Professor Anthony Bonanno, Head of the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, recently held talks with Dr Ali Al-Khadouri, chairman of Libya's Board of Antiquities, on co-operation with Malta's University.

Professor Bonanno was in Libya at the invitation of the Maltese Embassy in Tripoli to deliver a lecture on "Roman Malta" at the conference hall of the Tripoli Museum.

Dr Richard Vella Laurenti, Malta's Ambassador to Libya, and Dr Mohamed Fakroun, director of the Tripoli Archaeological Museum, were also present.

One area that Malta and Libya could collaborate in is the exchange of students and graduates of archaeology.

Dr Al-Khadouri referred to the rich cultural heritage that binds both countries and expressed his and the board's interest in the work being undertaken by the Malta Centre for Restoration at Bighi.

Dr Al-Khadouri was in Malta recently at the invitation of the Malta Centre for Restoration and saw for himself some of the projects being undertaken by the centre at Bighi.

During his visit to Libya, Professor Bonanno visited the Museum of Leptis Magna and Villa Seline, a Roman country house dating to the second century A.D. This villa is situated about 15 km to the west of Leptis Magna and was discovered in 1974.

The excavations, which started in 1977, revealed floors of rich mosaics in addition to frescoes distributed on more than 40 rooms and porticoes directly overlooking a beautiful sandy beach.