Marsa-el-Brega: a fatal port of call. Evidence for shipwreck, anchorage and trade in antiquity in the Gulf of Sirte

Abstract

This paper outlines the recording and analysis of ceramic material (predominantly amphorae) from a scattered, shallow wreck site at Marsa-el-Brega. Evaluation of the underwater finds suggests the existence of at least two wrecks, one dating to the first century AD, the other to the sixth century AD. In addition, the role of Marsa-el-Brega is analysed with reference to the evidence on land which includes a possible piscina, a settlement and a headland anchorage. An argument for commerce along the Gulf littoral is postulated, with other possibilities for anchorage proposed, and the possibility of transshipment to other destinations is considered.

New Evidence for the Submerged Ancient Harbour Structures at Tolmetha and Leptis Magna, Libya

“…company of Venice, and has produced three proposals for underwater archaeological parks for the sites of Apollonia, Tolmetha and Leptis Magna.Due to the almost total absence both of facilities for scuba divers and of motor trawling fishing boats, discoveries of ancient shipwrecks in Libya are quite rare. We can mention the two 2nd-century-BC wrecks found by a French team at Apollonia (Laronde, 1990: 79;Long, 1992), the 1st-century-AD and 6th-century-AD wrecks recorded by Preece (2000) in Marsa-el-Brega, the Late Roman shipwrecks of Ougia (Ras Hamama) and Ras Etteen identified by Tusa (2010) and the postmedieval wreck of the Tigre, a Venetian ship recorded by an Italian team in the gulf of Ras al-Hilal (Tusa, 2011: 35-8).Much more rich is the evidence of submerged ancient ruins along the shores. As well as the two sites discussed here, we can quote the ancient underwater structures recorded by a team from Cambridge University at Sabratha (Brogan and Kenyon, 1966), the…”

“…Due to the almost total absence both of facilities for scuba divers and of motor trawling fishing boats, discoveries of ancient shipwrecks in Libya are quite rare. We can mention the two 2nd-century-BC wrecks found by a French team at Apollonia (Laronde, 1990: 79;Long, 1992), the 1st-century-AD and 6th-century-AD wrecks recorded by Preece (2000) in Marsa-el-Brega, the Late Roman shipwrecks of Ougia (Ras Hamama) and Ras Etteen identified by Tusa (2010) and the postmedieval wreck of the Tigre, a Venetian ship recorded by an Italian team in the gulf of Ras al-Hilal (Tusa, 2011: 35-8).…”

Coastal and maritime archaeology in Cyrenaica, Libya: history, developments, site identification and challenges

“…The latter site was considered by Laronde to be the ancient coastal site known as Aptouchos, not Ausigda as other researchers have suggested. It is also worth noting the underwater works that were carried out in Marsa-el-Brega, (ancient Borium) in Sirtica in 2000 to collect, document and study a shipment of submerged pottery (Preece 2000).…”