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New documentary film on the 2700-year-old Phoenician shipwreck found off the San Javier coast of La Manga
The Bajo de la Campana site provides valuable evidence of Phoenician seafaring and trading activity in the 7th century BC
A new documentary film has been presented in which experts analyse the importance of the discovery of the Phoenician shipwreck known as the Bajo de la Campana, just off the coastline of La Manga del Mar Menor.
The footage includes detailed images from the four years of work on recovering the remains of the vessel which sank off Isla Grosa in waters which lie within the municipality of San Javier, and the documentary “El Pecio Fenicio del Bajo de la Campana” was overseen and directed by Miguel Ángel Gallego and Juan Pinedo with the cooperation of the Fundación Integra Digital and the local Town Hall.
The Bajo de la Campana
The Bajo de la Campana is one of the most important marine archaeological sites in the Region of Murcia and actually consists of the remains of not just one vessel, but four. One of these exceeds 20 metres in length, making it the largest ever found on the Murcia coastline, and dates from approximately the 7th century BC (although the remains were not found until the 1950s). Still on board was a large quantity of raw materials, together with some interesting trade goods, all of which provide valuable archaeological evidence about the trading activities of this once immensely powerful nation of trading merchants.
Some of these items, including ivory tusks, amphorae, a stone pedestal and ingots of bronze, tin and copper, are on display in the ARQUA national underwater archaeology museum in Cartagena.
Miguel Ángel Gallego describes the findings as being of worldwide significance, as evidenced by the participation of the Institute Nautical of Archaeology (INA) of the University of Texas in the excavation.
For more local information visit the tourist offices of San Javier or go to the home page of San Javier Today.
