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Remains of a Neolithic structure found in Marsaxlokk
Remains of a Neolithic structure found in Marsaxlokk
Photo: Heritage Malta
Archaeologists currently excavating at Tas-Silġ in Marsaxlokk have discovered the remains of another Neolithic structure. The newly-unearthed structure, which is still being excavated, has substantially increased the footprint of the land used in the Neolithic period at this site.
The excavation project is being implemented over a number of years and is divided into different phases, since by its very nature, Tas-Silġ is a complex site. In fact, on this site there are remains of at least three temples from the Tarxien Phase of the Maltese Neolithic period. The same temples were also used during the Bronze Age, which was possibly the only period in the area’s history when it wasn’t used for rituals or religious purposes.
When the Phoenician’s arrived, a temple in honour of the goddess Ashtarte was erected. The temple was worked upon further by the Punics and the Romans until at least the second century AD. Many years later, the temple’s main courtyard was roofed over and turned into a Christian basilica – the first evidence of a church built on the Maltese Islands.
This was, in fact, the last time in history that the site was used for religious purposes.
Eventually, the church was abandoned, nearly all the structures were demolished and the land started being toiled for agriculture. The state of affairs went on until excavations by Sir Temi Zammit during the 1920s, followed by the Italian Archeological Mission and the University of Malta in the last three decades, during which the remains of these buildings have been unearthed.
Photo: Heritage Malta
According to minister Jose Herrera, the site at Tas-Silġ probably continues further beneath the road which effectively divides the site in half. As evidenced by the newly-found remains as well as by a sizeable Phoenician cistern accessible from the site, underneath this road there are probably more remains, as yet undiscovered, from the site’s various phases.
It would therefore be wise to deviate this road as foreseen in the Local Plan. On his part, Noel Zammit said that Heritage Malta, while proceeding to scrutinise the newly-discovered remains which most probably continue beneath the road as well, is preparing a geophysical investigation of the road and the adjacent areas. The many layers of history that shape Tas-Silġ’s past make this site one of the most difficult to understand, and even more difficult to preserve.
However, Heritage Malta is drawing up plans and designs to improve the site’s visitor facilities and interpretation. Kurt Farrugia said that ever since Heritage Malta has taken over the management of the site, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage has always fully collaborated with the agency to ensure that all necessary investigations and any conservation measures required for preservation are carried out in a timely manner.
The latest investigations, which are shedding new light on the prehistoric significance of the site, are of the utmost importance since they have extended the prehistoric presence in the area way beyond what was previously believed. These investigations have confirmed that the extent of the site, in different periods, extended beyond the boundary walls set up in the past to safeguard the site. It is now high time to carry out discussions amongst all national stakeholders to provide a holistic approach towards the management and presentation of the site.
Professor Nicholas Vella said that the progressive discovery of the Neolithic structure, being unearthed step by step by students of the Department of Classics and Archaeology together with academics and researchers from the Department and colleagues from Heritage Malta, is a relevant result in the shaping of the history of Tas-Silġ.
This particular discovery has shed new light on the site’s Neolithic use, spurring further exploration of the structure’s context in relation to other remains from the same prehistoric phase in the area. This will entail exploration of the structure’s surroundings, even beyond the site’s current boundaries, in the road dividing Tas-Silġ. This joint excavation experience between the Department and Heritage Malta needs to continue in order to compose a clearer picture of the history of this unique site, Prof. Vella said.
The discovery was announced during a site visit by Jose Herrera, the minister for the national heritage, the arts and local government, Noel Zammit, Heritage Malta’s CEO and Kurt Farrugia, superintendent of cultural heritage. They were shown around the site by senior curator for Phoenician, Roman and Medieval sites within Heritage Malta, David Cardona and Professor Nicholas Vella, from the department of classics and archeology at the University of Malta. The project is a joint collaboration between Heritage Malta and the Department.
