|
| Andhra Pradesh ~ India ~ International ~ City ~ Entertainment ~ Business ~ Sports ~ Technology ~ Health ~ Features |
| Barack Obama ~ Michelle Obama ~ Gordon Brown ~ Kevin Rudd ~ Asif Ali Zardari ~ Other International News |
|
Home
/ International News / 2007 / September 2007 / September 17, 2007 Bronze Age settlement found under proposed US Embassy site in Malta |
Turkey President to release AU Professor's dictionary
Second avalanche in Kashmir kills 18th soldier
Gordon Brown eating nine bananas daily to look radiant, healthy ahead of polls: Spokesman
Charlie Sheen charged for domestic violence
Centre predicts 7.2 percent GDP growth in 2009-2010
Ballack hits back at Arsene Wengers jibe
Archaeologists have discovered a series of tombs and silos dating back to the Bronze Age and Early Roman period under the proposed US Embassy site in Ta Qali, Malta.
London, Sept 17 : Archaeologists have discovered a series of tombs and silos dating back to the Bronze Age and Early Roman period under the proposed US Embassy site in Ta' Qali, Malta.
Four tombs and 17 silos have been found, but experts believe there could be more buried underneath.
A team of nine archaeologists and students have been working at the site since August in a bid to survey the area as thoroughly as possible because a number of the structures - which are in very bad shape - may now be buried again under the new pentagon-shaped compound that will house the new embassy.
Earlier, on Thursday, the Malta Environment and Planning Authority gave its final seal of approval after the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage certified there was no need for the artefacts to be kept on display.
Cultural Superintendent Nathaniel Cutajar said during an onsite visit that the findings have been given a C grade, which means that they will now be buried again, but not destroyed.
The US Embassy is however, unsure what step of action it should take.
The Embassy believes the finds will remain exposed and be incorporated in the landscaping, as the building will take only a small portion of the land.
The Embassy's general services officer, Joseph Runyon, said, there are plans to exhibit small artefacts that have been recovered from the site.
According to a Times of Malta report, though artefacts dating back to the Bronze Age have been recovered, there is evidence that the site was populated during the early Roman period (AD 1 to 3).
The paper further said the tombs in particular suffered extensive damage over the years.
Besides having been quarried in the 1800s, the site was levelled off and developed, to be used eventually as the counting hall during general elections. Little more than a few inches are left of the once storey-high tombs, for instance, the report said.
ANI
