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Ruben Abela (Ed.): The Żejtun Roman Villa. Wirt iż-Żejtun, 2012. 144 pp.
Many a time during my days as a student at the erstwhile Carlo Diacono Girls’ Junior Lyceum (currently St Margaret College Girls’ Secondary) in Żejtun, I found myself wondering upon the ancient ruins visible within the school’s precincts.
What was generally known about them at the time was that the first remains were uncovered in 1961 while clearing the ground for the school’s construction.
The discovery prompted a number of investigations by the Museums Department throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
Investigations established that the site was an agricultural-cum-residential complex dating back to Roman times, while containing evidence of previous settlement.
Efforts to re-examine the site in further detail were recently taken up by the University of Malta’s Department of Classics and Archaeology, which conducted a series of excavations during the years 2006 to 2009 and 2011 to 2012.
The publication places the remains within a historical and geographical context, while delving into aspects of archaeology
In spite of various interventions on the site, published material relating to the Żejtun Roman Villa – as it came to be known – is scant. Up to 2012, it consisted of a short article by Anthony Bonanno, and a paper by Anthony Frendo outlining one possible interpretation of an inscribed pottery fragment found on location.
The latter was followed in 2002 by an article aimed at providing a synopsis of the site’s history, penned by the author of this review.
In an endeavour to raise awareness and start addressing the lacuna of available information, Wirt iż-Żejtun – a local voluntary organisation, established in 2010, working towards conservation and promotion of the town’s heritage – published what can be considered as the first multi-disciplinary overview of the Żejtun Roman Villa. Containing 11 academic papers delivered during a symposium, the publication places the remains within a historical and geographical context, while delving into aspects related to archaeology, conservation, tourism and cultural heritage management.
The initial two papers deal with the site’s history and archaeology. The first is co-authored by Anthony Bonanno and Nicholas Vella, both of whom conducted excavations on site. It provides a comprehensive chronology of past and present investigations, characteristics of the findings that emerged, and reference to related academic works (both in print and unpublished).
In conjunction, Maxine Anastasi’s paper contains a catalogue and an analysis of approximately one-quarter of the pottery found at the Żejtun Roman Villa. Her work highlights evidence for the site’s occupation from Punic times to Late Antiquity and touches upon Malta’s involvement in ancient trade networks.
Setting the Żejtun Roman Villa in its geographical and historical milieu are four different works. Ruben Abela, Wirt iż-Żejtun’s president, takes the reader on a journey through the ages, from Prehistoric times to post-Independence Malta, focusing in particular on the area’s history and development.
Another paper in this category is co-authored by Anthony Pace, Nathaniel Cutajar, Bernardette Mercieca Spiteri, Christian Mifsud and Mevrick Spiteri. It discusses a number of archaeological finds around Żejtun, shedding light on the area’s ancient land use, and the Roman Villa’s location in the midst of an interconnected agro-industrial system. The separate works of Timmy Gambin and Joseph Buhagiar focus on a key commodity in the ancient economy that is inextricably linked with the Żejtun Roman Villa, as a site associated with the manufacture of olive oil.
Buhagiar discusses olive tree cultivation and oil processing in the ancient Mediterranean with explanatory illustrations and photographs of related equipment from Malta and beyond. Gambin, on the other hand, focuses on the island’s maritime role and agriculture in antiquity, underlining the strong hypothesis of commercial oil exportation from Malta.
Three of the remaining five papers (here listed in the order in which, perhaps, they are best read) in Wirt iż-Żejtun’s publication adopt an applied dimension, inasmuch as they seek to emphasise the importance of Malta’s heritage as an economic resource which needs to be protected and managed in a sustainable manner.
Co-authored by Simone Mizzi, Maria Grazia Cassar, Stanley Farrugia Randon and Alexander Welsh, one paper explores the process through which various historical sites in the island’s southern region have been restored by Din l-Art Ħelwa. It also discusses the challenges faced by the organisation when it comes to ensuring their upkeep.
This particular aspect is delved into considerable detail by Nadia Theuma, whose paper may be considered a much-required SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, focusing on the management of archaeological sites in southeastern Malta. Theuma also sets out a proposal aimed at their valorisation with a view to creating a tourism-related economic opportunity for the region.
One challenge associated with the management of all historical locations, in particular ancient ones, is interpretation. As Samantha Fabry and Malcolm Borg relate in their joint contribution, facilitating interpretation renders the site more accessible and interesting, thereby increasing its economic potential. Fabry and Borg also propose an interpretation strategy specifically for the Żejtun Roman Villa. The other two papers instil in the reader a sense of utter urgency as they clearly underscore the need for an informed decision to be taken vis-à-vis the site’s future.
JoAnn Cassar and Roberta De Angelis’ work exposes the Żejtun Roman Villa’s fragile state of conservation.
Mainly the work of natural elements, the site’s widespread deterioration is also attributable to decades of neglect. It is, therefore, a relief to read that the Żejtun Roman Villa is currently the topic of various research programmes aimed at its preservation.
In this light, all possibilities available to the site in terms of its future management and its cultural-economic function need to be carefully evaluated. David Cardona’s paper sets out to commence this process.
Bearing in mind the Żejtun Roman Villa’s significance and its conservation issues, the author provides a series of informed considerations regarding the pros and cons of existing options, undoubtedly necessitating further reflection by all stakeholders involved in the site’s management.
In this regard, this excellent initiative spearheaded by Wirt iż-Żejtun augurs well, inasmuch as it is a clear stand taken by this pro-active organisation to protect and promote the town’s heritage.
The publication may also be considered a seminal study on the Żejtun Roman Villa which, besides starting to fill in the gaps of available information, implicitly highlights the many pieces in the puzzle, as it were, that still need to fall in place.
It is hoped that the work currently conducted on this site serves to further unravel its past and illuminate its future.