The new Punic War shipwrecks at Marsala

[Sean Manning]

Has anyone heard anything about these other than the scanty information which was widely released in 2004: that several dozen(!) wrecks have been found under a few meters of water near the original one Honor Frost excavated at Marsala, that an underwater museum will be constructed there, and that these had been known of for some time before their official announcement? I understand that there are political difficulties with underwater archaeology off Sicily (and archaeology in Italy in general). Apparently the discoverers are keeping things close to their chests again. Dr. John Oleson, the maritime archaeologist at the University of Victoria, and several other scholars hadn't heard anything last time I asked. Perhaps some forum-dweller has better contacts or reads the right journals?

Here is a link to a copy of the Times article, if this is new to anyone: about the second thing I read on the subject after bumping into it in a British history magazine. Lets hope these get preserved better than the first one, and that this sheds some light on the oaring arrangements of larger warships! (With so many wrecks, I hope that there may be a few where some fragment of the upperwork hasn't been eatern by worms).

Edit: Can somebody move this to Rome or Allies and Enemies? I forgot to switch subforums. At least Hellenistic warships are Greek in origin.