From the 2nd – 6th November 2022, the Honor Frost Foundation sponsored the ‘Under the Mediterranean II’ conference which was held at the University of Malta. The conference was organised by Timmy Gambin (University of Malta), along with the organising committee – Stella Demesticha (University of Cyprus, Maritime Archaeological Research Laboratory) and Lucy Blue (Maritime Archaeological Director HFF/ University of Southampton, Centre for Maritime Archaeology).

The Honor Frost foundation was founded in 2011 with a mission to promote the advancement and research, including publication, of maritime archaeology with a particular focus on the eastern Mediterranean. This mission was easily reflected in the first ‘Under the Mediterranean’ conference that was held in October 2017 in Nicosia, on the centenary of Honor Frost’s birth in Cyprus. Over 100 speakers discussed a number of topics ranging from ship construction, harbours and maritime cultural landscapes to maritime connectivity in the ancient world. The ‘Under the Mediterranean II’ conference held in Malta in November 2022 was a continued reflection of this mission as well as Honor Frost’s connection to the island.

Honor Frost’s connection to Malta can be traced back to 1967 and the Mellieħa Bay project. Ms Frost’s subsequent publication ‘The Mortar Wreck in Mellieħa’, can be considered as the beginning of underwater cultural heritage activities in Malta, as well as the beginning of a long association between Ms Frost and Malta, where she kept a house and considered it a second home. This connection was celebrated through a small ‘Honor Frost in Malta’ exhibition at the Malta Maritime Museum, which included her notes and illustrations from the Mellieħa Bay excavation.