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Tas-Silġ is a rounded hilltop on the south-east coast of the island of
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, overlooking
Marsaxlokk Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishing and history. As of March 2014, the village had a populati ...
Bay, and close to the town of
Żejtun Żejtun ( ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at the end of 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Ferdinand von ...
. Tas-Silġ is a major multi-period sanctuary site with archaeological remains covering 4,000 years, from the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
to the ninth century AD. The site includes a Megalithic temple complex dating from the early third millennium BC, to a
Phoenicia Phoenicians were an Ancient Semitic-speaking peoples, ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syria, Syrian ...
n and
Punic The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people who migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' ...
sanctuary dedicated to the
goddess A goddess is a female deity. In some faiths, a sacred female figure holds a central place in religious prayer and worship. For example, Shaktism (one of the three major Hinduism, Hindu sects), holds that the ultimate deity, the source of all re ...
Astarte Astarte (; , ) is the Greek language, Hellenized form of the Religions of the ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern goddess ʿAṯtart. ʿAṯtart was the Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic equivalent of the East Semitic language ...
. During the
Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
, the site became an international religious complex dedicated to the goddess Juno, helped by its location along major maritime trading routes, with the site being mentioned by first-century BC orator
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC â€“ 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
. The original name of the hill where the site is found is Ta' Berikka; the name 'Tas-Silġ' derives from that of the nearby Church of (), built in the 1800s. Excavated as part of an archaeological project in the 1960s, the site was abandoned for several decades. In 1996, the
University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...
restarted excavations, uncovering Neolithic and
Late Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
remains, and substantial deposits associated with ritual offerings in the Punic era.


Topography and toponymy

Tas-Silġ is in the south-eastern part of the island of Malta, close to the harbour of Marsaxlokk. The name derives from that of a small church dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows, which is found at the crossroads where the country road from
Żejtun Żejtun ( ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at the end of 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Ferdinand von ...
forks out in two directions, to Delimara peninsula and Xrobb il-Għaġin to the south-east and to the village of Marsaxlokk to the south-west. Fort Tas-Silġ, a British-era
polygonal fort A polygonal fort is a type of fortification originating in France in the late 18th century and fully developed in Germany in the first half of the 19th century. Unlike earlier forts, polygonal forts had no bastions, which had proved to be vulnerab ...
, stands at the highest point of an elongated hill further south. The lower and smaller hill on which the excavations have been conducted is called 'Ta' Berikka', although the tradition of calling it 'Tas-Silġ' is now well established. The site commands views of the Marsaxlokk harbour to the south and overlooks two other bays, Marsascala and St Thomas' Bay. The site is surrounded by man-made terraced fields. The archaeological remains of Tas-Silġ rest on a hilltop overlooking Marsaxlokk Bay and St Thomas' Bay in south-east Malta. Archaeological remains prove activity by humans for millennia, with significant activity happening during the Phoenician and Roman eras. Over the past centuries, the Tas-Silġ remains were debated by various scholars, however archaeological studies carried out by the in the 1960s linked the remains with the renowned temple of Juno mentioned by classical authors. The remains remained visible ever since the classical era, and were described by
antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...
s and travellers since the
Early Modern The early modern period is a Periodization, historical period that is defined either as part of or as immediately preceding the modern period, with divisions based primarily on the history of Europe and the broader concept of modernity. There i ...
period. The archaeological remains sprawl over two large areas to the north and south of the Żejtun to Marsaxlokk road (Triq Xrobb l-Għaġin). Fields in both areas were selected for investigation by the . These were excavated between 1963 and 1970. Archaeological excavations were also resumed in the 1990s in both the northern and southern enclosures of the site.


