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cargo was probably intended to provide architectonic material to cover walls and floors
of an unidentified Roman building.
The Punta Cicala Shipwreck
A third site with marble blocks was visited during the 2005 campaign, 1.5 km to
the east of the Punta Scifo B shipwreck (Fig. 27). The ship lies at a depth of 6.5 m
among the sharp rock outcrops that constitute Punta Cicala; the remains cover an area of
ca. 15 m x 12 m. Twenty-seven stepped stone blocks and column shafts were counted in
2005 and 2006, but the dimensions of only six have been taken and are reported along
with their weight in Table 3. Their sheer size is remarkable: the six blocks alone total
54.38 metric tons. Because the blocks were not protected by sand, and rest on an uneven
rocky surface exposed to the destructive weathering forces of the sea, it is highly
improbable that any hull remains survive beneath them.
Table 3. Dimensions and tonnage of six blocks from the Punta Cicala shipwreck.
Block # Length (m) Width (m) Thickness (m) Tons
1 4.35 1.05 0.65 7.61
2 6.40 1.05 0.60 10.33
3 5.65 1.10 0.50 7.96
4 6.40 1.15 0.40 7.55
5 4.20 0.72 0.72 5.58
6 2.87 1.95 1.07 15.35
Total 54.38
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