START OF CONSERVATION WORKS AT TAS-SILG ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE - MARSAXLOKK

Objectives of the Project

The year 2000 has seen the first comprehensive season of conservation works at the archaeological site of Tas-Silg in the last 30 years.

The current collaboration between the Missione Archeologica Italiana a Malta and the Museums Department is not simply intended to extend the area under excavation, but more importantly, intends to reverse a years-long process of decay and erosion.

Such conservation works are essential, if present and future generations are ever to be provided with the opportunity to enjoy this monument. In fact, concurrently with the conservation project, the Maltese Government is committed to render this important, but complex, monument more accessible and comprehensible to the general public.

This forward looking site-management strategy for Tas-Silg has been rendered possible through a combination of human and financial resources, provided by both the Italian Mission and the Maltese Government.

Tas-Silg is the only archaeological monument anywhere in the world to be positively identified as the site of one of the great Phoenician colonial temples.

Ancient Greek and Roman writers had identified a handful of such Phoenician temple sites – scattered across the Mediterranean – as enjoying in antiquity a truly world-wide reputation. These were not simply temple sites, but were active cultural, political and commercial centres of the Ancient World.

Such Phoenician Temples were known of in what today are Lebanon, Cyprus, Tunisia, Spain, Sicily and Morocco. None of these renowned Temples have ever been identified by modern archaeologists. Consequently our scientific understanding of these once splendid monuments is sadly limited.

Tas-Silg is therefore a unique site and one of truly international importance and value.

This is in fact the site of the once famed Temple of Ashtarte of Malta; a sanctuary famed for its sacred cults and its once considerable riches. The history of this site remained one of great economic and cultural prominence, even after the Roman conquest of the Maltese Islands. The importance of this temple was such as to figure in the works of ancient geographers and writers, most importantly in the works of Cicero.

Tas-Silg may in fact be considered to represent an "abridged account of Maltese archaeology" having important archaeological layers and structures starting from the remote Neolithic to the Middle Ages.

It is this combination of factors which renders Tas-Silg unique not only by Maltese, but clearly also by international standards.

La Missione Archeologica Italiana a Malta and Museums Department – 40 year history of collaboration

The archaeological exploration of Tas-Silg was from the beginning a collaborative effort between the Government of Malta and the Missione Archeologica Italiana a Malta.

The excavations carried out between 1963 and 1970 were responsible for the original excavation and identification of the Temple of Ashtarte of Tas-Silg. These very extensive and important works were then directed by Prof. Michelangelo Cagiano de Azavedo of the Universita` La Cattolica of Milan and by Prof. Antonia Ciasca of the Universita` La Sapienza of Rome. These early investigations were funded by the University of Rome with the help of grants from the Centro Nazionale per la Ricerca.

Since 1970 work has concentrated mainly on the inventory and study of the immense amount of materials – mainly ceramics and worked stone – produced by these eight years of excavation. Attention was also given to the stratigraphic re-interpretation of the archaeological remains uncovered at Tas-Silg.

In 1993, following an invitation of the Museums Department a first study for the conservation and presentation to the public of the site of Tas-Silg was developed by the Universita` La Sapienza and by the Italian Ministero dei Beni Culturali.

This first study identified the need to carry out some further studies and excavations on site, of a more targeted nature than those executed in the 1960s. These works were started in 1995 under the overall direction of Prof. Antonia Ciasca and employing the resources of the University of Rome – La Sapienza, University of Milan – La Cattolica and that of Lecce University. Funding for this work is provided mainly by the Ministry for University Studies and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy.

The role of the Museums Department in these investigations is not only limited to the superintendence of the works and the provision of basic support services, but includes a research dimension as well. In fact an essential element in these last seasons of work has been the comparison of data obtained by the Missione at Tas-Silg with the results from other excavations carried out by the National Museum of Archaeology over the last few years in places like Mdina, Marsa Waterfront and at Tal-Barrani.

A New Strategy for Tas-Silg – prospects for development

The excavations initiated in 1995 have been characterised by a new holistic approach to the management of such an important archaeological monument; one which integrates the need to conserve the site, inform the public, render the site accessible, while pursuing the scientific and research objectives of the investigation.

Each of these aspects is discussed below.

