From Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/events/7637958129610354/?ref=newsfeed
Details
- Event by Wirt Għawdex
- Cittadella Culture Centre
- Public · Anyone on or off Facebook
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We have a small number of seats left for non-members. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR THIS EVENT. TO REGISTER, SEND AN EMAIL TO: info@wirtghawdex.org with email subject: “7th July event”. Registration will take place on a first come, first served basis.
If you would like to attend similar future events, and wish to be guaranteed a place, consider joining Wirt Għawdex to help with its mission of promoting our heritage: https://www.wirtghawdex.org/membership/join-wirt-ghawdex
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Description:
Although better known for the 7th century BC Phoenician shipwreck, there is other significant archaeological material off Xlendi Bay in Gozo. Since the late 1950s, a number of cultural objects, mainly amphorae, have been recovered from the seabed just under the coastal watch tower that guards the entrance into Xlendi. Various exploratory projects were conducted on this deep-water multi-period site with mixed results. In 1993, a submarine survey revealed a dense scatter of amphorae located in depths varying between 108 and 112 metres. In 2007, the extent of this archaeological deposit was mapped and recorded, revealing a rectangular zone of high archaeological value and consisting of varying densities of archaeological material, spread over a total area of 67,000m². Besides the visible material, the presence of archaeological remains buried in the sediment is highly likely, owing to the continuous sediment deposition from the Xlendi ria. The seabed consists of a silty/sand punctuated by a series of rocky outcrops that vary in size, and around which archaeological objects have accumulated. These consist of mostly amphorae, but also include urns, bowls and other ceramic objects. The quantity of homogenous material suggests the presence of at least one shipwreck, datable to the third century BC. In 2021, Heritage Malta launched an ambitious project to record the site in high-resolution so as to better understand the morphology of this unique underwater archaeological site. This paper covers the methodologies used over two decades as well as preliminary results with special emphasis on the Punic pottery repertoire present on the seabed.
