A neighborhood revealed by geophysical prospection: An example of urbanization at the Phoenician–Punic settlement of Mozia (western Sicily, Italy)

Abstract

The archaeological site of Mozia, a small island in front of the western coast of Sicily (Italy), is one of the most important Phoenician–Punic settlements in the Mediterranean; it preserves important vestiges and remains, located in an uncontaminated site, inhabited and car-free. The remains are still partially hidden under vegetation and vineyards. A combined survey including magnetic, active electromagnetic and ground-penetrating radar was applied on a vast area in the north-western part of the island. The integration of different datasets of non invasive geophysical methods discloses a complex system of underground structures whose layout is related to walls and roads, residential units, and paved inner courts. Wavelet analysis, applied to the active electromagnetic survey, aided to improve the visibility of the resulting archaeological features. The data provided further evidences for a dense, still hidden, urbanization of the island at the time of the Phoenician–Punic occupation (8th–7th century BC to 397 BC).