A neighborhood revealed by geophysical prospection: An example of urbanization at the Phoenician–Punic settlement of Mozia (western Sicily, Italy) D. Di Mauro, L. Alfonsi ⁎, V. Sapia, S. Urbini Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV), via di Vigna Murata 605, Rome, Italy abstract article info Article history: Received 31 October 2013 Accepted 26 February 2014 Available online 6 March 2014 Keywords: Geophysical prospection Archaeology Phoenician–Punic Mozia Wavelets for image processing The archaeological site of Mozia, a small island in front of the western coast of Sicily (Italy), is one of the most important Phoenician–Punic settlements in the Mediterranean; it preserves important vestiges and remains, located in an uncontaminated site, inhabited and car-free. The remains are still partially hidden under vegetation and vineyards. A combined survey including magnetic, active electromagnetic and ground-penetrating radar was applied on a vast area in the north-western part of the island. The integration of different datasets of non invasive geophysical methods discloses a complex system of underground structures whose layout is related to walls and roads, residential units, and paved inner courts. Wavelet analysis, applied to the active electro- magnetic survey, aided to improve the visibility of the resulting archaeological features. The data provided further evidences for a dense, still hidden, urbanization of the island at the time of the Phoenician–Punic occupation (8th–7th century BC to 397 BC). © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Mozia is a 45 ha island at a sight distance off the western coast of Sicily, facing the land strip between the modern towns of Trapani and Marsala (southern Italy, Fig. 1). An artificial causeway, sub- merged during the 4th century AD (Basso et al., 2008), guaranteed the connection with the main land. Nowadays the island is isolated, with only few edifices and facilities belonging to the Whitaker founda- tion that supervises the preservation of the natural and archaeological patrimony. Mozia was believed to number nearly 16,000 inhabitants during its greatest splendor, i.e. between the 7th and 6th century BC and 397 BC (Aubet, 2001; Bondì, 1988; Moscati, 1986). The complete destruction of the settlement occurred in 397 BC, following the long siege made by Dionigi the tyrant of Syracuse. After the final destruction the area underwent a progressive abandonment, but in the preceding four centuries the island hosted one of the most flourishing Phoenician colonies, evolving in time into one of the Punic city-state of the Mediterranean Sea. Mozia vaunted an efficient urban system sus- taining the intense population; private buildings, streets, factories, workshops, and sacred places characterize the town settlement, “… and was embellished artistically to the last degree with numerous fine houses, thanks to the prosperity of the inhabitants” (Diodorus Siculus, 63 B.C., XIV,48,6). Archaeological explorations were initiated at the end of the 18th century by Joseph Whitaker a British–Italian and former land owner, and continued under the supervision of the Whitaker foundation by several archaeological missions and authors (Ciasca, 1992; Famà, 1997; Isserlin and Du Plat Taylor, 1974; Nigro, 2007; Tusa, 1983; Whitaker, 1921). These latter ameliorate the knowledge of the urban tissue of the island, revealed the organization of the settle- ment (Falsone, 1981; Famà, 1997; Nigro, 2007) and enriched the knowledge on specific sacral edifices (Ciasca, 1971, 1992; Nigro, 2005). In this outline Mozia is an urbanized town organized in a net- work of road and civil edifices similar to those observed in other Phoenician–Punic settlements of the Mediterranean (e.g. Tunisian Kerkouane, Famà, 1997). The urban frame of Mozia is structured in a dense setup of housing units, having an average dimension of 300 m 2 . Internally these structures are sub-divided into organized spaces with a general dimension of 10 m 2 (Famà, 1997; Nigro, 2005). The aerial and satellite viewpoint of Mozia restitutes an image of a flat small spot of land, mostly covered by vineyards and spontane- ous vegetation (Fig. 1). It is estimated that only a small percentage of the archaeological remains of Mozia has been localized/or unearthed (about 5% e.g. Moscati, 1986). The majority of the vestiges may lie under the extensive vineyards occupying large sectors of the island (about 50%), producing a fine vine variety. Conservation issues and high costs for extensive excavations make these as an ultimate choice. The need to disclose in primis with non destructive and cost-reduced methods the potential Journal of Applied Geophysics 104 (2014) 114–120 ⁎ Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 651860314; fax: +39 651860397. E-mail address: laura.alfonsi@ingv.it (L. Alfonsi). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2014.02.021 0926-9851/© 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Applied Geophysics journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jappgeo