maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 MAY 2021
4
CULTURE
Punic tomb discovered near Zabbar
A Punic tomb dating back over
two thousand years was discov-
ered during works carried out by
the Water Services Corporation
in the south of Malta near Zab-
bar.
The tomb, which was still
sealed, was opened, revealing a
number of urns containing the
cremated remains of human
bones. It appears that an adult
and a young child were buried
there, based on the bones dis-
covered so far.
An amphora, two urns, an oil
lamp, a glass perfume bottle
and other pottery vessels typi-
cally of the Punic period were
found.
The burial rite was altered
through the Punic and Roman
times. Sometimes the bodies
were burnt, and other times
they were buried intact in the
grave. Cremation necessitated
a variety of resources, includ-
ing wood to burn the body
and the presence of a person
throughout the whole process
of cremation which took sever-
al hours.
Currently, the material is be-
ing removed from the tomb
and transported to a labora-
tory, where the pottery and
bones are being consolidated,
cleaned, and analyzed.
The Water Services Corpora-
tion is currently expanding the
drainage network in the south
of Malta to those areas which
currently make us of cesspits.
Because of the archaeological
sensitivity of the location, the
Superintendence requested
that an archaeologist accompa-
ny the crew in case any ancient
remains are discovered.
