Until May 24 San Javier Phoenician shipwreck exhibition at the ARQVA museum in Cartagena

Fenicios, Mercaderes del Mar show some of the items found on board the Bajo de la Campana wreck which was found off the coast of La Manga

The ARQVA national museum of underwater archaeology in Cartagena is holding a special exhibition concerning the Phoenician shipwrecks found off the coast of the Region of Murcia until 24^th May, with special emphasis on the wreck known as the “Bajo de la Campana”.

This wreck was discovered by divers off the coast of La Manga del Mar Menor in the municipality of San Javier during the 1950s, and has become one of the most important for learning about Phoenician trading and culture, shedding light on their activities in the Mediterranean in the 7^th centuries BC. Only 6 such wrecks have been found, two of them in Puerto de Mazarrón, underlining the importance of what is now the Costa Cálida as they dominated trading in the area so many centuries ago.

The exhibition is entitled “Fenicios. Mercaderes del mar” (Phoenicians, Merchants of the Sea), and the items found on board the wreck, some of them on display on this occasion, included at least 55 elephant tusks bearing inscriptions in the Phoenician alphabet, more than 200 tin ingots (each weighing around a kilo), copper ingots, galena (a soft greyish-blue mineral form of lead sulphide which often contains silver), ceramic materials, amphorae used for transporting all types of liquids from wine and water to fish sauce, pine nuts, luxury goods such as a carved stone pedestal, an ivory knife handle and wooden combs, and everyday items life weights used in bartering.

For more local events, news and visiting information contact the tourist offices of San Javier (main contact number 661 572285) or go to the home page of San Javier Today.