Winter 218 BCE — event date in Livy's retrospective history / T002
Livy's shining ships in the sky
Rome; the passage also lists separate prodigies elsewhere in Italy
Witness account
In his account of the beginning of the Second Punic War, Livy includes a report of a fleet-like spectacle shining in the sky. The passage appears among many prodigies, including unusual animal behavior and rains of stones. It should be dated to the winter described in the narrative, while prominently recording that the surviving literary account was written much later.
Public record
Book 21, chapter 62 is an identifiable ancient source, available in a complete scholarly translation. Livy introduces the prodigy list by noting that reports were readily believed in a climate of fear. The same passage places white-clad human figures at Amiternum, on the ground; these are a separate portent and must not be turned into occupants of the alleged sky ships.