Archaeology and the Sea in the Maltese Islands - Softcover

Azzopardi, Elaine; Gambin, Timmy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 999327402X ISBN 13: 9789993274025

Publisher: Midsea Books, 2013

Synopsis

Malta and Gozo’s geographical location in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea has, since ancient times, led to numerous ships passing through the islands’ waters. Several records of this maritime activity exist in different archives and other evidence can be deduced from the seabed. Despite this, the maritime archaeology of our islands has remained largely unexplored. This book has been produced to address just a small part of this lacuna. By looking at the history of underwater archaeology in Malta and providing an overview of some of the most important finds from the seabed around the archipelago readers will be able to familiarize themselves with the fascinating world of our submerged cultural heritage. In order to portray the full story it was necessary to start at the beginning of underwater exploration in Malta. The authors had the opportunity to meet and interview a number of pioneers who took up scuba diving in the late 1950s and early 1960s. We are indebted to them for the invaluable information that they passed on as well as for the archival material they shares. Other sources used fo this research came from the stores and archives of the Superintendence of Cultural heritage and Heritage Malta. Both these institutions have done a professional job keeping up to date with all material recovered from an underwater context. This book should be of interest to divers, students, researchers as well as the general public with the hope to increase awareness and passion towards the submerged cultural heritage of the Maltese islands.

About this title

About the Author

Elaine Azzopardi obtained her BA (Hons) and MA in Archaeology from the University of Malta in 2006. She has participated in a number of excavations both on land and underwater. She has worked on EU funded projects and has also co-directed a field-school in underwater archaeology. She now works as a scientificdiver with the UK’s National Facility for Scientific Diving that is based in the Scottish Marine Institute in Oban

Timmy Gambin obtained his BA from the Department of History at the University of Malta and went on to read for his M.A. in Maritime Archaeology and PhD in Archaeology at the University of Bristol under the tutelage of Dr A.J. Parker at the University of Bristol. He is currently a senior lecturer at the Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Malta and Director of Archaeology of the AURORA Special Purpose Trust. He has participated and directed numerous exploration surveys in Malta and elsewhere in the Mediterranean contributing to the discovery of numerous shipwrecks which vary in date from 800 BC to the last world war.

Edition details

• Publisher: Midsea Books
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 999327402X
• ISBN 13: 9789993274025
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 56