During recent works to extend a storm water canal in Marsa substantial archaeological remains were uncovered consisting of large walls and foundations constructed with large ashlar blocks.
Also exposed were large deposits of ceramic material mostly made up of Roman amphorae, tableware, fine ware and fragments of large storage jars known as dolia. These deposits are sealed under a layer of alluvium, a sediment that characterises the entire Marsa floodplain.
This layer of alluvial mud has contributed to the excellent preservation of these structures and objects. It also contains ancient environmental material.
The discovery of such remains is not an isolated occurrence. When a school was constructed there in the 1950s, similar structures were unearthed, recorded and duly reported in the Museum Department's annual report of that year.
But what exactly, do these archaeological remains consist of?
The full description of the 1950s discovery portrays a general idea of what was found at the time. The zone discovered covered an area of at least 170 feet in length and 100 feet in width and consists of the lower courses of walls in opus quadratum, which is a Roman technique of building using rectangular blocks of stone.
The walls uncovered so far appear to belong to large rectangular rooms or enclosures and the quality and workmanship of the globigerina limestone blocks with which the walls are constructed show that the structure originally built on this site must have been of some importance.
Very large quantities of pottery, including "amphoras, flagons and storage jars" were retrieved. Some of the pottery showed signs of being water-worn and were encrusted with marine growth. A tentative reconstruction of these structures shed light on the layout of the building. An aerial photograph shot in 1957 clearly illustrates that similar remains extended across the general area.
The structures discovered recently clearly belong to a typical port structure from the Roman period known as horrea. These buildings were used as warehouses for the storage of goods ranging from grain to olive oil and wine.
This group of warehouses is not the only one to be discovered in Marsa. In fact, it forms part of a much larger port complex that was spread all around the Marsa floodplain.
As far back as the 18th century, a large warehouse complex was unearthed and recorded by Count Barbaro. This was situated on Jesuit's Hill under the Marsa power station. The huge structures formed an integral part of this Roman port.
Twice in the 20th century, workers uncovered other industrial and port remains: "during building operations along the north side of Racecourse Street, Marsa... several lengths of heavy masonry, buried in levels containing nothing but Roman sherds, came to light... they seem to represent the remains of massive warehouses".
Other remains uncovered and described over the centuries include Roman baths, fishponds, quays, moles and a harbour temple.
These remains strongly suggest that the port at Marsa not only served local needs but also those of Roman ships and traders operating throughout the Mediterranean when Malta was very much part of the connectivity in the Roman world.
A large Roman town existed in the environs of Marsa, a town that housed people associated with maritime related services including merchants, shipwrights, stevedores and rope makers.
No remains of domestic structures are known to have been discovered but the numerous tombs discovered bear witness to intensive human activity. These burial sites vary in date and there can be little doubt that for many centuries humans occupied and inhabited the ancient harbour area.
This prime archaeological site is also of great consequence in connection with the environmental history of the island. Over the centuries, large parts of Malta's harbours have silted and dried up. Recent studies have indicated that a marine environment once existed in places that are now dry land such as the floodplains of Marsa, Burmarrad and Marsascala.
The presence of numerous marine molluscs and other environmental indicators at the present construction site form a crucial body of evidence that would enable specialists to reconstruct past environments. Such studies shed light on both the evolution of the ancient harbour area itself and on the changing landscape of the entire island.
Pollen, seeds and other material from the surrounding countryside area are washed down the valleys and settle on the floodplain. Moreover, it is such objects that provide the primary material for carbon dating, thus providing essential chronological background to the site.
Similar archaeological sites have been discovered elsewhere in Europe under similar circumstances. The situation here brings to mind analogous discoveries like those at San Rossore in Pisa, at Olbia in Sardinia, Place Jules Verne and La Bourse in Marseille and, most recently, in Naples where a series of wrecks and port structures were uncovered during the construction of the city's underground rail system.
In all these cases, major construction projects were put on hold so that archaeologists and experts could excavate and study the remains. The discoveries have contributed to our understanding of a variety of aspects of ancient human activities including construction techniques, shipbuilding, trade and past natural environments.
A recently EU-funded project entitled ANSER - Ancient Maritime Routes of the Mediterranean - focused on these themes and a series of international seminars were organised to enable researchers and scholars from around the Mediterranean to elaborate on their discoveries and findings.
One of these seminars (held in Rome and Ostia in October 2004) was entirely dedicated to the study of port structures in the ancient world. The presentation of Malta's Roman port during this seminar was well received and many experts present at the event expressed their support for such research.
The remains currently being uncovered at Marsa are of immense value to the historical and archaeological heritage of this island. The study of such a site would make a fundamental contribution to understanding better Malta's past.
The authorities entrusted with safeguarding Malta's heritage are overstretched and undermanned. They cannot cope with the prevailing situation and with the recent spate of discoveries such as at Mdina and vandalism (Portes des Bombes).
The least that can be done is to ensure that no further civil works are carried out in the area so as to protect the surviving structures in situ.
Malta is a signatory to the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage 1992, more commonly known as the Valletta Convention and is, therefore, in duty bound to protect the archaeological heritage and to adapt/modify development projects in order to save this heritage.
The remains uncovered should be recorded by qualified personnel and a strategy developed for their study and conservation. Only in this way can we be sure that one of Malta's lesser known, but no less important archaeological site, is saved from the brink of destruction.
Mr Gambin is a maritime archaeologist specialising in the topography of ancient harbours, ancient ports and port structures.