History


Megalithic Temple and Bronze Age settlement

The excavations of an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
Archaeological Mission at Tas-Silġ in 1963-72 were designed to investigate the remains of the Punic and later temples identified on the site. However, during the excavations, archaeologists unexpectedly found a prehistoric site beneath the Ancient and
Late antiquity Late antiquity marks the period that comes after the end of classical antiquity and stretches into the onset of the Early Middle Ages. Late antiquity as a period was popularized by Peter Brown (historian), Peter Brown in 1971, and this periodiza ...
levels. The area was first inhabited when a temple was built in the Tarxien phase of Maltese prehistory, sometime around 3000 to 2500 BC. Few remains from the original temple can be seen, but the scatter of megaliths over the hill suggests that there was a large complex with at least 3 temples and possibly a village surrounding it. A D-shaped setting of large blocks that was part of the four-apsed temple still exists as it was later incorporated into the other buildings on the site. In the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
, the temple was probably converted into a settlement, as had been done in other sites such as
Borġ in-Nadur Borġ in-Nadur is an archaeological site located in open fields overlooking St George's Bay, near Birżebbuġa, Malta. It is occupied by a Tarxien phase megalithic temple as well as the remains of a Bronze Age village which includes the earlie ...
. In the deepest layer of deposits, archaeologists found various artifacts including pottery, lithics, and a standing ''fat lady''. From the Bronze Age layer, some sherds, stone tools and pottery were found. Other evidence from the Bronze Age consists of the large amount of handiwork.


Punic, Hellenistic and Roman temple

After the Phoenicians took over Malta in around 700 BC, they built a
Punic The Punic people, usually known as the Carthaginians (and sometimes as Western Phoenicians), were a Semitic people who migrated from Phoenicia to the Western Mediterranean during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' ...
temple to
Astarte Astarte (; , ) is the Greek language, Hellenized form of the Religions of the ancient Near East, Ancient Near Eastern goddess ʿAṯtart. ʿAṯtart was the Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic equivalent of the East Semitic language ...
incorporating standing remains of the earlier temple. An extension was added to the curved facade, and a monumental doorway flanked by two pilasters and topped with a huge stone slab was built. The sanctuary's importance eventually grew and a portico was added around 300 BC. Some parts of the temple, including a tower, might have been designed as a fortification to help defend it from possible invaders. A threshold slab pierced by three
libation A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an Sacrifice, offering to a deity or spirit, or in Veneration of the dead, memory of the dead. It was common in many religions of Ancient history, antiquity and continues to be offered in cultures t ...
holes that divided the eastern part of the temple and the western side, as well as a series of ashlar foundation walls for a platform built to the south of the main sanctuary still exist. Around this area, various remains were found including pottery, ash, animal bones, coins and sherds. Some of these sherds have votive inscriptions. It is claimed that the Cippi of Melqart might have originally been at the Tas-Silġ temple, but their origin is disputed. The presence of significant remains of pottery on the site found during the excavations suggests the existence of nearby workshops which produced ceramic ware intended to be used within the temple site. However, the presence of imported ware was also confirmed by the make-up of the pottery. Numerous Punic bronze coins were also found on site. In the
Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...
, the Punic temple was converted into a sanctuary of Juno, the Roman
equivalent Equivalence or Equivalent may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Album-equivalent unit, a measurement unit in the music industry *Equivalence class (music) *'' Equivalent VIII'', or ''The Bricks'', a minimalist sculpture by Carl Andre *'' Equiva ...
to Astarte. In 70 BC,
Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC â€“ 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...
mentioned the temple in his ''
In Verrem "''In Verrem''" ("Against Verres") is a series of speeches made by Cicero in 70 BC, during the corruption and extortion trial of Gaius Verres, the former governor of Sicily. The speeches, which were concurrent with Cicero's election to the aedil ...
'', saying that the temple was revered by everyone including pirates and Numidian princes, but the Roman governor of Sicily had stolen some of its treasures. Some Roman material was discovered in various deposits around a well in the lower terrace of Tas-Silġ. Red Roman flooring, '' opus signinam'', made from crushed pottery, lime and white marble tiles, still exists on site. Large water storage areas under Tas-Silġ were recently found and mapped, and they probably date to the Punic or Roman eras.


Ancient Egyptian influences

During the 1969 excavations, many stone reliefs and objects with
Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
influences were found on site, including sculptures of lotus flowers representing the Egyptian goddess
Hathor Hathor (, , , Meroitic language, Meroitic: ') was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion who played a wide variety of roles. As a sky deity, she was the mother or consort of the sky god Horus and the sun god R ...
and the sun god. Within the sanctuary remains, an ornament with palm volutes measuring around 7.6 cm and dating to the sixth or seventh century BC was also uncovered. Other limestone fragments, theorised to belong to some architectural design, were also found in the same area. Other similar elements were found in the Roman house at Rabat, and they are theorised to have formed part of a thymiaterion, due to their Egyptian funerary design.


