The Xlendi bay shipwrecks : an archaeological study

Abstract

Xlendi Bay in Gozo, is an important archaeological site but this was not realised until the 1960s. The reason for this is that its importance is maritime and its potential was only brought to light with the accidental discovery of artefacts on the seabed by British Navy divers. This discovery and subsequent investigation of the site came soon after SCUBA equipment started to become widely available and closely followed the development of the new discipline of underwater archaeology. However, despite such a promising start, very little work has been carried out since then. The objects that were raised by these pioneers are now held in the Gozo museum where they attract a lot of interest from members of the public, but comparatively little from archaeologists. Consequently, the site is still poorly understood. It is the main aim of this dissertation to try to change this situation, that is, to achieve a better understanding of the site itself and to define its importance. As Xlendi Bay has never been excavated, this investigation will be done through a detailed study of the artefacts that have been retrieved from the seabed since the 1960s.