The newly-appointed Italian ambassador to Malta, Paolo Andrea Trabalza, visited the archaeological site of Tas-Silg at Marsaxlokk on Wednesday.

The site at Tas-Silg is unique in the Mediterranean and served as a religious sanctuary through a succession of periods from the Neolithic to the Byzantine Period. The most spectacular remains on the site date from the Punic and the Classical Periods.

The site became well-known as a result of archaeological investigations conducted by the Italian Archaeological Mission in the 1960s. The mission, entrusted by the Maltese government and under the lead of Antonia Ciasca and (since 2002) Maria Pia Rossignani, was also responsible for the archaeological excavations carried out at the Roman villa at San Pawl Milqi in Burmarrad, and also at the spectacular sanctuary site of Ras il-Wardija near Kercem, Gozo.

These archaeological investigations have resulted in a number of publications by the Missione Archeologica Italiana, including a series of scholarly reports on the excavations of the 1960s, which were led by Michelangelo Cagiano de Azavedo and Prof. Moscati.

The work carried out by the missione in Malta since the 1960s, has been extensively supported by financial contributions of the Italian government. This investment by the Italian government is one of the considerable investments by a foreign government into the development and promotion of Maltese cultural heritage.

This investment of resources has already yielded excellent scientific results and has created long-standing collaborations between Italian and Maltese professionals in the cultural heritage sector.

The research carried out at Tas-Silg by the missione from 1963 to 1970 has led to the identification of a huge “international” sanctuary consecrated to Ashtart-Hera-Juno and known even from the literary sources. The singularity of Tas-Silg is due to the fact that it has been a worship place for more than 4,000 years: the site keeps evidence of continual building activities from the Maltese temple period (3500-2500 BC) to the Byzantine period (6th to 9th century AD).

For the next weeks fieldwork in Tas-Silg will be focused on prehistoric phases. As a matter of fact, the new excavations carried out by Professor Cazzella of La Sapienza of Rome brought extraordinary and unexpected results: a second entrance to the major temple (3000 BC) and a court in front of it were found, together with at least two minor temples, next to the main one, and another megalithic building, almost intact, concealed in between the temples themselves.

This last structure is rectangular in plan (an uncommon shape if compared to other megalithic complexes of the Maltese islands), with rooms and altars. These “hidden rooms”, maybe restricted to priests, are flanked by a monumental stairway probably leading to an upper terrace that is likely to have hosted public ceremonies.

Ambassador Paolo Andrea Trabalza was accompanied on site by the Director of the missione, Prof.ssa Maria Pia Rossignani of the University La Cattolica (Milan), as well as by Dott.ssa Anna Maria Di Marco, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Nathaniel Cutajar, acting superintendent of Cultural Heritage and by the CEO of Heritage Malta, Dr Antoinette Caruana.