Byzantine church

During the Byzantine era, the temple was converted into a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
. The basilica was built in the porticoed courtyard of the temple, which was roofed over. The square building had three naves with an apse at the eastern end. The prehistoric megalithic temple was reused as a
baptistery In Church architecture, Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek language, Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned ...
, with the
font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...
placed in the middle of the ancient structure. The church, or at least its structure, remained in use until the eighth or ninth century. A fortified wall with at least one tower was built around part of the site, possibly as a response to the Arab threat. More than two hundred Byzantine coins were found in the drain of the baptismal font, dating from the mid-fourth century, the reforms by Justinian (538–539) and a gold coin dated to
Constantine IV Constantine IV (); 650 – 10 July 685), called the Younger () and often incorrectly the Bearded () out of confusion with Constans II, his father, was Byzantine emperor from 668 to 685. His reign saw the first serious check to nearly 50 years ...
. The basilica at Tas-Silġ was expanded, modified and reutilised to include a fortified settlement linked with Marsaxlokk harbour below. Ceramic remains from Tas-Silġ span from the sixth to the ninth century, evidence that the harbour and settlement had links over centuries with various parts of the Mediterranean. Some remains of sculpture were found, including a worn female marble head and an ivory capital with a hanging palmette. Pottery from this period was also found, including amphorae and locally made plates and other items. During the Byzantine period, it may be that the ''fat lady'' was deliberately defaced and buried in a hollow. In the 8th century, defensive walls were hastily built around the church. The church was abandoned soon after the Arabs occupied Malta in 870 AD. The site was turned into a quarry and stones from the original structure were removed. In the medieval period farms were built on the area, and rubble walls from this era still exist. The whole site was buried under a metre of soil before being excavated. There are claims that a
mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...
stood on site but not enough archeological proof is found to support this. It is proven, however, that the Christian building was burned down during the Arab period.


Early Modern history

In the seventeenth century writers began to speculate the location of Juno's temple that was referred to in ancient texts, however the site was only discovered in the twentieth century. It was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. A remain of a column from the temple at Tas-Silġ, built in the Phoenician period, is today found at the seventeenth century Palazzo Marnisi in
Marsaxlokk Marsaxlokk () is a small, traditional fishing village in the Southern Region, Malta, Southern Region of Malta. It has a harbour, and is a tourist attraction known for its views, fishing and history. As of March 2014, the village had a populati ...
. Donna Angelina rebuilt the chapel nearby, referred to in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
as ''Madonna ad Nives'', in 1832. New findings were discovered when Heritage Malta and the Ministry for  Culture began a new project to restore and transform the ruins of a nineteenth-century farmhouse to serve as a small visitors' centre. The removal of the farmhouse's floors uncovered further important archaeological remains, including a succession of floors and walls, which mostly linked with extensions built in the Republican period. The new discoveries also identified a number of spoliation trenches. These were dug in modern times to exploit the building material of the ancient temple.


Archaeological remains

An Italian Mission led the first excavations between 1963 and 1972 and identified the sanctuary. From 1996 to 2005 the
University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association, ...
and an Italian team started another excavation project to clean other layers of sediments. The site is shielded by a cover to protect it from further erosion.
Heritage Malta Heritage Malta () is the Maltese national agency for museums, conservation practice and cultural heritage. Created by the Cultural Heritage Act, enacted in 2002, the national agency (along with the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage) replaced ...
runs the conservation of Tas-Silġ; although the site is closed to the public, it may be visited by groups on appointment. Efforts to conserve the site are ongoing, with curators hoping that the road bisecting the site in two will someday be re-routed.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tas-Silg Megalithic Temples of Malta Neolithic sites Bronze Age sites in Europe Phoenician temples Byzantine sacred architecture Church ruins in Malta Fortifications in Malta Marsaxlokk National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands Conversion of non-Christian religious buildings and structures into churches Sites managed by Heritage Malta Temples of Juno Żejtun Phoenician colonies in Malta