On 07.04.2025 we present the 38th session of our online lecture series with a contribution of
Alberto Bravo-Morata Rodríguez
(Aix-Marseille University, Centre Camille Jullian)
The Phoenician Shipwreck of Xlendi, a Central Mediterrean exceptional shipwreck. From discovery to the latest results
Abstract:
Off the coasts of the Maltese archipelago, in the centre of the Mediterranean, the shipwreck of Xlendi was located in 2007 in a deep-water environment at -110m of depth. This site has been under study ever since its discovery, when the Phoenician Shipwreck Project was created, going through an initial remote sensing documentation campaign, a pioneer deep-water excavation with technical divers and a multidisciplinary post-excavation study period.
From University of Malta, a thorough study of the cargo has taken place since the extraction of the first objects, producing multiple documentations of them, including the experimentation of new techniques such as 3D laser scanning technology. This process, allowed replicating accurately all objects in 3D, ultimately allowing to reproduce the site as it is found on the seabed nowadays.
The amount of data generated in this project both on site and in the labs permitted the attempt of creating a method which could potentially estimate the total tonnage of the cargo of this Phoenician vessel. In addition, the geometric analysis of the site and the objects visible on the seabed allowed to bring up the hypothetical arrangement of this ensemble when it was intact. This communication will present the general outcome of the project, the results of the excavation campaigns, the post-excavation studies conducted in the past years, and finally, the results obtained from the creation of the method which attempted on replicating the cargo when still assembled and organized as well as the development process of the method itself.
To view the recording of this session click on the following link:
MARE - Online Lecture Series 