New Insight on Archaeological Metal Finds, Nails and Lead Sheathings of the Punic Ship from Battle of the Egadi Islands

Abstract

The wreck of the Punic ship exhibited at the Archaeological Park of Lilybaeum (Marsala, Italy) is a unique example in the world. In this paper, the investigation of some metal finds (30 nails and 3 fragments of sheathings) belonging to the wreck of the Punic ship is reported. Portable X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy allowed us to identify the elements and compounds constituting them and make some deductions about their composition. X-ray diffractometry, polarised optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the collected micro-samples allowed us to explain the degradation that occurred in the underwater environment.

Keywords

• copper
• lead
• underwater degradation
• sulphides formation
• archaeometallurgy
• Punic ship