This article presents ‘the phenomenon of the phantom place’ and its occurrences. This phenomenon finds its equivalent in Merleau-Ponty’s analysis of the phantom limb, and manifests itself when a past place acquires such representational value in absentia that determines our perception of the present, tangible place. To demonstrate its occurrences and assess its importance, archaeological writing and practices are examined. First, through an examination of archaeological texts on shipwrecks, it is shown how the excavation site can be perceived as a spatiotemporal fusion of material remains (presences) and the absent functional place (the phantom) these represent. Second, the value of phantom places is shown through the investigation of a (re)constructed place; specifically a trireme. The latter case study demonstrates how the experience of places replicating past spatialities is largely affected by the obsolete functions these places served in the past. The case studies employed centre around a single spatiality, the ship. This phenomenon, however, is neither restricted to archaeologists nor specific places; it is integral to the way we perceive place.