Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1480753
14 EYEWITNESS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 OCTOBER 2022 A Phoenician stone sarcopha- gus excavated last year at Għajn Klieb, on the outskirts of Rabat, is one of the major attractions at an exhibition which has just been inaugurated at the Nation- al Museum of Archaeology in Valletta. The exhibition brings to light the results of months of pains- taking studies by a multidisci- plinary team researching the sarcophagus and two other tombs discovered in the area, as well as their contents. The three tombs, although inher- ently different, shed light on the burial rituals of the earliest Phoenicians on the island. Sarcophagi are coffins made of stone or terracotta and are exceptionally rare finds in Maltese archaeology, so much so that the previous discovery happened some 300 years ago. The sar-cophagus featured in the exhibition was found by accident in a rock-cut tomb during road trenching works in 2001. At the time, the deci- sion was taken to preserve it by leaving it in its original find- spot. In 2020, increased devel- opment pressures to improve infrastructural services in the area led to the decision to in- vestigate the tomb. A joint collaboration between three en-tities was set up in order to ensure the best use of the available resources in view of the rarity of the find. The entities involved were the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage, Heritage Malta and the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta. Together they formed a team of archaeologists, oste- ologists, pottery specialists, conservators, diagnostic scien- tists and field archaeology sup- port staff who are researching the tombs themselves as well as bones and other objects found inside them. The exhibition runs until 30th October. Entrance is free of charge. Ancient burial