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4 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 28 MARCH 2025 NEWS WIRT Għawdex will hold the third in its series of talks for 2025 on Friday the 28th of March at 6.30pm at St Cecilia Chapel, Għajnsielem. The talk by Prof. Timmy Gam- bin, which will be delivered in English, will focus on the study of a complex wreck site off Xlen- di Bay. Although better known for the 7th century BCE Phoenician ship- wreck, there is other significant archaeological material off Xlendi Bay, Gozo. Since the late 1950s, a number of cultural objects, main- ly 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-wa- ter 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, reveal- ing a rectangular zone of high archaeological value and con- sisting of varying densities of archaeological material, spread over a total area of 70,000m². Besides the visible material, the presence of archaeological re- mains 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 archaeolog- ical objects have accumulated, such as urns, bowls and other ceramic objects. The quantity of homogenous 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 mor- phology of this unique underwa- ter archaeological site. This talk starts with the early beginnings of research in this area covering the methodologies used over the decades. It shall also outline the preliminary re- sults' emphasis on the pottery repertoire present on the sea- bed, as well as Heritage Malta's efforts to share this ancient cul- tural treasure. Timmy Gambin is a Professor of Maritime Archaeology in the Department of Classics and Ar- chaeology 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 con- tinued his postgraduate studies by reading for a doctorate in Maritime Archaeology. In 2001, Gambin joined the Department as a visiting lectur- er and took up a full time post as Senior Lecturer in spring of 2012. Over the past years, Gam- bin has been involved in numer- ous collaborative research pro- jects. 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 geomor- phologists and palynologists. The Ancient Cisterns Project with CalPoly (USA) explores un- derground water management systems through the use of small remote operated vehicles armed with a variety of sensors. Together with a number of lo- cal partners and authorities, he also directed numerous offshore underwater surveys in various parts of the Mediterranean in- cluding Spain, Italy and Croatia. A major project is the excava- tion of the Phoenician Shipwreck off the island of Gozo. Datable to 700 BCE, it is currently the old- est known shipwreck in the cen- tral Mediterranean. After the talk there will be time for questions from the audience and discussion. APS Bank is sponsoring the se- ries of talks while Delicata Win- ery are sponsoring the events' post-talk drinks. The event on Face- book can be found here: h t t p s : / / w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m / events/1131316625343381. Free registration is suggest- ed through this link: https:// docs.google.com/forms/d/e/ 1FAIpQLSeeXsb9uYEYe54ez- RRO1DavflHfcnwxpAC6kq2l KO2qCyHfLw/viewform?us - p=sharing. Wirt Għawdex is a voluntary non-governmental organisation founded in 1981 with the aims of fostering the knowledge of her- itage amongst all levels of socie- ty and to strive to safeguard the natural, archaeological, histor- ical and anthropological patri- mony 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 her- itage. A complex wreck site off Xlendi Bay - how to study and how to share