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Insights Into Malta's Roman Period

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Insights Into Malta's Roman Period INSIGHTS INTO MALTA'S ROMA PERIOD PROFESSOR ANTHONY BONANNO Illustrations: 1. Engraving from London News 2. Statue group in Caruana's report 3. Galizia's colour drawing of the peristyle mosaic t do not think that any nished the house with a cycle of imperial existence of two such temples is record­ vive in greatly diminished remains. The Maltese person of The first contribution was in portrait statues in fine white marble. The ed in two ancient inscri ptions: one was Rami a Bay villa, excavated in 1910 and average education is the field of domestic interior majority of these were found during the dedicated to Apollo, the other to soon after reburied for protection, was aunaware of a period decoration. This consisted 1881 clearance operations but one piece, Proserpina. A set of architectural cor­ residential in nature. Enjoying one of the in Maltese history during of a cycle of floor mosaics a colossal statue of a man in toga, was nices exquisitely carved in Maltese fran ­ most enchanting locations, only a few which Malta was dominated that were probably laid at unearthed during the 1922-23 excava­ ka limestone were found in the country­ metres up from the sandy beach of that by the Romans. Everybody the moment of the construc­ ti ons on the same site. For almost a cen ­ side in the Fiddien area. Given thei r bay, it was furnished with a set of heated must have heard at one time tion of the house in the early tu ry these sculptures were exhibited in a small scale, we wonder what type of rooms for bathing purposes. Similarly, or another in their life of the years of the 1st century BC. disjointed fashion without any hint that miniature building they belonged to. The but on a larger scale, the Roman Baths ''Roman Villa". I have no The Roman world at that they belonged together. Right now they location of the find , outside but not far of Ghajn Tuffieha had rooms with heating doubt, on the other hand , time was experiencing one are being conserved at the Malta Centre from the city, suggests a funerary shrine. under the floors. These baths still pre­ that the artistic and archaeo­ of its most traumatic periods for Restoration. The statues will regain serve beautiful floor mosaics with attrac­ logical heritage of that peri­ of political and social unrest much more of their original meaning he architectural heritage outside ti ve geometric designs. od is grossly underrated and that eventually brought when they will be exhibited together in Tthe main towns consists of a series insufficiently appreciated not about the collapse of the the new set-up to be inaugurated in June of country houses, widely known as Of the score of villas of an agricultural only by the Maltese but also Republican constitution and this year. 'villas ', that were scattered in the Maltese nature that can be made out from by visitors. The main reason the rise of Imperial autocra­ landscape, only a handful of which sur- record s and from the survival of heavy for this is the much richer, cy. In spite of those troubled stone oil-pressing instruments, more conspicuous and times, or perhaps because alta's Roman heritage is the remains of only three sur­ unique prehistoric heritage of them , a gentleman of sub­ Mnot limited to the Rabat vive to an appreciable level : of the islands. There was a stance, whose name is domus and its contents, those of Ta ' Kaccatura and time , however, namely, at unknown to us, found the even if these are the finest ever to San Pawl Milqi, and the one in the end of the 19th century, necessary means and moti­ be found. There is an astounding the grounds of the Junior when Malta occupied a fore­ vations to build a house on number of pieces of architectural Lyceum of Zejtun. The grand­ front position even on the the edge of the town, over­ ornamentation , both in imported est is the second one which international scene for its looking the picturesque marble and in local stone, that are had at least three olive mills Roman archaeological dis­ Gheriexem valley. To deco­ crying out for a proper study and (trapeta) and two presses coveries. This pre-eminent rate the floors of the house pu blication. Some are found in (prela) . Eventually it became position was gained in the he commissioned a work­ Church collections, like the associated with the cult of St aftermath of the 1881 acci­ shop of specialized Cathedral Museum in Mdina, a few Paul. dental discovery of a spec­ mosaicists to lay a set of odd pieces in private hands, but tacular Roman private urban splendid mosaics. the majority form part of the state residence just outside collections. Some of them were Compared to its prehistoric Mdina's Greeks Gate. The second contribution kn own way back in the 17th centu ­ heritage Malta's Roman materialized almost a centu­ ry and a couple of them we re even archaeological and artistic Besides shedding further ry-and-a-half later, when the illustrated in Giovanni Francesco legacy appears to be negligi­ light on Maltese social histo­ house was still in sufficiently Abela's monumental Description of ble . This is, to say the least, a ry of the Roman period, the good condition to be occu­ Malta of 1647. The marble ones misconception because, in discovery of that house pied and further embel­ most probably decorated public relation to its size Malta pos­ gained in importance for two lished. The first owner's suc­ buildings, such as temples, that sesses some of the finest contributions it made to cessor, possibly but not nec­ must have stood in the ancient pieces of Roman mosaic and Malta's artistic heritage. essarily related to him , fur- town of Melite and elsewhere. The sculptural art. • 10 kultura 21 - May/June 2004 kultura 21 - May/June 2004 11 .
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