Instrumentum navis. Le ancore litiche e plumbee della Soprintendenza del Mare della Regione Siciliana

Instrumentum navis: Le àncore litiche e plumbee della Soprintendenza del Mare della Regione Siciliana is the result of a study carried out in collaboration with the Sicilian Region''s Superintendency of the Sea. It concerns the study of all the lithic, lead and metal anchors from the Sicilian underwater environment, deposited in the rooms of the Arsenal of the Royal Navy in Palermo, in the warehouse of the former Roosevelt Institute in Addaura, and in the courtyard of Palazzetto Mirto in Palermo, the headquarters of the Superintendency of the Sea.

The study on the anchors was conducted through an extensive census, documentation and archive study that offered a chance to understand the numerical consistency of the property and its value.

The census and cataloguing activity continued with historical research on the types of anchors over the centuries and the impact they had on navigation, routes and ports in ancient times, as well as on the birth of the underwater collection in Sicily and the creation of the Superintendency of the Sea, which has carefully and innovatively managed the entire Sicilian underwater archaeological sector over the last twenty years.

For the anchors described here, and through the entry registers and ancient publications, it was possible to trace the data on the places where the anchors were found, which covered the entire coastline of Sicily, including the smaller islands, thus providing the starting point for the creation of a digital mapping of the finds through the G.I.S. (Geographic Information System) and providing a guideline for future research.