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| Dun Salvinu Borg | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dun Salvinu Borg |
| Location | Gozo, Malta |
| Coordinates | 36°03′N 14°15′E |
| Type | Iron Age hillfort |
| Built | c. 7th–4th centuries BC |
| Material | Limestone |
| Condition | Partial ruins |
Dun Salvinu Borg is an Iron Age fortification on the island of Gozo in Malta. The site comprises concentric limestone ramparts, a fortified entrance, and a sequence of domestic and ritual contexts that position it within wider Mediterranean networks including Phoenicia, Carthage, Sicily, and Italy. Excavations and surveys have linked the site to contemporaneous complexes in Sardinia, Tunisia, and the Iberian Peninsula, contributing to debates about population movements, trade, and cultural interaction in the central Mediterranean.
Dun Salvinu Borg occupies a strategic knoll near the modern village of Xagħra and was first recorded in antiquarian surveys alongside Ggantija, Ġebel Santa Marija and other Gozo monuments. Nineteenth-century observers such as Antonio Annetto Caruana and Temi Zammit noted the ramparts, while twentieth-century excavations were conducted under the auspices of institutions including the University of Malta and later teams associated with Oxford University and the British Museum. Scholarly interpretation has linked activity phases at the site to broader events involving Phoenician expansion, the rise of Carthage, and later contact with Roman Republic maritime routes. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, local authorities such as the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage undertook protection measures in response to agricultural encroachment and quarrying associated with Maltese building projects.
The monument features multiple concentric limestone ramparts constructed with rubble core and orthostatic facing, echoing forms seen at Naveta des Tudons and the Ġgantija complex on Gozo. The inner citadel includes a defended gateway aligned with a courtyard and adjacent chambers interpreted as domestic units similar to those at Tas-Silg and Hagar Qim. A secondary outer enclosure encompasses terraces and agricultural plots that mirror land-use patterns recorded at Cart Ruts sites and the terraced landscapes near Mgarr. Architectural elements such as corbelled niches and orthostats have been compared with construction at Castello a mare sites in Sicily and coastal fortifications in Tunisia. The orientation of streets and alignment of doorways has been analyzed in relation to astronomical practices recorded at Mnajdra and Skorba.
Excavations have yielded a wide assemblage: fineware and coarseware pottery including wheel-made amphorae connected to Carthaginian and Phoenician trade, hand-made local wares resembling types from Sardinia and Sicily, and imported ceramics from the Greek world such as Corinthian and Attic sherds. Small finds include bronze fibulae, iron implements, worked bone, and faience beads that parallel inventories from Punic contexts at Kerkouane and Punic Carthage. Numismatic evidence comprises silver coins attributed to Greek colonies and later bronze issues from the Roman Republic, providing terminus post quem markers. Organic remains—charred cereal grains, olive pits, and animal bone—indicate subsistence strategies similar to contemporaneous settlements in Malta and the western Mediterranean, with palynological data linked to regional studies by the University of Cambridge and Sapienza University of Rome. Ritual deposits, including miniature vessels and a handful of votive statuettes, invite comparison with cultic assemblages at Tarxien and sanctuaries in Sicily.
Radiocarbon determinations from charcoal and bone place primary occupation between the late 8th and mid-4th centuries BC, overlapping the height of Phoenician maritime prominence and the expansion of Carthage. Typological sequences of pottery and metallurgy align the site with the so-called Punic-Malta horizon recognized in publications by John Ward and Crawford. The assemblage supports models of hybridization where indigenous Maltese traditions encountered imported material culture from Phoenicia, Sicily, and the wider Western Mediterranean. Debates continue about whether the site represents a primarily indigenous community engaging in trade or a colonial enclave tied to Carthaginian economic networks; comparative analysis with settlements at Mozia, Punic Sardinia, and coastal Sicily informs these discussions. Later reoccupation phases show integration into Roman economic circuits, paralleling transformations observed at Mdina and Cart Ruts hinterlands.
Conservation efforts have been coordinated by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and supported by international partners including teams from University College London and the European Union cultural heritage programmes. Management strategies address threats from erosion, modern quarrying, and visitor impact, employing techniques used at Mnajdra and Hagar Qim such as controlled drainage, stone consolidation, and interpretation panels developed with the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta. Community engagement initiatives involve the Local Council of Xagħra, educational outreach with the University of Malta, and integration into regional tourism promoted by Heritage Malta. Ongoing research projects maintain archives at the National Archives of Malta and foster comparative studies with Mediterranean partners at institutions like Université de Tunis and Università di Palermo.
Category:Archaeological sites in Malta Category:Iron Age sites in Europe