Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina

Who is Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina?

Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Asina was a Roman politician involved in the First Punic War.

Scipio Asina was a patrician member of the Scipiones branch of the famous Cornelii, a family with a history as old as the Roman Republic itself. He was son of Lucius Cornelius Scipio Barbatus and brother of Lucius Cornelius Scipio. Elected senior consul for the year 261 BC, Scipio Asina had the honour of commanding the first Roman fleet launched to the Mediterranean Sea.

While patrolling the waters of the Messina strait between Italy and Sicily with the first vessels, Scipio Asina received the information that Lipara, in the Lipari Islands, was about to change to the Roman side. Eager to secure such an important port and to cover himself with glory, he rushed to the islands without considering security. It is not sure if the Carthaginians planned the whole affair, but the Roman fleet was trapped in the harbour by Hannibal Gisco. Without naval warfare experience, the crews panicked and escaped to land, leaving the ships unattended and Scipio Asina to be made prisoner by the Carthaginians. Although there was hardly any fighting, the encounter is known as the Battle of the Lipari Islands.