Maritime Archaeology
2021 Battle of the Egadi Islands Field Season Press Release: Two bronze warship rams and military equipment were discovered at the site of the Battle of the Egadi Islands (241 BC), the pivotal battle that led to the victory of Rome over Carthage during the First Punic War. In addition to the new discoveries, four …
2021 Battle of the Egadi Islands Field Season Press ReleaseRead More
Inside the daring mission to rescue ancient artefacts from the bottom of the sea Rogue treasure hunters are attempting to track down and gather lost items from the sea floor. But they aren’t the only ones: the RPM Nautical Foundation is using remote vehicles, sonar and digital mapping to get to the archaeological sites first …
Discovery of the archaeological site where the battle took place Egadi on the morning of March 10, 241 B.C. This article details The Archeorete Egadi project, the goal of which was to retrace the exact locations of the naval battle of March 10 of 241 B.C. between the Romans and Carthaginians. Described is this underwater …
A 4th-century AD merchantman in the service of the annona? Between 2005 and 2009 a deep-water shipwreck was located, mapped, and partially excavated by a joint team from RPM Nautical Foundation and the office of the Soprintendenza del Mare, Sicily. Located off Levanzo Island, one of the Egadi Islands off north-west Sicily, this wrecked merchantman …
Evidence of Rome’s decisive victory over Carthage is discovered in the waters off Sicily In his work The Histories, the second-century B.C. Greek historian Polybius chronicles the rise of the Romans as they battle for control of the Mediterranean. The central struggle pits the Romans against their archenemies the Carthaginians, a trading superpower based in …
This feature in Antike Welt (Ancient World, Journal of Archaeology and Cultural History) focuses on the last battle between Rome and Carthage and the archaeological finds, specifically the ram discovered by RPM Nautical Foundation. Download the Article to Learn More (in German)
This article takes a look at the the Levanzo I wreck, discovered by RPM Nautical Foundation in 2006. Described here is the discovery of the wrecksite, its location, its condition and the condition of the artifacts–with a particular focus on the destructive influence of dragnets–as well as the excavation of the site in 2009. Download the Article to …
In Distress: Rescuing a Roman Merchantmen 1700 Years LaterRead More
Since 2005, RPM Nautical Foundation (RPMNF) and the Superintendent’s Office of Underwater Archaeology in Sicily (Ufficio di Soprintendenza del Mare) have conducted a survey of coastal waters off the NW Sicilian coast. Over these past years, several areas have undergone intensive multibeam survey with ROV verification of anomalies (Figure 1). Efforts around the island of …
Warship ram discovered…an ancient naval battle revealed? This article describes a bronze warship ram discovered during RPM Nautical Foundation’s 2008 research expedition in Sicily. This find was of particular importance because it provided the first affirmation that the final battle of the First Punic War likely took place at this site (near Lavanzo Island). The ram …
During the summer of 2006, the RPM Nautical Foundation carried out extensive surveys along the coasts of Turkey, Sicily, and Malta; work continued in Sicily during the 2007 field season. The goal was to document all submerged cultural resources from as near shore as feasible to the 100 m contour. Documentation for each site included …
