The archaeological features being sacrificed to the Santa Luċija underpass are linked to past agricultural practices but are not of great value, the heritage watchdog maintained.
Responding to questions by The Sunday Times of Malta for information on the features being destroyed, the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage deemed them to be of less quality and condition than other similar finds.
Just under a month after the unearthing of shaft and rock-cut remains along the Santa Luċija jogging track, Times of Malta reported that some of the underground remains had been badly damaged.
Infrastructure Malta had been given the go-ahead by the heritage watchdog to begin excavations on the site the previous week, but the severe damage it had caused to the features had raised concerns over the loss of heritage.
The Superintendence of Cultural Heritage said that archaeological reports deemed the features at this site to be insignificant. After they had been catalogued, the green light was given for them to be sacrificed to the development.
“In building and infrastructural projects worldwide, choices have to be made to reach a balance between heritage conservation and development. Mitigation measures are made on the basis of policy, best practice and situation on a case-by-case basis, also taking in consideration the overall public benefits of the project and the heritage,” a spokesperson for the heritage watchdog said.
The structures identified for preservation were in another two areas where no works were taking place. These sites consisted of past agricultural features and ancient tombs which had been recorded, archaeologically evaluated and preserved, the spokesperson added.
Asked by The Sunday Times of Malta for the basis on which features were deemed important or not, the spokesperson for the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage said that such remains were assessed according to age and rarity, uniqueness, aesthetics, diversity, representativeness, condition, group value, potential for display, education, tourism and community association.
What are the features?
The features look like long linear trenches that were created to plant vines, according to Nicholas Vella, Professor of Mediterranean Archaeology.
“These kind of trenches were created to deepen the soil. This practice has been in existence since early Roman times but it was also the way vines were planted a hundred years ago,” he explained.
The academic added that unless one has enough evidence from the pottery discovered, or from other features in the area, it is difficult to distinguish between whether the trenches date back to one era or the other.
Regarding the sacrificing of these features for the underpass, Prof. Vella said that this happened all the time when it comes to large development projects, especially those of national importance.
However, he called for more transparency.
“The public should know the basis on which certain decisions are taken. Ideally there would be more information communicated by the Office of the Superintendence in this regard,” he added.
What is the Santa Luċija project?
The Santa Luċija roundabout tunnels project, which was approved by the Planning Authority in September 2018, includes the excavation and construction of two tunnels beneath the roundabout to directly connect Santa Luċija Avenue (Addolorata Hill) with Tal-Barrani Road.
Plans for the underpass were amended to ensure the preservation of the structures in the wake of the archaeological discovery last month.