Marzamemi Maritime Heritage Project

16/04/2024

We are thrilled to see the Church wreck featured as one of twelve key sites alongside the Late Bronze Age shipwreck at Uluburun, the Mary Rose and the HMS Terror in best-selling author David Gibbins' History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks (chapter 5: Christianity and early Byzantium in the 6th century AD).

From renowned underwater archaeologist David Gibbins comes an exciting and rich narrative of human history told through the archaeological discoveries of twe...

28/08/2023

An incredible public outreach project by our friends in Alexandria!

22/08/2023

For , Archaeology Magazine reminded readers of their coverage of the Church Wreck. Imagine the decorations it might have contained!

From the Archives: In the 6th century, a Byzantine ship carrying hundreds of tons of stone sank off the Sicilian coast of Marzamemi. The wreckage included a nearly complete set of elements for a church similar to Ravenna’s Basilica of San Vitale (right), which was constructed during the reign of Byzantine emperor Justinian I (left).

archaeology.org/issues/309-1809/features/6856-sicily-byzantine-shipwreck

(www.BibleLandPictures.com/Alamy Stock Photo, Konstantin Kalishko/Alamy Stock Photo)

12/08/2023

A first glimpse at one new part of the work.

02/08/2023

We’re grateful to the many venues in Marzamemi for posting our flyers about the new ArcGIS StoryMap produced by our summer team. For those who may be farther afield, follow this link directly to learn more about the diverse maritime heritage of Marzamemi: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/eda2608c525a49839132151e4ca764f4
Read in Italian here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/134827045c504c59bf5a5b604084dd90

01/08/2023

Scopri di più sul patrimonio marittimo di Marzamemi dalla nostra nuova ArcGIS StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/134827045c504c59bf5a5b604084dd90
Leggi in inglese: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/eda2608c525a49839132151e4ca764f4
Mille grazie a JJ Lugardo (Stanford Classics), al CESTA - Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis di Stanford, e agli studenti per il loro contributo a questa iniziativa.

31/07/2023

Thanks to the students and staff of our amazing team for a terrific summer! We’re so grateful to Matteo, Pietro, Francesca, and Dario for their help in the water; to Jasmine and the staff at Sushiliamo Locanda del Porto Marzamemi for an endless supply of delicious pasta; to Fabrizio Sgroi, Soprintendenza del Mare; and to the Comune di Pachino and the Vendicari - Oasi Faunistica for their ongoing support.

30/07/2023

For our last round of trash recording we went back to the beach and underwater. Found items included a tangle of various ropes, a seemingly infinite number of plastic bags and espresso cups, and more unique objects: marine encrusted goggles, Kinder toys (which we can date to the late 1990s and early 2000s) and a lone Barbie shoe. Some objects clearly washed out to sea from the land; other drifted onto shore from the sea.

27/07/2023

Sicania Chimica (https://www.sicaniachimica.it/) of Catania has been a valuable supporter of our work for many years. Their donations and products have helped desalinate and preserve finds from the church wreck for research and community engagement. Thanks to Marco Caruso and his team for their ongoing support!

23/07/2023

Systematic survey does far more than search for lost shipwrecks. It allows us to identify wrecks alongside a wide range of anchorages, jettison, casual disposals that mark human movement along the sea. We can also understand how the changing seabed preserves and obscures signs of past activity.

20/07/2023

Abbiamo avuto il piacere di ricevere la visita di Marco Cerullo (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ediliziacrobatica_ivoltidiearestauri-ediliziacrobatica-earestauri-activity-7072151043605676032-5j9), il Direttore del settore Monumenti di EdiliziAcrobatica con sede a Siena ma operante in tutta Italia. Marco e EdiliziAcrobatica stanno lavorando al progetto per consentire al conservatore Andrea Gobbi di continuare a lavorare sui manufatti del relitto della chiesa, dalle massicce colonne di marmo e ambone alle piccole ceramiche e concrezioni metalliche. Ognuno di questi oggetti racconta la storia della nave e dei suoi marinai. Insieme a Fabrizio Sgroi (Soprintendenza del Mare) ci siamo divertiti a rispondere alle domande sul lavoro in video. Il profondo apprezzamento di Marco per il patrimonio e i suoi custodi, gli archeologici, sono stati evidenti durante la sua visita.

19/07/2023

Great visit from collaborators Leopoldo Repola and Enzo Morra (Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse) who used a DJI Matrice drone to undertake 3D survey of the Vendicari tonnara and surrounding landscape. Morra is conducting geological analysis of the ballast pile we explored last year, while Repola works to design an exhibition at the Vendicari - Oasi Faunistica.