Abstract
Abstract The Roman Domus in Mdina, Malta, has become an idealised example of the Roman presence in the Maltese Islands; the partial remains of a lavishly decorated domus that would have in its time been situated within the walls of the urbanised Roman city of Melite. The site, last excavated more than 100 years ago, is also home to the only museum in the Maltese Islands, which is solely dedicated to house and showcase a collection of artefacts that date from the Roman period in Maltese history. This site alone provides a unique perspective on Roman Malta, being our only substantial remnant from the Roman Maltese capital, and needs a refocused and renewed exploration. For a long time, the archaeology of Roman sites in Malta has suffered a distinct lack of priority, and it has only been in the last two decades that considerably more focus has been placed on understanding the Roman period. Most of the archaeological focus, in this respect, has centred on agricultural villas, and though this study has illuminated a better understanding of the Roman period, very little has been undertaken in the last century in piecing together the importance of urban Melite to the broader nature of life in the islands, as well as their place in the larger context of the central Roman Mediterranean. The Melite Civitas Romana Project offers the potential of new understanding of the domus and the surrounding archaeological environment through a modern exploration of the site and the promise of the first available assemblage of Roman material from an urban Roman context.
Highlights
Nestled quietly in the central Mediterranean, approximately 300 km from the coast of North Africa and 93 km south of the island of Sicily, the Maltese Islands are referred to by both locals and intrepid travellersArticle note: This article is a part of the Special Issue on At the Crossroads of the Mediterranean: Malta and the CentralMediterranean During the Roman Period, edited by Davide Tanasi, David Cardona, & Robert Brown.This work is licensed under the Creative CommonsMelite Civitas Romana Project 1619 as “the heart of the Mediterranean.” The significance of location has allowed these islands to play an important role in the history of the region for millennia
The scholarship of the Roman period in Maltese history has waned in the shadow of the exploration of the prehistoric period whereby magnificent temple complexes can be more than just imagined
Once again centre research on the Roman Domus was made. This important site is the only one on the island that can potentially provide information on the urban context11 of “Romanised”12 Malta, allow for a more homogenous understanding of life on the islands during the Roman period and in effect help suggest the place of the Maltese Islands in the wider Roman world
Summary
Nestled quietly in the central Mediterranean, approximately 300 km from the coast of North Africa and 93 km south of the island of Sicily, the Maltese Islands are referred to by both locals and intrepid travellers. The small amount of ancient literature devoted to discussion of Malta by Roman writers supposedly amounted to a lack of tangible evidence of the society during the period that could be articulated in the archaeological context This has, led to a decided lack of research after the excavations of the Roman Domus by Zammit. Once again centre research on the Roman Domus was made This important site is the only one on the island that can potentially provide information on the urban context of “Romanised” Malta, allow for a more homogenous understanding of life on the islands during the Roman period and in effect help suggest the place of the Maltese Islands in the wider Roman world. This article serves as an introduction to the project and its importance as the first exploration of the site using the twenty-firstcentury technology and modern methodologies
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