People can this week take a first peek at the four ancient objects retrieved from the oldest shipwreck in the central Mediterranean.

They include a burial urn, an artefact never before found on a sunken Phoenician ship.

The discovery of the Phoenician vessel a mile off Gozo, more than 2,700 years after it sank laden with amphorae and grinding stones, made international headlines in summer.

But since it lies in waters 120 metres deep and studies are still under way, those interested in the discovery could until now only take a look at published pictures.

However, as part of the Discover University event, two amphorae, an urn and a grinding stone are on display at the University of Malta until Friday.

Two amphorae, an urn and a grinding stone are on display

The exhibition includes two seven-minute clips about the recording and recovery process, and is being manned by archaeology students between 10am and 2pm. A similar exhibition will be organised in Gozo.

These four “samples” have been treated and conserved, and a scientific diagram of them will be drawn.

Project leader Timothy Gambin pictured next to one of the first urns to be found in a Phoenician shipwreck.

One of the egg-shaped amphorae has a curved bottom while the other has a flat one, which could mean they originated from different locations. Project co-director Timothy Gambin said these were used to carry liquid food, probably olive oil or wine.

Urns are known to have been used in funerals. They used to be buried after being filled with ashes following cremation but Dr Gambin said this was the first time that burial urns were found in a Phoenician shipwreck and the team was still looking into whether they were being transported as coffins or with goods like dried food and later sold as coffins.

The urn is also rare as it was found complete with handles and lugs.

Sediment samples have been taken from these artefacts and they might provide an indication of the original contents.

Apart from seven different types of visible amphorae, the team has also discovered around 20 lava stones that were probably used to grind wheat.

The 35-kilo grinding stone that was retrieved with the two amphorae and urn is believed to have been brand new as it does not have grinding marks.

The shipwreck site, spread across a 15-by-four-metre area with around two metres of archaeological remains hidden under the seabed, might shed light on commercial relations between the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and other cultures in the central Mediterranean.

It might also provide more information on the shipbuilding of the era as, although much is known about Greek and Roman shipbuilding, there is very little iconographic, written or archaeological evidence about Phoenician vessels.

Meanwhile, the technical team is putting together the data – 8,000 photographs – to create a detailed, high-resolution 3D model of the site.

The survey of the shipwreck is being carried out within the Groplan Project funded by the French National Research Agency.

The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has also met with the authorities to discuss the security of the underwater site.