Ancient pottery remains found near Xaghra

The museums department is studying pottery shards found in the soil on a building site in Tas-Srug in Xaghra, Gozo.

The director of museums, Tony Pace, said the area had been known for decades to contain archaeological remains, and preliminary indications showed that the shards could date back to the Ghar Dalam phase (5,200 BC).

The site is close to a temple known as Ta` Venera, on the opposite side of the village from well-known sites like the Brocktorff Circle.

The department, aware of the amount of remains in the area, had asked for an archaeological survey to be carried out before plots in the otherwise built-up area were developed.

Two development applications have already been approved as nothing was found within their confines, sources from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority said.

However, the Archaeology Services Cooperative, which is carrying out the survey in collaboration with the museums department, found the pottery when carrying out the survey in connection with the third application.

The permit for the development would not be issued until the `all clear` was given by the museums department, after the archaeological impact assessment was concluded, an MEPA source said.