Pantelleria Underwater Archaeology Project: a Post-Disciplinary Approach to Archaeological Research and Public Outreach

Summary

In 1997 the Soprintendenza per i Beni Culturali ed Ambientali di Trapani, with the assistance of Università degli Studi di Bologna archaeologically surveyed the Island of Pantelleria (Sicily), in order to understand Punic and Roman settlements distribution. Part of the island was colonized only since the 3rd century BC, when Pantelleria became strategic for controlling the Sicilian channel. In 2011 and 2013, systematic surveys and excavations were produced in Cala Tramontana and Cala Levante by the Soprintendenza del Mare and Consortium Pantelleria Ricerche allowing to identify a Punic anchorage located between the 50 and 90 meters depth marks. Lead anchor’s stocks, Punic amphorae, lead ingots and 3500 Punic bronze coins were among the artefacts recovered. Such evidences support the hypothesis that the anchorage may be related with the first Roman conquest of the island dated to the 255 BC. Also part of the project was the re-establishment of an underwater archaeological trail located in Cala Tramontana.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Maritime Archaeology Project Updates from Around the World

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-40,08