Underwater Archaeology students from Murcia University (UMU) have found a gold pendant dating back to 620 BC. The ornament is said to be similar to another locket found in Malaga from around the same date. The find was made by the students on the beach de la Isla (Mazarrón), according to Juan Pinedo, who was coordinating the course.
This is just the third time the Underwater Archaeology course has been run by the UMU in collaboration with the Department of Historic Heritage of Mazarron, and already it has revealed important advances in the study on the presence of Phoenician history on the Mediterranean coast.
This find makes the scholars think that Mazarrón was not only a place of transit for traders who were attracted by the area’s mineral wealth, but it could also indicate the presence of a port complex in this area of the Mediterranean.
“This is a tremendous leap because the usual pieces we have found such as amphoras, plates and goblets, indicate a maritime trade. But we can now add to the possibility of a settlement made up of aristocrats of the time, “said Pinedo, who said that the piece belonged to some very wealthy family.
The mayor of Mazarrón, Alicia Jiménez, visited the research team, which brings together 14 students from the United States, France, Germany, Brazil and Spain.
