Over three hundred amphorae of the Punic age have been identified in the sea of Pantelleria at a depth of 130 meters, a few hundred meters away from the small port of Gadir. The dives, as part of the “Pantelleria 2022” project, had the scientific coordination of the Superintendence of the Sea of the Sicilian Region and were carried out by a team of seven divers from the Sdss – The Society for Documentation of Submerged Sites.

Claudio Provenzani/SDSS - Salvo Emma/Sopmare

The archaeological site was documented by a group of deep-sea divers who found a large expanse of amphorae scattered along a strip of 400 meters. The field had been identified for the first time in 2011 by the two divers Francesco Spaggiari and Fabio Leonardi. Now, the SDSS, led by Mario Arena, has revealed the exact consistency of the find, documenting the great concentration of Punic amphorae with photographic and video images.

«We are only at the beginning of a survey and documentation campaign – declares the Superintendent of the Sea, Ferdinando Maurici – which will certainly reveal important traces of the past. The north coast of Pantelleria has already returned valuable evidence relating to navigation and the frequentation of the island in ancient times. We will continue the study of this interesting and difficult underwater site, given the considerable depth, thanks to the collaboration of professionals who in recent years have allowed us to achieve excellent results in the study of the Battle of the Egadi ».

During the dives, survey operations and videophotographic documentation were carried out, in particular by creating a high-resolution three-dimensional photogrammetry, currently under development. This detailed survey will allow us to study the total consistency of the archaeological site, the typology of the amphorae and their dispersion. From a first analysis of the images it can be said that the amphorae are of five types, all from the Punic period. Most are in good condition and, from an initial estimate, less than a third of the finds identified during the survey appear fractured. The analysis of the photogrammetry will, however, allow for a more detailed examination.

«The protection of the historical-archaeological heritage of our Island – comments the general manager of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, Franco Fazio – is the main objective of the Region and the submerged treasures constitute a conspicuous and peculiar part of it. The operations just concluded in Pantelleria strengthen international collaborations and confirm the importance of the research, study, protection and enhancement work that the Superintendence of the Sea has been carrying out for about twenty years in the Sicilian seabed ”.

On the occasion of the mission, thanks to the underwater metal detector, some objects attributable to the discovery of 2011, when a treasure of about 4 thousand Punic coins was discovered and recovered in the locality of Cala Tramontana, at a depth of about 20 meters. In particular, these are: 11 bronze nails from a shipwrecked ship in the same stretch of sea; 26 lead rings that are part of the boat’s equipment and some metal fragments, as well as some in ceramic. This discovery follows that of last year, again in Cala Tramontana, when 40 coins of the same type were identified, as well as other nails, ceramic material and lead rings. The finds recovered were transferred to Palermo at the first aid laboratory of the Superintendence of the Sea for further studies and analyzes.

The SDSS has been collaborating for several years with the Region, especially in the context of the operations of identification and recovery of the finds pertaining to the Battle of the Egadi on the island of Levanzo. The research team for the “Pantelleria 2022” project is composed of: Superintendence of the Sea: Ferdinando Maurici and Salvo Emma – Sdss: Mario Arena, Elena Romano, Claudio Provenzani, Andrea D’Ambrosi, Sheila Rinaldi, Romano Rampazzo, Massimiliano Sabatini. DIVE-Y diving: Edoardo Famularo and Marco Bonomo.