Students contribute to Punic tomb upgrade

Din L-Art Helwa and San Andrea Senior School yesterday inaugurated an interpretation scheme which marks the completion of a Teenager Din L-Art Helwa project to upgrade the Punic tomb that lies on the premises in Mgarr and dates back to between the eighth and third century BC.

San Andrea students carried out two clean-up activities on the site - one in May and another in last Saturday's hot sun - while the Humanities Department has been encouraging research and studies in the field during history and environmental studies lessons.

DLH executive president Martin Scicluna said Teenager Din L-Art Helwa was revived two years ago, with the objective of encouraging Maltese youngsters to look after their cultural heritage, take pride in their history and carry out hands-on projects to preserve it.

Two interpretation panels describe the archaeological features on the school premises, which also include a rock-cut pit, also discovered when San Andrea was being built. It appears to be man-made since chisel marks can be observed on its walls and is likely to have been re-used in modern times.

The Punic tomb forms part of the Ta' l-Imselliet cluster. It is located in the car park opposite the early school building and was discovered during its construction.

Consisting of a shaft, dug in the rock and leading to a rock-cut chamber, it forms part of a wider group of Punic tombs, which have been discovered around the Maltese islands and are of utmost importance in that they provide evidence that has helped archaeologists and historians reconstruct the burial methods and customs of the past.

They also provide ample information on cultural development in Punic Malta, which is important in view of the incomplete archaeological record of Punic settlements due to the fact that most remains are buried under modern towns.

Stephen Briffa, the coordinator of the San Andrea Senior School Humanities Department, said the clean-up activity was conducted under the supervision of archaeologist Nathaniel Cutajar from Heritage Malta.

The school was able to retain the collected surface finds, which include pottery shards, a lug handle of a late Roman cooking pot and a human bone fragment, possibly a rib. The discovery-learning activity offered the students first-hand experience about the importance of preserving their heritage, Mr Briffa said.

Senior school head Audrey Galea said San Andrea believed in the holistic education of its students. "Such projects fulfil the academic objectives of the history and environmental studies syllabuses, as well as instil in students a sense of pride in their heritage and history," she said.

The next project in the pipeline, to be carried out in conjunction with DLH, involves the cleaning and restoration of the maquis on the premises by the senior school, which could also be used during chemistry and biology lessons.