Latin for "crow" or "raven", the word corvus was applied by the Romans to a device they invented to use on the ships of their new fleet during the First Punic War.
The corvus was a raised gangplank attached to the bow of the ship with a large spike affixed underneath. The corvus was then lowered onto an enemy ship, and the spike would catch and hold it in place. This allowed the Romans, whose skill lay in their infantry rather than in sailors or admirals, to deploy troops onto an enemy ship.
The use of these devices was ascribed to the Romans by the historian Polybius in Book III of his history.
