Covering 2500 years in a relatively small space is no mean feat. The Ashmolean achieve this almost effortlessly in their latest exhibition exploring history of the recovered treasures from Sicily's treacherous coastline.

As well as delving into the deep, this exhibition also highlights the pioneering work of the underwater archaeology Honour Frost, who discovered a Carthaginian warship in 1971. Since this a relatively new field of research it raises the question of where else should be explored - is now the time to try and find the lost city of Atlantis?! This might be a PhD topic in the making…

The artefacts are laid out in traditional chronological order, allowing the viewer to follow the island's frequent changing of hands, starting as early as the Phoenicians (1000 BC) until the early medieval Arab-Norman conquest. Each room is in clear sections; firstly Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians, then Roman rule and finally Byzantine to Arab-Norman influences.

One of the highlights for me was the fantastic animated re-enactment of the battle of Egadi Islands, the final naval battle between the Carthaginians and the Roman Republic during the First Punic War in 241 BC. It has been lovingly created by Creative Assembly (known for their award-winning game Total War) and really helped me to picture the battle and how the warship rams, which are on display next to the screen, would have been used. One of the rams still had fragments of wood in it, a poignant reminder that the objects in front of me were used to destroy the enemy resulting in the loss of many ships and lives.

Other highlights include a well-preserved Corinth helmet (600-500 BC), a sculpture of an elephant's foot (after all, the commander Hamilcar Barca defeated by the Romans at Egadi Islands was Hannibal, you know, the one with the elephants…) and of course, the original flat-pack church, which was shipped out to Sicily courtesy of the newly converted Byzantine Emperor Justinian I.

Seven specific shipwrecks are highlighted, each with a fact file about when it was discovered, its contents and even guesses as to what caused it to sink. Fun family friendly activities include a sniff-it-and-see activity (hint: one of them isn't very pleasant), a chance to feel the effect sea water, sea creatures and tides have on stone, wood and terracotta, and even a sailor's wheel of fortune (with the amusing addition of 'Your captain drinks too much wine, and falls over board. You get a bigger share of the profits.').

Although there are lots of wonderful items to see, it is not overwhelming and you could easily see, read and smell everything in under an hour before exploring the rest of the fantastic museum.

I challenge you to attend this exhibition and not want to jump on a plane straight to Sicily's golden shore!