An important scientific collaboration involves the University of Calabria in the project “Altofondale: protection, knowledge, research and new perspectives”, dedicated to the recovery and valorisation of the wreck dating back to between the 5th and 4th centuries BC, found in 2023 in the waters off Monasterace, at around 500 meters deep.
The project was presented last Saturday 5 September at the Porto delle Grazie in Roccella Ionica by the Superintendency of Archaeology, Fine Arts and Landscape for the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria and the province of Vibo Valentia, during an event open to citizens and local institutions. The relevance of the discovery and the innovative nature of the planned activities led to the inclusion of the project in the “Major Cultural Heritage Projects” Strategic Plan of the Ministry of Culture, which supports interventions aimed at the recovery, restoration and valorisation of the wreck.
The role of UniCal
Within this complex research path, the University of Calabria plays a significant role, engaged through the cultural heritage research group, coordinated by Prof. Mauro La Russa, director of the Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences (DiBEST).
The Department will contribute in particular to the analysis of ceramic finds, through investigations aimed at reconstructing their origins and understanding the ways in which they were made. The scientific activities will also allow us to collect information on the conditions of the materials after their long stay in the marine environment and to provide useful elements for defining conservation interventions.
«Our task – underlines Mauro Francesco La Russa – will be to study and characterize the ceramic finds to reconstruct their provenance and identify the production contexts, at the same time analyzing the techniques used for their creation».
The participation of the University of Calabria strengthens the interdisciplinary dimension of “Altofondale”, making scientific skills and methodologies available to support research, conservation and valorization activities of an extraordinary submerged archaeological testimony.