In 2007, evidence of a deep-water shipwreck was detected during an offshore remote-sensing survey conducted on the fringes of Xlendi Bay in Gozo, Malta. This anomaly turned out to be the remains of a Phoenician cargo vessel dating back to the 7th century BC, a rare and hugely significant find. Due to its location, the team named it the ‘Xlendi wreck’. At 110m below sea level, the wreck is extremely challenging to dive, and it was only in 2018 that the first underwater excavation took place.
An initial survey of the wreck in 2014 confirmed that the upper layer of cargo lay exposed on the seabed, including dozens of amphorae (storage jars) and grinding stones used to make flour. Then, in September 2018, a team of highly trained technical divers led by maritime archaeologist Timmy Gambin was able to recover a small sample of artefacts for closer study. These objects, including a Tyrrhenian amphora, a small urn, and a flat-bottomed amphora of possible Greek origin are currently on display at Heritage Malta’s Gozo Exhibition Hall.
Who were the Phoenicians?
Regarded as some of the most successful maritime traders of the ancient world, the Phoenicians occupied the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, in what is present-day Lebanon and south-western Syria. Little has survived of Phoenician literature, so much of what we know stems from either the archaeological record or Greek and Latin writings. Due to the mountainous topography of the Levant, the most effective way for the Phoenicians to achieve economic prosperity was through maritime trade, and thus they became skilled sailors who navigated using the stars – they have even been credited with inventing the concept of celestial navigation.
