Heritage Malta has recently purchased an area of land containing a Bronze Age village within Borġ in-Nadur in the southern part of Malta.

The area, which measures around 13 tumuli of land, is said to be the “largest archaeological acquisition” made by the state – totally an investment of €200,000.

At a press conference on-site, Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici expressed his satisfaction that in terms of size, this is the largest purchase of archaeological value ever made by the State.

He added that the day marks another link in a chain of efforts leading to a new meaning for accessibility to our heritage, as well as a new meaning to heritage itself, which should not just be admired but lived and felt because it is what forms us as a nation.

Heritage Malta’s Chief Executive Officer Noel Zammit said that this newly-acquired prehistoric site is quite unique, because it is mostly associated with the Bronze Age period, and not the Temple period as are other prehistoric sites managed by Heritage Malta.

Thus, the agency has a new opportunity to explain another aspect of Maltese prehistory that previously was not represented by a physical site within its portfolio.

With Wied Żembaq on one side, Wied Dalam on the other, and a bay to its south, the area known as Borġ in-Nadur, has always been regarded as important from a historical perspective. The structural remains on site had traditionally been attributed to the Phoenicians or Romans.

The idea of a Bronze Age fortified settlement is typical of the time when the inhabitants of the island seemingly felt more secure inhabiting areas which were either hard to reach, or more easily defensible.

The large number of silo pits that were present along the coast are also associated with the Bronze Age.

Beyond the prehistorical perspective, this site also has huge potential to offer educational and fun activities for various types of audiences, as well as opportunities for archaeological research and local and foreign collaborations.

The site’s potential would eventually allow for repeated visits, each time offering a different experience from the previous one. Some 40 different thematic activities, offering both adventure and education, could be organised on-site, including pottery making, grain harvesting, flat bread making, weaving and tool making.

What do you make of this?