This coming Friday, Wirt Ghawdex will be holding the third in its series of talks for 2025. The talk by Prof. Timmy Gambin, which will be delivered in English, will focus on the study of a complex wreck site off Xlendi Bay.

Although better known for the 7th century BCE Phoenician shipwreck, there is other significant archaeological material off Xlendi Bay, 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 70,000m². Besides the visible material, the presence of archaeological remains buried in the sediment is also very 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, such as urns, bowls and other ceramic objects. The quantity of homogeneous material suggests the presence of at least one shipwreck datable to the third century BCE.

Since 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 talk starts with the early beginnings of research in this area covering the methodologies used over the decades. It will also outline the preliminary results’ emphasis on the pottery repertoire present on the seabed, as well as Heritage Malta’s efforts to share this ancient cultural treasure.

Timmy Gambin is a Professor of Maritime Archaeology in the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, from where he obtained a B.A. in History. Following his undergraduate studies, he went on to attain an M.A. in Maritime Archaeology and History at the University of Bristol in the UK where he continued his postgraduate studies by reading for a doctorate in Maritime Archaeology. In 2001, Gambin joined the Department as a visiting lecturer and took up a full time post as Senior Lecturer in spring of 2012.

Over the past years, Gambin has been involved in numerous collaborative research projects. The PaleoMed Project with the CNRS (Aix-en-Provence) is aimed at the reconstruction of ancient coastal landscapes and environments of the Maltese Islands.

The multidisciplinary approach sees archaeologists working together with geomorphologists and palynologists. The Ancient Cisterns Project with CalPoly (USA) explores underground water management systems through the use of small remote operated vehicles armed with a variety of sensors.

Together with a number of local partners and authorities, he also directed numerous offshore underwater surveys in various parts of the Mediterranean including Spain, Italy and Croatia.

A major project is the excavation of the Phoenician Shipwreck off the island of Gozo. Datable to 700 BCE, it is currently the oldest known shipwreck in the central Mediterranean.

Following the talk there will be time for questions from the audience and discussion. The date and venue for the talk: Friday, the the 28th of March, starting at 6.30pm at St Cecilia Chapel, Ghajnsielem.

APS Bank is sponsoring the series of talks while Delicata Winery are kindly sponsoring the events’ post-talk drinks.

Free registration is suggested through this link

Wirt Ghawdex is a voluntary non-governmental organisation founded in 1981 with the aims of fostering the knowledge of local heritage among all levels of society and to strive to safeguard the natural, archaeological, historical and anthropological patrimony of the islands of Gozo and Comino.

This is the third in a series of talks to be held each month ranging from literature and old documents to underwater heritage. The general public is invited to attend.

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