Archaeologists discover a Punic Tomb in Birkirkara

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Reported by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage:

In September 2024, a significant archaeological discovery was made during trenching works near Mater Dei Hospital in Birkirkara. While preparing the site for the installation of a new potable water line, workers uncovered a rock-cut chamber that turned out to be part of an ancient Punic tomb complex.

Thanks to the ongoing collaboration between the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH), the Foundation for Medical Services, and Infrastructure Malta, efforts are now underway to ensure the preservation of this remarkable find.

The SCH has been actively engaged with this site since 2021, when a planning application was submitted for the development of a temporary car park for the oncology hospital. Although the car park itself required only surface parking, minor rock cutting was necessary to create a schemed road and underground services. Noting the archaeological sensitivity of the area, the SCH issued archaeological monitoring conditions which commenced upon the granting of a development permit by the Planning Authority.

This approach at consultation stage ensured that an SCH-appointed archaeological monitor was on-site, ready to take immediate action when a rock-cut chamber was unexpectedly uncovered during the trenching works.

A team from the Superintendence was assigned to assist the archaeology monitors on-site to carry out the excavation, interpretation, documentation, and extraction of the human remains and objects found on-site.

Further investigation revealed that the chamber was part of a Punic and Roman-era tomb, consisting of three burial chambers connected by a central shaft. The entrances to these chambers were still sealed with their original stone slabs, an extraordinary state of preservation for a tomb over 2,000 years old.

Upon entering the first chamber, archaeologists discovered skeletal remains and a collection of funerary objects. Through narrow gaps in the slabs, they could see similar remains and artefacts in the other two chambers. These discoveries confirmed the tomb’s ancient use, dating back approximately 2,300 years to the Punic period. Some artefacts, however, hint at continued use during the Early Roman period, extending the timeline of this tomb’s significance.

Read more here.