Mellieħa wreck yielding secrets of Roman times

It was an ill-fated sea journey which ended tragically. Driven by a strong north-easterly wind, a heavily laden ship struck a reef in the middle of Għadira Bay. We do not know whether the crew made it to land safely, as the tragedy took place some 2,000 years ago. What we know is that the ship and its cargo sank and that archaeological excavations of the wreck are now shedding light on Malta in Roman times at about 300 AD. “Our excavations show that Malta was very much part of a Roman Mediterranean maritime network – our ports were very busy,” said Timmy Gambin, director of the excavations carried out in May by the Archaeology Department at the University of Malta. The Għadira wreck is known as the “Mortar Wreck” because the cargo excavated consisted mainly of mortars: bowls made of ceramic with rough edges for crushing and grinding food, herbs and medicine. Mortars in Roman times were as common as sieves in today’s kitchen, making them very much in demand, said Dr Gambin, senior lecturer in maritime archaeology. The type of pottery unearthed sheds light on the era and the provenance and it is quite evident from the cargo that the ship was calling from the eastern...