Mdina… back in Classical Times

AXHotels Malta Blog — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:55:49 +0000

A visit to Mdina takes you back in time, a time when the nobles of the country used to build the most spectacular palazzi to make a show of their wealth and good taste, always competing against the knights of the Order of St John who had become the feudal lords of the country. Some architectural details take us even further back in time, a time which is still very enigmatic, enshrined in Medieval customs and concerns. It is ironic however that one of Mdina’s most prosperous periods is evidenced by remains which we very rarely can see, since they are to be found beneath the present buildings erected in the city.
In fact it seems that Mdina was a hub of activity and wealth during the Roman period, which in Malta started from the 3rd century BC, at the time of the Roman Republican age. According to classical writings by Cicero and Diodorus Siculus, Malta was “a picture of quiet prosperity” as described by Prof. Anthony Bonanno (former Head of the Department of Archaeology and Classics at the University of Malta), evidence of which seems to be found in the archaeological remains. Such remains include countryside villas, especially those with olive pressing equipment, as well as rural remains which have been discovered in the Mdina/Rabat area.
Mdina, refered to in texts of the era as “Melite” (the same name given to the whole island of Malta), was the main urban settlement of the island and its size was much larger than that of the present city of Mdina. Given that during the Roman era burials would take place outside the city walls, the catacombs of St Paul and St Agatha in Rabat mark the extent of Roman Melite, a conclusion supported by the remains of a roman fortification wall found on the premises of the parish church, situated in the same area.
A very interesting site was discovered just outside the present walls of Mdina, precisely as one walks up from Greeks Gate. In the 1880s, road workers discovered a site which excavations revealed was at some point a Muslim cemetery during the Medieval period as well as a Roman townhouse (domus) with a peristyle which has now been reconstructed. The architecture and the interior decorations of the house discovered on site point to exquisite craftsmanship. Basing themselves on stylistic studies, archaeologists believe that the house must have been in use from around 125BC to around 50 BC. Of particular finery are the mosaics uncovered, some of which have delightful 3-dimentional borders. Discovered were also small pieces of wall plaster still retaining parts of the wall paintings which must have decorated the rooms.
Apart from such artistic treasures, some of the items discovered were everyday objects like kitchen ware, weaving implements and personal adornment, which give us a glimpse of what life in Roman Melite must have been like. Many of these artefacts can be seen in the Museum erected on site, along with interesting information on Roman customs and lifestyle. At the back of this Museum, one can observe remains which are still being excavated – these consist, amongst other things, of ruins of smaller houses as well as part of a Roman road. The Roman Domus site & museum has been reopened a few years ago after a restoration project was carried out – a project which was not only
concerned with the conservation of structure and objects, but which also focused on better visitor understanding and enjoyment of the site1.
The re-pavement of Mdina in the 1990s also made possible the brief uncovering and recording of remains beneath the present city, an initiative which brought to light a number of interesting details. The architectural fragments discovered have led archaeologists to confirm the description in ancient texts of a city with high status structures. However, according to archaeologist Nathaniel Cutajar, the majority of the pottery discovered dates to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC with a smaller amount datable to the 2nd and 3rd century AD. Later pottery is scarce which suggests a slow abandonment of the high central zone (the acropolis) in the late Roman period.
Having said that, it does not mean that the successive historical period, the Medieval period, was simply an obscure era of decline. Cutajar does suggest, for example, that the economy of the Island flourished in the Byzantine period, a suggestion based on the large amount of imported ceramics discovered. That is, however, a story to be told in another article…
Mdina is situated only a few kilometres away from the Seashells Resort at Suncrest. It could be reached easily by public transport or taxi.

Bibliography
Malta: Phoenician, Punic and Roman by Anthony Bonanno (2005)
“Recent discoveries and the archaeology of Mdina”, an article by Nathaniel Cutajar published in 2001 in the journal Treasures of Malta Vol. VIII No. 1

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