A neighborhood revealed by geophysical prospection: An example of urbanization at the Phoenician–Punic settlement of Mozia (western Sicily, Italy)

• The geophysical analysis and interpretation revealed important hidden anomalies.
• The wavelet image processing was employed to increase the readability of some results.
• The different geophysical methods confirm the presence of subsurface structures.
• The quality of data allowed the detection of an up to now unseen urban area.
• This datum allowed the definition of a threshold for the population density at Mozia.

The archaeological site of Mozia, a small island in front of the western coast of Sicily (Italy), is one of the most important Phoenician–Punic settlements in the Mediterranean; it preserves important vestiges and remains, located in an uncontaminated site, inhabited and car-free. The remains are still partially hidden under vegetation and vineyards.A combined survey including magnetic, active electromagnetic and ground-penetrating radar was applied on a vast area in the north-western part of the island. The integration of different datasets of non invasive geophysical methods discloses a complex system of underground structures whose layout is related to walls and roads, residential units, and paved inner courts. Wavelet analysis, applied to the active electromagnetic survey, aided to improve the visibility of the resulting archaeological features. The data provided further evidences for a dense, still hidden, urbanization of the island at the time of the Phoenician–Punic occupation (8th–7th century BC to 397 BC).