forces, it is clear that his superior technical skill and naval command were responsible for several victories, as well as landing severe damage against his enemy. While it is unclear as to which specific naval battle RRC 511/4a alludes to, it is undoubtedly an explicit reference to one of the victories Sextus won over Octavian in the straits of Messana: the Battle of Rhegium in 42 BC, the Battle of Cumae in 38 BC, or possibly the Battle of Mylae and Tauromenium in 36 BC. The uncertainty over the specific date of the minting of this coin means it is not possible to definitively recognise which battle is explicitly referenced. A detailed discussion of the possible dating of RRC 511/4a continues here. However, the iconographic impact of Scylla wielding an aphlaston does not fundamentally change depending on the date of the mint. Sextus was clearly highlighting a definite instance of superiority over Octavian, and cementing his legitimacy of power through his obvious naval prowess.
[2] Morrison (2016). 149-157; Jaques (2007). 700, 716, 1001.