Punic Roman fortress remains found in Mdina

Remains of a Punic-Roman fortress were discovered during restoration work on the Mdina bastions.

A three-course alignment of large, rusticated sculpted masonry was found.

The trial excavations carried out at the foot of magazine curtain on the west side of Mdina revealed considerable stretches of the lower foundation levels of ancient rampart walls. These were retained in situ by the Order of St John's builders and used as a footing for the early 18th century fortifications, when the magazine curtain was constructed under the direction of the Order's resident engineer, the Frenchman Charles François de Mondion.

"What is exceptional is that an original stretch of the ancient wall typology has been found intact in its form of construction, giving us a clear idea of the ancient methods employed," the Resources Ministry said.

It added that in most cases, when such ancient masonry blocks were encountered in laying new foundations, the likelihood was that the ancient blocks would be broken down and reused in new construction.

This was the second archaeological find since the ministry, under the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, started working on the Mdina bastions.

The restoration of the bastions is one of the four major projects - the other three are in Valletta, Vittoriosa and Cittadella in Gozo - being implemented by the government and co-financed by the EU under the European Regional Development Fund.