Roman wall found in Mdina

A Roman wall was unearthed at St Paul's Square, in Mdina during works being carried out by the Archaeological Services Cooperative, commissioned by the Mdina Rehabilitation Committee.

The wall was exposed on Monday and plans of the find are currently being drawn up for record purposes.

Nathaniel Cutajar, from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, said when contacted yesterday that excavations had been carried out on the opposite side of the square in 2001 as part of the paving works for the city of Mdina and excavations were now continuing on the other site. It was during these works that the wall was unearthed.

As a result works in the area have currently been stopped so that a record of the wall could be taken. An area of 15 by 10 metres was being opened, exposing the monumental structure completely, also finding traces of more modern buildings in the process.

Mr Cutajar said there had been no square between 1400 and 1800 but a series of narrow roads as in the rest of Mdina. These were later gutted to form the square.

Data was to continue being collected, he said, at least until mid-next week but extensive excavations were not planned for the area.

The data being compiled, he said, was completely new giving the authorities the opportunity to record another part of the archaeology beneath the square.

Mr Cutajar said Mdina as a settlement dated back to the Bronze Age (around 1000 BC).

Older structures have been found in other areas of Mdina, such as the area around the Xaghra Palace and Inguanez Street with excavations going down for over four metres.

The wall and the other excavations found in St Paul's Square will eventually be covered again but in a way which would see them protected for posterity. Pottery and sherds dating back to several periods have also been unearthed.