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MOTHYA ISLAND


Mothia is within 10 km of Marsala, only a stone’s throw away. Covering about ten hectares, this island at the centre of the Stagnone Lagoon appears to have been inhabited since prehistoric times and later became one of the principal Phoenician settlements in the Western Mediterranean. As such it served as the principal base from which the Carthaginians dominated Sicily. An underwater causeway connected the city to the mainland, so that even today enthusiasts can reach the island on foot.

Mothia belonged to the Jesuits in the 16th and 17th centuries, but was divided into small properties when the latter were expelled from Sicily. At the end of the nineteenth century the whole of the island was acquired by Joseph Whittaker, heir of an important English family of industrialists and wine makers. Whittaker commenced the archaeological investigation of the island and his work was later continued by his daughters and the Whittaker Foundation –present owners of the island – brought to life by them. Many of the finds are now on view at the Mothia Museum.

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