CONSERVATION

Conservation problems of Tas-Silg have been caused mainly by its constant exposure to the elements. This has resulted in erosion of all exposed stone and earth surfaces; stones have split and floors are wearing away. Further damage has been caused by the uncontrolled growth of vegetation, structural collapses of modern walls, the impact of visitors on decorated surfaces, and occasional malicious vandalism.

The programme of conservation works carried out this year has consisted primarily of emergency interventions to halt the deterioration of the archaeological site.

The works, devised in collaboration by the Museums Department and the Missione Archeologica Italiana, have addressed in particular the consolidation of rapidly crumbling ancient floors and masonry remains.

These operations have been carried out by a team of conservators specialised in the care and upkeep of archaeological monuments. These have been engaged through the services of the Istituto Centrale per il Restauro of Rome.

The cost of this first season of conservation works at Tas-Silg has amounted to Italian Lire 80,000,000 (equivalent to almost Lm 16,000), which have been provided through a generous grant of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Conservation works carried out on this site this year included the thorough cleaning of the site from the considerable amounts of silt and vegetation that had accumulated over the years. This natural growth had completely covered up many areas of the monument. Subsequent to the clearing, a number of more specialised conservation measures were taken. These included:

• the consolidation and integration of the ancient floors with appropriate mortars and in-fill materials,

• the propping of collapsing walls and earth sections by means of rubble walls,

• the consolidation and re-attachment of splitting stone blocks,

• the controlled back filling, with appropriate inert materials, of some earlier excavation trenches.

PUBLICATION

The site of Tas-Silg has already been treated in the past in a wide range of publications, starting with the eight volumes issued by the Italian Mission on a yearly basis between 1964 and 1971. These publications make Tas-Silg Malta's best-ever documented site.

Since the 1960s further specialised studies on the work of the Missione have been issued in a number of international publications and conferences, primarily by Antonia Ciasca, Maria Giulia Amadasi and Michelangelo Cagiano D'Azavedo.

The new start of excavations by the Missione in 1995 set the full scientific publication of this extraordinary monument as a primary objective. Great attention is being given to making the newly available data accessible to the Maltese public, rather than favouring relatively inaccessible foreign publications.

A first preliminary scientific report on the work achieved in these years will soon be appearing in the next issue of the Journal of the Malta Archaeological Society.

The Museums Department and the Missione Archeologica are committed to carry on with this programme of publications, giving particular attention to publishing the post-excavation work being carried out by post-graduate students associated with the Missione. The first such publication to be made available will be a volume authored by Dr Brunella Bruno entitled Malta in Eta' Romana e Bizantina – Economia di un Arcipelago al Centro del Mediterraneo, which is expected to be eventually translated into English.

These and other specialised publications are expected to provide much needed new scientific data for the study of Malta's past, highlighting the role played by these islands in the unfolding of European and Mediterranean history.

A further publication initiative is being prepared to explain this important and complex site to the general public, thereby providing a much needed link between the specialist student of archaeology and the uninitiated but interested layman.

RESEARCH

Tas-Silg is a site of international scientific reputation, one that is bound to increase with the growing number of publications on this subject.

Completing the conservation project and rendering the site accessible to the public cannot signify that research activity must stop at this monument. The completion of these processes will provide us with an opportunity to establish new wide-ranging scientific collaborations which combines local scholarship with the best that foreign institutions can provide in terms of human and technical know-how.

The databases and scientific knowledge that have been collected so far will naturally form an essential basis on which to develop future collaborations.

It should however be stressed that unlimited excavation on this site is not an acceptable option. A wise strategy of conservation must be introduced limiting future fieldwork to essential research issues of an international academic profile.

The use of non-disruptive technologies – such as surveying and remote sensing techniques – will be given clear priority over more destructive excavation techniques.

MAKING THE SITE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC

The conservation and publication programs of the site of Tas-Silg are essential ingredients for the overall objective of the collaboration between the Museums Department and the Missione Archeologica Italiana – that of opening the site to the general public and rendering its educational riches more easily accessible.

The particular character of this site – the fragility of its surviving floors and walls and the spoliation of its structures of most of their building material – render this monument difficult for the general public to understand at first sight.

Particular effort must therefore go into the presentation of the site using appropriate media and didactic materials.

As with most archaeological sites, Tas-Silg must also be protected from any damage that may be caused by the visitors themselves. To this end any structures that are deemed not essential for the presentation of the site will be carefully re-buried for preservation, and protective structures, such as raised walkways, created on site.