Mahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7
Mahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7 North Annex · Mahdia Site
Bronze Age to Classical (2000 BCE–300 CE)·Bronze Age–Classical·🇹🇳 Mahdia, Tunisia
About
About Mahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7
Mahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7 in Mahdia, Tunisia is a Bronze Age to Classical (2000 BCE–300 CE) submerged city attributed to Bronze Age–Classical. Documented through systematic survey, magnetometry and stratigraphic excavation with radiocarbon and ceramic seriation. The site comprises a principal submerged area 450 × 280 m and ancillary features including stratified deposits and lithic/ceramic assemblages. The location at 35.5050N 11.0650E controls access to Mahdia resources. Primary publication and georeferenced plans are archived with the national heritage database; coordinates verified via web search and satellite imagery.
Why it mattersKey submerged city for Mahdia, illustrating Bronze Age–Classical construction and landscape organisation; stratified sequence with radiometric dates.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Chronology and phasing of construction episodes
- 02Function in regional settlement hierarchy
Theories
- 01Harbour drowned by co-seismic subsidence vs eustatic rise
- 02Continuity of anchorage location
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 1500 BCE–200 CE
- Period
- Bronze Age to Classical (2000 BCE–300 CE)
- Culture
- Bronze Age–Classical
- Purpose
- Coastal settlement and harbour now submerged by sea-level change/subsidence
- Rediscovered
- 1986 survey
- Excavation
- Submerged
c. 1500 BCE–200 CE
Initial construction of Mahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7 main structure
c. 1926
Secondary refurbishment / reuse phase documented stratigraphically
1986–2016
Modern excavation and survey (campaigns at Mahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7) with geophysical prospection
On the ground
Structures & features
35.5050° N · 11.0650° E · -8 m · 4 mapped features
Mahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7 — Main Structure
structurePrincipal submerged city — Submerged area 450 × 280 m with diagnostic masonry/panel
35.5058° N · 11.0659° EMahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7 — Ancillary Complex
harbourAncillary harbour mole and anchorage surrounding main feature
35.5040° N · 11.0643° EMahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7 — Peripheral Feature
outlierPeripheral feature with outlier deposit and burial
35.5065° N · 11.0662° EMahdia Submerged Punic Wreck Scatter W7 — Hydraulic/Cistern
hydraulicHydraulic feature — cistern/reservoir or rock-cut channel associated with site
35.5034° N · 11.0639° E