Tas-Silġ
Tas-Silġ is a rounded hilltop on the south-east coast of the island of Malta, overlooking Marsaxlokk Bay, and close to the town of Żejtun. Tas-Silġ is a major multi-period sanctuary site with archaeological remains covering four thousand years, from the neolithic to the ninth century AD. The site includes a megalithic temple complex dating from the early third millennium BC, to a Phoenician and Punic sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Astarte. During the Roman era, the site became an international religious complex dedicated to the goddess Juno, helped by its location along major maritime trading routes, with the site being mentioned by first-century BC orator Cicero.
Part of the late ruins at Tas-Silġ | |
Shown within Malta | |
| Alternative name | Ta' Berikka |
|---|---|
| Location | Żejtun/Marsaxlokk, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°50′45.3″N 14°33′7.5″E |
| Type | Temple Village Monastery Fortification |
| Part of | Megalithic Temples of Malta |
| History | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Founded | c. 2500 BC |
| Abandoned | c. 870 AD |
| Periods | Tarxien phase Bronze Age Phoenician Roman Byzantine |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1963–1970 1996–2005 |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Ownership | Government of Malta |
| Management | Heritage Malta |
| Public access | By appointment |
The original name of the hill where the site is found is Ta' Berikka; the name 'Tas-Silġ' derives from that of the nearby Church of Our Lady of the Snows (Maltese: Knisja tal-Madonna tas-Silġ), built in the 1800s. Excavated as part of an archaeological project in the 1960s, the site was abandoned for several decades. In 1996, the University of Malta restarted excavations, uncovering Neolithic and Late Bronze Age remains, and substantial deposits associated with ritual offerings in the Punic era.