Q&A: What if Rome had gunpowder at Ecnomus?

How might gunpowder discovered before the First Punic War have changed Ecnomus?

Rome would still have needed time to standardize it, but elite troops and warships might have adopted early weapons that reduced reliance on ramming.

Roman gunpowder weapons would have taken time to standardize. Republican soldiers normally supplied their own equipment, so scarce and expensive firearms might first have gone to wealthy veteran triarii. Ships could also carry early gunpowder devices, gradually changing the need to close for a ram strike. At sea, this could have produced something resembling later cannon galleys.