The Sicilian authorities and the British School at Rome mandated archaeologist Honor Frost to direct the excavations which was carried out over the course of four successive annual campaigns. Annual reports were published in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. The final report was published by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in 1981. The excavation was carried out off the shore of Isola Lunga, north of the Marsala, the ancient Lilybaeum founded by the Carthaginians after the destruction of Motya in 397 B.C.
