In the midst of this construction madness, I dread to imagine how often builders come across spaces and objects of archaeological importance, which they either do not recognise or intentionally ignore. Flagging up something historically valuable could, after all, require costly changes in plans or even stall a project.
It is easier to say nothing, shift the bulldozer back into gear, press on and hope to get away with it. Where are the serious deterrents, in any case, when such a lot of our built heritage is being destroyed openly, sanctioned by the authorities? The prevailing mindset is to build as much and as fast as possible, and everywhere.
Thankfully, some projects do take unexpected finds of archaeological remains into consideration. Once a surprise discovery is made, experts are called in to have a look and assess it. If this ‘rescue’ scenario reveals precious information, it should be followed by careful analysis and research, with the eventual conclusions presented or published.
A small-scale but fascinating exhibition, set up at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta, does just that. It is not very large, just one room, but it shines an intriguing light onto our history. Curated by Heritage Malta, in collaboration with the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage and the University of Malta, it is the first of a series of planned exhibitions about the so-called ‘dark ages’ in Malta, aiming to stimulate scholarly discussion and public appreciation of the medieval era.
Under the title Core and Periphery, the exhibition showcases and interprets some results from two archaeological finds of medieval objects. The first occurred at Mdina in 2008, and the second was at Ħal Safi in 2015.
At Mdina, during the restoration of the eastern bastion walls, medieval sections dating back to around the ninth century were discovered. The site at Ħal Safi was an ancient bell-shaped water cistern, containing remains from the 10th century. This period witnessed very important milestones in Maltese history, as Byzantine domination gave way to the arrival of the Arabs on our islands.
The ceramic fragments unearthed at these two sites are the subject of this exhibition. Clay objects break easily, but their shards and pieces can survive for centuries in archaeological deposits. Clay was used to make many different items, including storage jars, amphorae, table ware, cooking vessels, construction materials, oil lamps or sculptural pieces.
Future generations will surely look back at the materialism and short-sightedness of our age, devoid of historical sensitivity or good planning, with a sense of despair
Scraps and bits of clay artefacts can expose large amounts of information to the trained eye. The shape of a handle or the rim of a jar, a speck of glaze, an incised pattern or the shape of a cooking pot can reveal shifts in trading patterns, in agricultural or cooking traditions, or the social status of a place.
A more urban community was centred at Mdina, while Ħal Safi was an outlying agricultural settlement – the core and the periphery. At Mdina, the rediscovered medieval fortifications indicate the rise of a strong military elite with considerable resources based at the citadel. The ceramics discovered within these old walls confirmed to archaeologists that this medieval Maltese community was somehow connected to wide trading links across the Mediterranean, such as Sicily, southern Italy or the Aegean.
Fragments of archaeological information open up important windows into our past. Some cooking pots found at Ħal Safi, and later in Mdina too, were typical of North African traditions, suggesting that cooking habits were changing, with new Tunisian or Arab practices becoming established in Malta by around the 10th century. A shift away from old Byzantine forms to new Islamic ones was gradually taking place. Malta was not an isolated outpost, as similar cultural developments were taking place in Sicily at the time.
This kind of exhibition, gleaning deep insights into Maltese history and identity from such relatively small objects, makes the current ruthless and senseless destruction of swathes of our heritage, by rampant construction all over the islands, especially painful to watch.
The latest nightmare for archaeologists (and for anyone who cares about Maltese history) is the projected entrance to the road tunnel to Gozo, near L-Imbordin in the vicinity of St Paul’s Bay. This area still contains exceptionally well-preserved examples of early medieval troglodyte dwellings, as well as old agricultural estates and irrigation channels linked to an aquifer close by.
Inserting a mini-highway to Gozo into this rural area will undoubtedly obliterate its traditional context and cultural meanings. If the government goes ahead with this barbaric plan to build a main road there, any claims that it cares about Malta’s cultural heritage can never again be remotely credible.
It is not only remains of the distant or rural past that are worthy of conservation, but also more recent buildings or streetscapes with architectural merit or cultural importance. But the Planning Authority could not care less. Once the tunnel exports Malta’s traffic chaos and construction frenzy to the sister island, the destructive wave will soon sweep over Gozo too.
Future generations will surely look back at the materialism and short-sightedness of our age, devoid of historical sensitivity or good planning, with a sense of despair.
petracdingli@gmail.com
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece