Parts of three walls, almost three metres deep, as well as other structural remains, have been discovered during excavations in an area adjacent to the Domvs Romana in Rabat, Heritage Malta said Thursday.

Although evidence suggests domestic use, the area uncovered so far is still too small to confirm with certainty that it is part of a house. Excavations will continue next year in order to shed more light on the remains.

Heritage Malta said that the latest discovery may be described as part of a puzzle with many pieces still missing. Its contribution is, however, on multiple levels. First and foremost, it helps in the understanding of the excavations held in the area by Sir Temi Zammit between 1920 and 1925. Secondly, it adds more data on our understanding of the structures in the area. Finally, it is yet another step forward in trying to understand how these structures fitted within the overall layout and the everyday life of the ancient Roman town of Melite.

The walls were discovered at the back of the Domvs Romana but works were also carried out in other areas, with discoveries and stratigraphy that will provide further data about the town of Melite, evidence for which is scant and highly scattered. In other areas, the excavations were targeted at re-discovering the trenches excavated by Zammit, in an attempt to re-evaluate the interpretations given a hundred years ago.

Any such discovery is always deeply interesting to read about, and it the work of the archaeologists in unearthing such things is always worthy of great praise.

It goes to show that we still have plenty to discover about our past: who knows how much more there is hidden beneath our very feet that can shed light on how our ancestors lived, and how much what is hidden beneath us can actually change the way in which we interpret Malta’s history.

Discoveries like these, and others, place further importance on the need to have the necessary safeguards in place to protect potential archaeological finds, especially in areas of archaeological sensitivity.

Such findings only add to the compendium of information that we have on Malta’s history, and it is also important that they are shared, publicised and put into the public limelight so that as many people as possible can learn about our history.

This may also serve to inspire more and more people to enter the field of history or archaeology which in turn will only lead to a greater understanding and appreciation for our past, and to generations which will work to value it and preserve it.

Praise once again goes to the archaeologists carrying out this important work.  May they continue to get all the necessary support to do so, and may they continue to uncover our past.